You might not think about it, but that sheet of ice and snow can become a destructive airborne missile on a crowded highway.
Winter weather brings a host of hazards for drivers, and one of the most overlooked dangers is driving with snow and ice left on your vehicle. It might not seem like much, but heavy, precarious sheets of snow and ice can present a ballistic safety issue for other drivers. Shocking dash cam footage shows just how dangerous a large sheet of ice can be when left intact.
A dash cam video captured a large sheet of snow and ice flying off an SUV and smashing a windshield at over 60 mph
Lisa Anderson was cruising at around 65 mph on Interstate 64 in Illinois. Her dash cam footage shows a few vehicles ahead. There’s an SUV and a semi-truck in the left lane ahead. Off to the right, an SUV and a sedan are driving up ahead. Moments later, a giant sheet of ice flies off the SUV on the right.
The sheet flips and spins multiple times as it remains airborne for three full seconds. Unfortunately, it came crashing down on the windshield of Anderson’s vehicle. The dash cam footage showcases how the impact shatters the vehicle’s windshield immediately.
Understandably, the hit and damage surprised Anderson. “It hit us with such a trauma force it caused the entire windshield to shatter,” she said of the event. “It knocked off the rearview mirror and put shards of glass all over me and all the way into the back seat.”
Anderson defended her decision to stay the course and deal with the incoming wintertime missile. “You don’t deviate, you slow down, maintain, and go right through it – and luckily, that’s what I did because it was a high-traffic environment,” Anderson said. “Had I tried to swerve, I could have hit the semi that just passed me which could have hit another car and caused a massive pile up.”
So, what does that mean for you as a motorist? Simply put, spend the extra time to clear your car of ice and snow. Sure, scraping your windshield can get you back on the road relatively quickly. However, if your car is covered in the wintertime white stuff, take a few minutes to clear it.
