Keller @ Large: Clear The Snow Off Your Car!

BOSTON (CBS) - We finally got it, our first significant snowfall of the season. Just a sloppy inch or two for most of us, although some got more. But while it wasn't much, my own observation driving around Monday morning was that it was too much trouble for too many drivers to take a few minutes to remove the stuff from their vehicle roofs and windshields.

You know the drill:

Every winter, a handful of lazy or clueless drivers pull this same stunt, and some of them inevitably cause accidents because they can't see properly, or the snow and ice comes flying off as they drive and hinders or damages another vehicle.

Every winter, we do stories on this obnoxious habit.

Every winter, police dole out fines under the impeded operation statute, and of course there's the civil liability if their negligence leads to someone being injured or killed.

I get it if you are physically unable to do a thorough job of this, and it's not so easy to reach all of the roof on some of the mini-tanks we drive these days. But for those of you who can do it but simply don't bother to, please know that the rest of us are wondering - what is your deal?

It's pretty passive-aggressive to put your neighbors and fellow citizens at risk this way, like the folks who shovel out their driveway and a path from it to their door after a storm but leave the rest of their sidewalk untouched.

Maybe we need to follow the lead of New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, where violations that cause injury or damage can cost you up to $1,000.

That's a lot of dough out of your pocket. So take my advice: use that snow brush, or lose it.