'Oblivious' B.C. driver hits the road with 'porthole-sized' clearing in windshield
'If there are people that think this is actually acceptable, they need to know that it's not,' say RCMP
Mounties in Surrey, B.C., say they were baffled after a driver hit the road with only a "dinner-plate-sized" hole cleared in their snowy windshield this week.
An officer spotted the car around 4:40 a.m. PT on Wednesday.
"The driver seemed quite oblivious to the fact that his vision was greatly impaired," said Cpl. Scotty Schumann. "In fact, the driver felt that the small, porthole-sized clearing on the windshield was sufficient to drive and that eventually the defroster would take care of the rest of the snow and melt it off."
The officer said it's "completely unacceptable" for a driver to leave home without a clear line of sight.
"Anyone who thinks that they're going to be OK is fooling themselves — at a great risk to themselves and the other users of our roadways."
Schumann said anyone driving with their vision obscured can be hit with a fine of up to $400. If the driver were to be involved in an accident and found to be at fault, they could face criminal charges.
Schumann couldn't confirm if the driver of the car pulled over Wednesday was fined or not.
Officers tweeted a photo of the vehicle on Friday to serve as a warning to other drivers.
"If there are people that think this is actually acceptable, they need to know that it's not," Schumann said. "Although most people just [are] incredulous."