What The Flake! The Snow Is Coming! Don't Forget About Snow Clearing Etiquette!

Don't forget to put your snow brush in the car!

Published November 16, 2021

Don't forget to put your snow brush in the car!

Illinois has this law called the “Snow Mattress” Law, and it will be enforced, say officials.

The snow that accumulates on your windshield, the roof of your vehicle, rear window, or trunk, is referred to as a snow mattress. If you don't clear off your vehicle and it launches off your vehicle you could be ticketed, over $100 in extreme cases.

Just a friendly reminder that there are bylaws and plain-old decency rules during winters in Simcoe Country too.

Related: What we love about winter...

When it’s time to get out the shovels, don’t forget that you are responsible for clearing the sidewalk in front of your house. And don’t forget, you can’t just toss the snow onto the street!

There are also many parking restrictions in Simcoe County once the snow starts to fall. For example, there is no on-street parking permitted in the downtown area as of December 1st.

The annual parking restrictions allow the city’s snow plows free access to the entire roadway when clearing snowfall. Priority is given to those routes that see the most amount of traffic. Bayfield St., Yonge St., and Mapleview Dr. are included in these priority roadways. Secondary routes are primarily residential.

According to Google, Ontario doesn't specifically ban driving with snow on your car. But section 74 of the Highway Traffic Act says you have to be able to see clearly out of your front, front side and rear windows (although there's an exception for rear windows if you can see with mirrors). The fine is $85 plus a $25 surcharge