From cars to trucks, drivers are once again reminded to clean the snow off their vehicles before hitting the road.
“It’s your responsibility. Someone could be minding their own business and really get hurt. As well as damage their personal property,” said Rick Fontana, from West Haven Emergency Management.
The so-called “ice missile law” has been in place in Connecticut since 2014. If you get pulled over, the fine is $120. If you’re a commercial vehicle and an ice missiles resulted in an injury, that fine can range from $500 to $1,250.
In 2025, Connecticut State Police issued 170 tickets for violating the Ice Missile law.
“It is going to become painfully cold over the next few days. And now’s the time, there’s a little bit of a window now to get it cleaned off before it turns to ice,” said Fonatana.
Doing so isn’t always easy for drivers of trucks, although state police tell us many commercial service plazas offer de-icing stations for tractor-trailers.
“We’re not trying to make it difficult on other drivers with snow coming off the vehicle, but there’s no practical way to get that stuff off the top,” said Patrick Power, of Hartford, who tells us he wishes there were more options to get the top cleaned safely. “There are roof squeegees where you can drive underneath and scrape the snow off — really I wish it was available throughout the state.”
If you have a car, drivers say cleaning it should only take a few minutes.
“It’s super unsafe. I had to drive around someone real quick to get away from it,” said Melanie Brooks, of Andover.
I clean my car when it starts snowing, middle of the snow, and after. You’re strict about it! I really am,” said Tarique Hester, of Willington.
