Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Vehicle Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Del. committee hears sponsor’s pitch for bill to require removal of dangerous snow and ice from vehicles
Summary
Sen. Townsend told the Senate Energy, Environment and Transportation Committee SB 233 would reduce crashes from snow and ice dislodged from vehicles; members probed enforcement and fairness, and farm and motorist groups urged advancement with an amendment exempting certain agricultural equipment.
State Senator Townsend told the Senate Energy, Environment and Transportation Committee on May 5 that Senate Bill 233 aims to reduce crashes caused by snow and ice dislodging from vehicles on higher-speed roads.
"This bill ... is an issue that the senate is pretty familiar with," Townsend said, citing heavy January weather events and "some very, very serious accidents" that followed. He said the bill as amended would exempt slower-moving agricultural vehicles so that tractors and other seasonal farm equipment are not unfairly penalized.
The proposal drew technical and policy questions from committee members. Senator Eric Buxton said he supported the bill but worried about enforcement and whether the law could lead to criminal liability in cases that cause injury. "Does that make that a criminal event?" Buxton asked. Townsend replied the measure is structured as a civil offense with a fine and that civil liability for damage could still be pursued by an injured party: "The statute itself would create a civil offense. And then obviously the penalties enhance if it does cause damage." He added that he had not heard concerns from state police about the bill's drafting.
Senator Ray Siegfried asked whether an emergency situation — for example, driving a family member to the emergency department — would be treated as an exception. Townsend said officers often exercise discretion in such circumstances and that the bill does not try to legislate every possible scenario.
Public commenters urged the committee to advance the bill. Cindy Gross Nickel of the Delaware Farm Bureau, speaking in person, said the farm-sector amendment appropriately reflects how agricultural equipment is designed and used while preserving the bill’s safety goals. Jayna Tidwell, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs in Delaware, asked the committee to release the bill and stressed that motorists should clear not only windshields but also the hood, trunk and roof to reduce the risk of airborne ice: "Removal of snow and ice from a vehicle is not just important to do for the windshield and the windows, but also the hood, the trunk, and the roof before operation to reduce the risk of serious injury."
The committee did not record a vote on SB 233 during the meeting. Chair State Senator Stephanie Hanson asked members to sign bill-backer sheets before the end of the session.
The committee’s next procedural step was not specified during the hearing.
