did you see this video?
if you didn't, watch it or STFU
the driver was not following too close and could do nothing to avoid the snow/ice from the vehicle in front of him
his only other courses of action were
- run into the ditch
- run into the car in the next lane
so, as I was saying, you go ahead and ignore the law. people do it every day.
what you seem to fail to comprehend is, just because it's INCONVENIENT for you to obey the law does not mean you can ignore it or that it does not apply to you. nor are you not liable for any damages caused by your neglect in following the law
Yes, I watched it. Several times. You apparently don't realize this, but just to the left of the accelerator in your vehicle is a device known as the BRAKE pedal, which can be used to slow the vehicle to avoid an obstacle in front of you. He had more choices than changing lanes or taking the ditch. Just a fraction of a second of braking force would have dropped that ice sheet in front of him - but you watch the video, there was no change in speed.
What you also can't seem to grasp is, it is NOT the law everywhere. Heck, I read through the .pdf used as "supporting evidence" earlier. About a half dozen states have a law specifically requiring it - a couple dozen or so have clauses where the driver can be cited for damage to other vehicles for *anything* coming off his vehicle.
Requiring removal of snow/ice from the roof, and being held liable for damage caused as a result of not doing so are two entirely different things.*
If it were the ironclad law you seem to think it is OSHA would require trucks to have a ladder to access the roof, and tie-off points for fall prevention. How many trailers do you see with that? There would be de-icing equipment at every major truck stop in the northern US. I've been all over Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska... Never seen one.
Sure, for some drivers, it's a matter of convenience. But for trucks, it is literally a matter of SAFETY. Putting a driver on top of the truck to shovel 6" of snow is a SAFETY PROBLEM. Those trailers are not designed to have people on top of them, simple as that.
I have been driving in the upper midwest for 20 years, averaging over 500 highway miles a week for the last 13. Know how many times I've seen a chunk of ice large enough to do damage like that come off a truck? I'll give you the hint - it's zero.
*It is no different than rocks. A rock kicked up by the truck in front of you breaks your windshield, he is not liable. A rock falls off the truck in front of you, the driver IS liable. I'm working on my fourth windshield replacement in the last decade from rocks. Never had a problem with snow/ice.