Driver blasted for cruising around with mountain of snow on top of SUV after historic blizzard
A reckless driver in Rhode Island sparked outrage after taking to the roads in an SUV completely covered in snow just a day after a historic winter storm swept through the Northeast.
Viral footage obtained by WPRI shows the snow-laden vehicle, its roof piled high with snow, cautiously moving down an ice- and slush-covered street Tuesday. The driver was relying on a tiny cleared window for visibility, just hours after the state lifted its travel ban.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee had imposed a travel ban on all commercial vehicles as Winter Storm Hernando dumped up to 30 inches of snow in some areas on Sunday. While the ban was lifted two days later, McKee urged residents to exercise “extreme caution on local roads if travel is necessary.”
Although the driver seemed to see just enough to navigate, WPRI warned about the dangers of driving vehicles that aren’t fully cleared of snow. “The travel ban has lifted, but do NOT drive if your car looks like this one. It’s important to clear your vehicle completely before hitting the road,” the station wrote in a Facebook post accompanying the video.
The post, which has now been viewed nearly five million times, sparked fury among locals who criticized the driver for endangering others and pointed out that most drivers had cleared their vehicles properly.
“I pray they were just pulling it out of the driveway and then got stuck in front of a plow and had to spin the block, but still, so wrong,” one person commented. Another added, “Apparently, common sense doesn’t fall from the sky like snow does.”
“I bet they’re banking on it to fall off so they don’t have to do it,” speculated one user, while another wrote, “Tickets should be given out to anyone driving like this. There’s no excuse.”
The drive likely violated Rhode Island General Law § 31-23-16, which requires motorists to fully clear snow and ice from their vehicles—not just carve a small window—before driving. The state was buried under 30 to 37 inches of snow, including 35.5 inches in a single day Monday, according to the Weather Channel.
A record 37.9 inches fell at TF Green International Airport in Warwick, surpassing the Blizzard of 1978’s 28.6 inches and setting a new 121-year snowfall record for the station.
The aftermath left roads treacherous, with state troopers responding to nearly 300 spinouts on highways Monday. Rhode Island State Police Maj. Erik Yanyar told WPRI that troopers assisted 269 disabled vehicles, responded to 25 crashes, and issued 40 citations for travel ban violations.
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