# Snow on the Roof : A Public Service Rant **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 23, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448 "2008-12-23T22:21:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/21 "2008-12-25T08:31:00Z")
> [@Elysium](#): > > I saw a great version the other day, a VW rabbit (tiny car, btw, a child could remove all the snow from the roof) with the top cleared off on both sides except for a strip down the center about 5 inches tall. > > We dubbed it the “SnowHawk” thats the same term I Use, its either on purpose or its a short person who cant reach the center. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/22 "2008-12-25T15:35:31Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > I just read someone suggesting that a van driver wait until the cabin warms up so they they can smoosh the snow off the top That was me and it was for ice, not snow. Besides, there’s no need to wait for the _cabin_ to warm up; no, just the roof and just enough to dislodge the icepack. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/23 "2008-12-25T16:20:05Z")
I was once hit by such an ice sheet from someone… in the other lane. _On the other fuckin’ side of the interstate_! Give the gap between us, he was probably 60 feet away and no exxageration. The ice shot the rig and through the air in a beautiful arc, slamming down into my windshield while I was driving at 60 mph. I thought it was going to crack thtough the glass like tinfoil, but we made it out . I tried to swerve, but it was almost impossible to judge where it would fall because the damn thing was weirdly ungainly and spiraled through the air corksrew-wise. So, don’t fuckin’ tell me I’m following to close. That guy was going the other way, seperated by a lane of traffic and 50 feet of grass fuckin’ median. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/24 "2008-12-25T19:17:03Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I hit a giant mound of ice from a semi, and it broke the cowling under the bumper on the front of my car. I have thought for a long time that us Canadians really should have a word for those ice and dirt lumps - car boogers, maybe? “Snard lumps.” Reference: _Cold as a Bay Street Banker’s Heart: The Ultimate Prairie Phrase Book_ by Chris Thain. **Eutychus** , you will be happy to learn that failing to clean off the roof of your car is actually against the law in Quebec. A provincial police spokesperson reminded us of this on the CBC morning show a few days ago after a large dump of snow. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/25 "2008-12-25T20:05:10Z")
> [@Uvula\_Donor](#): > > Ummmm, pay attention when you’re driving and leave plenty of room between you and the big scary truck with ice on top. Are you really this dense? Sometimes it can fly really far, appear suddenly over the top of the car in front of you and smash into your windshield before you even have a chance to react! At least that’s what happened to me… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/26 "2008-12-26T04:54:22Z")
> [@Uvula\_Donor](#): > > Ummmm, pay attention when you’re driving and leave plenty of room between you and the big scary truck with ice on top. The one that tossed off the chunk that hit me last year was passing me, you inept fuckslug. And I wasn’t in a car. My shoulder was feeling some real nice pain thanks to Mr or Mrs can’t be bothered. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/27 "2008-12-26T05:41:46Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I was once hit by such an ice sheet from someone… in the other lane. _On the other fuckin’ side of the interstate_! > > Give the gap between us, he was probably 60 feet away and no exxageration. The ice shot the rig and through the air in a beautiful arc, slamming down into my windshield while I was driving at 60 mph. I thought it was going to crack thtough the glass like tinfoil, but we made it out . I tried to swerve, but it was almost impossible to judge where it would fall because the damn thing was weirdly ungainly and spiraled through the air corksrew-wise. > > So, don’t fuckin’ tell me I’m following to close. That guy was going the other way, seperated by a lane of traffic and 50 feet of grass fuckin’ median. You know, that’s happened to me, and I really like your quasi-poetic description of the flight of the ice sheet. It happens so fast, yet so slow (being transfixed on the sheet of ice as it twirls and pirouettes for your enjoyment before it attempts to destroy your life) and I felt your description was wonderfully apt. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/28 "2008-12-26T05:43:00Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > The one that tossed off the chunk that hit me last year was passing me, you inept fuckslug. > > And I wasn’t in a car. My shoulder was feeling some real nice pain thanks to Mr or Mrs can’t be bothered. Were you walking? ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/29 "2008-12-26T09:51:50Z")
