Flying snow, ice can damage car, cause accidents

NCDOT, State Highway Patrol and AAA Carolinas do not keep numbers on how many people have their windshields damaged because of the snow -- but it does happen.

The agencies say that for safety reasons, drivers should make sure all windows, front and back and on all doors are cleared. It's a good idea to knock off any ice and/or snow buildup on hoods, trunks and roofs before they hit the roads.

AAA has a few safety tips:

- Layers of snow and ice on windshields and side windows and mirrors prevent clear vision for the motorist which can be very dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.

- Once your car starts to heat up while driving, those large sheets of ice become loose and can be blown off roofs onto following vehicles or even nearby pedestrians.

- Sheets of ice that are blown off cars can shatter windshields and cause following motorists to swerve, which increases the risk of a collision.

- AAA believes that spending extra time removing all snow and ice from your vehicle can prevent collisions and fatalities on our roadways.

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The North Carolina Highway Patrol says that taking a few moments to prepare the car before driving can head off potential problems.

Use your hand or another soft item (so as not to dent or scratch the vehicle) and apply pressure or softly hit the ice on a vehicle to break it up and remove it from the vehicle before traveling.

You can also pour hot water onto the vehicle to melt the ice from locations that the ice is likely to fly off from, such as the hood, top or rear truck area of the vehicle.

So what happens if your vehicle is damaged by flying snow or ice?

In most cases, you'd have to consider reporting it to your insurance company. NC DOT says that if something flies off of one of their trucks, the vehicle owner would need to file a tort claim to request reimbursement for damages and mail it in.