# Snow on the roof of your car. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 13, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334 "2006-02-13T21:08:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/41 "2006-02-14T03:58:46Z")
Roof snow isn’t anywhere near as annoying as snow piled around head and taillights such that both are useless. Of course most of those who don’t clear turn signals probably don’t use them under any circumstances anyway. I find it annoying to drive with snow on the hood obstructing my forward vision. Ditto the trunk, though I haven’t regularly driven anything with a trunk in winter in many years. Leaving a “snowhawk” on the Ranger and Aztek does keep tailgaters away from them a few days a year, though. I try to get the snow away from the front of the roof so as to not have the melt water go into the front door openings and freeze the doors shut overnight, but the stuff on the Ranger’s shell and between the Aztek’s roof rack crossbars is given a cursory sweep on both sides and the rest allowed to fly off in the wind. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/42 "2006-02-14T04:00:20Z")
Eep, this is the last hijack- I swear! > [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > :: throws snowball at **DiosaBellissima** :: THWAP!! OH MY GAWD! THE SKY IS FALLING :: screeches :: :eek: As I walk through the valley. . . > [@Mr Bus Guy](#): > > Girl - it’s going to be really, really, REALLY cold being dunked in a snowdrift with those flip flops on. > > Of course, on the other hand, here in the frigid midwest, it’s been quite some time since we had any of those nasty tectonic plate incidents you all seem to deal with so well. 😛 Earthquakes aren’t so bad! It’s like a free massage! And you can have my flip flops when you pry them from my cold, frost-bitten, snow covered toes. Oh, but wait! There is no snow here! 😉 **Kyla**. . .Well, um, Chicago smells funny! And, as we all know, Bakersfield doesn’t smell like anything but roses. Bakersfield especially doesn’t smell like cows. No ma’am. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2006, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/43 "2006-02-14T04:04:41Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > warm up the car for 5-10 mins with the heat on, then clean off the windshield, windows, and finally roof. Might as well put up a sign that says “Steal Me!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/44 "2006-02-14T05:48:49Z")
What gets me are the shitferbrains who do this ON PURPOSE! I live in SoCal, so I don’t get snow at home, but in the nearby mountains I’ll inevitably see some idiot pulled over on the shoulder, packing his roof full before heading down. For the flatlanders down below, that’s got to be a real WTF moment when chunks of snow start flying off the car in front of them and splatting on the windshield. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/45 "2006-02-14T05:58:44Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > **Kyla**. . .Well, um, Chicago smells funny! And, as we all know, Bakersfield doesn’t smell like anything but roses. Bakersfield especially doesn’t smell like cows. No ma’am. Ha! Not only is Chicago a beautiful, world-class city, complete with many, many corrupt politicians, it [smells like chocolate.](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0511040117nov04,1,4673483.story) (Sadly, as the linked article states, the EPA is cracking down on the eeeeevil chocolate smell. Stupid EPA.) ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/46 "2006-02-14T08:53:44Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > In fact, I do it all the time. I never clean the snow off the roof. Never. Not once. > > I even think it’s pretty cool the way it makes a miniature blizzard as the wind from my acceleration blows it off, and I like it when chunks go flying behind. > > Personally, I say **Fuck all you tailgaters!** Please tell me you’re whooshing me. It’s not just tailgaters who are affected. Especially when the snow is particularly fine, that stuff will leave a spray well behind you, and well into the zone of a person following at a perfectly safe distance. And even if it _was_ just tailgaters, knowingly creating an unsafe condition as revenge on those who create their own is just dickheaded to say the least. And there are people walking on sidewalks who really couldn’t care less if you think it’s fun that the chunks of ice are flying off of your car and into their faces. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/47 "2006-02-14T10:26:17Z")
I dunno. I don’t think I’ve ever seen snow coming off of a vehicle in such great quantities that it ever seriously affected anyone who was driving a safe distance behind. Granted, it’s still a good idea to remove any large heaps of snow from your vehicle. I distrust other drivers enough that I don’t want to do anything to distract them from the task of driving, even if it’s a small chunk of snow. (If there’s only a light dusting of snow, I don’t bother removing it.) ---
**Author:** ![velveeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/13edae/32.png) [@velveeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velveeta)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/48 "2006-02-14T13:21:30Z")
For those of you who think the snow flying off your cars only affects tailgaters, think again. I was sitting at a traffic light, when a box truck made a right turn off the crossroad toward me. As he was coming around, the 10" high, 12’ slab of compacted snow and ice was catapulted off his roof and smashed my car like a compacter. It hit so hard that my engine stalled out. It missed coming through my windshield and seriously fucking me up by 4". The roof had to be CUT OFF MY CAR. Oh, and it also broke into 3 pieces when it hit and smashed the hood and the trunk for good measure. So forgive me if I don’t look kindly on people who don’t wipe the snow off their vehicles. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/49 "2006-02-14T14:25:13Z")