Incidentally, here at Casaflodnak we call those lumps of slush, ice and dirt that build up behind the tires “fender bombs”. When the weather is just right they litter every parking lot like a thousand little cowpies in a late-summer meadow. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/30 "2008-12-26T15:21:24Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Are you really this dense? Of course not. It’s just that “You should have taken extra anti-asshole precautions against my asshole behavior so this is all your fault” is the standard asshole defense. ---
**Author:** ![Any\_Other\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Any\_Other\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Any_Other_Name)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/31 "2008-12-26T17:42:02Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Incidentally, here at Casaflodnak we call those lumps of slush, ice and dirt that build up behind the tires “fender bombs”. When the weather is just right they litter every parking lot like a thousand little cowpies in a late-summer meadow. Fenderbergs. Courtesy Rich Halls, Early 80’s SNL “Sniglets”. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/32 "2008-12-26T19:01:33Z")
We got nearly two feet of snow overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Now, the snow up here is relatively lightweight and powdery, but that’s still a hell of a lot of snow to get all at once. People are still driving around with two feet of snow on top of their cars and trucks. I’m 4’2" and cleared the damn snow off the roof of my car, with the assistance of my shovel. They have no excuse. It took me nearly two hours of digging to get my car out, but I by God cleared my car off when I did it. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/33 "2008-12-26T19:03:58Z")
> [@Any\_Other\_Name](#): > > Fenderbergs. > > Courtesy Rich Halls, Early 80’s SNL “Sniglets”. My favorite was the **ignosecond** , something to the effect of “that moment in time when someone inside the car is attempting to unlock the door for you while you negate their attempt by pulling on the door handle at the same time”. Or some such. Those were generally pretty funny, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/34 "2008-12-26T22:57:39Z")
WAAAAH! ZOMG SNO HIT MY CAR!!!11! ITT: Crybaby cunts who should probably just stay home until spring. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/35 "2008-12-26T23:35:39Z")
Ah. So you are that fucking dense. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/36 "2008-12-26T23:40:27Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > My favorite was the **ignosecond** , something to the effect of “that moment in time when someone inside the car is attempting to unlock the door for you while you negate their attempt by pulling on the door handle at the same time”. I have done that so many times. More precisely, my driver and I are approaching the car, and I reach my door first and pull on the handle _exactly_ when the doors are being unlocked. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/37 "2008-12-27T00:54:09Z")
> [@Uvula\_Donor](#): > > WAAAAH! ZOMG SNO HIT MY CAR!!!11! > > ITT: Crybaby cunts who should probably just stay home until spring. Snow is one thing, large flying sheets of ice that appear out of nowhere \*no matter your following distance \*are another. Dumbass. You just won’t concede the point, will you? Look, it doesn’t stop any of us “crybabies” from fucking driving in the winter, shitheel. But please don’t act like “OH NOES” in your fucking retarded internet coolguy lingo about potentially dangerous situations that could be prevented if the driver of a vehicle, whether it be car or truck actually gives a fuck about fellow drivers on the road. You’re an idiot beyond compare. A real fucking uterus donor. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/38 "2008-12-27T01:45:53Z")
> [@Uvula\_Donor](#): > > WAAAAH! ZOMG SNO HIT MY CAR!!!11! > > ITT: Crybaby cunts who should probably just stay home until spring. ITT: Weak-ass pathetic pussies who can’t even clean the snow off their cars and would rather use tired internet memes than admit that they’re pieces of lazy shit. Now THAT’S debating! ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/39 "2008-12-27T01:52:31Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Snow is one thing, large flying sheets of ice that appear out of nowhere \*no matter your following distance \*are another. Dumbass. Poor widdle you, unable to drive defensively, especially when it’s so much easier to scurry off to a message board and stomp your feet in impotent rage. Might wanna check your blood pressure while you’re at it. Wouldn’t want you to have to start a pit thread about your cerebral hemorrhage. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448/40 "2008-12-27T02:22:37Z")
> [@Uvula\_Donor](#): > > Poor widdle you, unable to drive defensively, especially when it’s so much easier to scurry off to a message board and stomp your feet in impotent rage. Might wanna check your blood pressure while you’re at it. Wouldn’t want you to have to start a pit thread about your cerebral hemorrhage. Just so you know **Jayn\_Newell** , these are the type of people the rest of us lump you in with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-a-public-service-rant/478448.md?page=3)