What I don’t get is the people who won’t clean snow off their _windows_! I mean, is you crazy? And what about in the summer when I came up to your car and tried to staple a blanket to your rear window, and you drove away like I was crazy, and called the cops. What’s that about!? Did you wanna use that window or what? Make up your mind! Also, (and I know this from experience) you should neither get out of your car at stop lights and clean other people’s cars, nor should you, as a passenger, undo the window of your car and try and clean another person’s car while moving. Seems nobody appreciates some free car cleaning. Also, the wife gets upset. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/50 "2006-02-14T15:04:30Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > In my own defense, I am not that short. I’m 5’7". I drive a RAV4 which sits fairly high off the ground so it’s sometimes hard to reach the top even with a broom or long-handled snow brush. I’m only 5’5" and I drive a Trailblazer - it sits pretty high. I was able to clear my car off. I have a snow brush with a telescoping handle. Best $7 I ever spent. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/51 "2006-02-14T15:04:32Z")
> [@velveeta](#): > > For those of you who think the snow flying off your cars only affects tailgaters, think again. I was sitting at a traffic light, when a box truck made a right turn off the crossroad toward me. As he was coming around, the 10" high, 12’ slab of compacted snow and ice was catapulted off his roof and smashed my car like a compacter. It hit so hard that my engine stalled out. It missed coming through my windshield and seriously fucking me up by 4". The roof had to be CUT OFF MY CAR. Oh, and it also broke into 3 pieces when it hit and smashed the hood and the trunk for good measure. So forgive me if I don’t look kindly on people who don’t wipe the snow off their vehicles. Sounds to me like you should buy sturdier cars. ---
**Author:** ![velveeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/13edae/32.png) [@velveeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velveeta)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/52 "2006-02-14T16:19:06Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Sounds to me like you should buy sturdier cars. Sounds like you’re a jackass. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/53 "2006-02-14T16:36:34Z")
Honestly… have some of you never heard of _the WIND_? You know… that same force that blows the leaves off your neighbor’s tree and into your back yard in the autumn? To those who never clear off the top of the car, please remember that just because you’re moving FORWARD, doesn’t mean that anything that blows off your car will land DIRECTLY BEHIND you. I’ve more than once seen a flying-ice-plate come loose from the top of a vehicle and land one or more lanes away. So, it ain’t necessarily the tailgaters who suffer your wrath. It might be the driver of the car you just passed. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/54 "2006-02-14T16:56:00Z")
Just want to add that here in the Snow Belt, we’ve got all of an inch and a half of old snow on the ground. And I’m missing snow. I can’t speak for California, but Florida is unnatural. First off, a state that declares a state of emergency for one eighth of an inch of snow deserves to be mocked. (December, 1989) You don’t even send out the sanders for that. Not if you have a clue. Of course this was after I’d spent most of a year hearing about how so-called “Florida Ice” (little more than leaves and grit built up on roadways with rainwater) was as bad as snow or glare ice. Of course, as someone who moved south to New England, I missed having four seasons. (And that whole setting clocks by the daily rainstorms is profoundly unnatural: weather is supposed to be unpredictable, dammit.) ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/55 "2006-02-14T17:10:18Z")
> [@velveeta](#): > > Sounds like you’re a jackass. Maybe, but I’m a jackass in a sturdy car. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/56 "2006-02-14T17:38:14Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Sounds to me like you should buy sturdier cars. No wonder it’s taking longer than we thought. I think I got dumber just from reading that. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/57 "2006-02-14T17:38:21Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Maybe, but I’m a jackass in a sturdy car. Damn you all to Hell! Now I have to go write a Country song! ::takes a deep drag of cigarette, exhales it loudly thru nostrils while snuffing butt in ashtray:: Seriously. That’s just too good a line to pass up. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/58 "2006-02-14T17:38:30Z")
There was a little graph in the _Trib_ yesterday next to the article about all the snow on the East Coast. While NY got 27" of snow, O’Hare airport has recieved 20 inches. This _season_. I like this winter. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/59 "2006-02-14T17:50:26Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > No wonder it’s taking longer than we thought. I think I got dumber just from reading that. No, I think the process goes back further than today at 12:38 pm. Otherwise, I can’t fathom why you would think a hackneyed line like “I think I just got dumber from \_\_\_\_\_\_ that” is still funny. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334/60 "2006-02-14T18:18:05Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > No, I think the process goes back further than today at 12:38 pm. Otherwise, I can’t fathom why you would think a hackneyed line like “I think I just got dumber from \_\_\_\_\_\_ that” is still funny. As opposed to the comedic gem “Sounds like you need a better/sturdier/etc. \_\_\_\_\_\_.” Actually, I wasn’t really trying to be funny there, I was just tried to follow your logic, which seemed to be: 1. Snow falls off vehicle A. 2. Snow from Vehicle A strikes Vehicle B, causing damage. 3. Vehicle B is faulty, for being damaged. You’ll let me know if I’ve got that wrong, won’t you? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-on-the-roof-of-your-car/344334.md?page=4)