Keller @ Large: How To Avoid Being 'That Driver'

BOSTON (CBS) - It has now been more than 40 hours since the end of our Christmas Day snowstorm, and I'm wondering - is your car completely free of snow and ice?

All the windows, giving you complete visibility? No untouched pile of stuff on your roof that could come flying off at any minute, potentially injuring yourself or others?

Are you sure?

I hate to be a scold, really I do, but driving around Tuesday a full day after the last flakes fell reminded me of how many of you seem to need a reminder about this basic wintertime safety requirement. And it may be the case that some of you have never been taught the basics of keeping yourself and others safe on the road after a snowfall.

So as a public service, here are some easy-to-follow tips for making sure you won't wind up being caught on camera and ridiculed by me as this winter wears on.

Tip number one - on your car heater you will see some buttons with little wavy lines on them and perhaps the letters "d-e-f." These are your defrost buttons. If you press them all and leave them on for a few minutes as you warm up your vehicle after the storm, you will find that it loosens the grip of the snow and ice on your windows, allowing you to scrape it away with relative ease.

But the stuff on your roof can be tougher to get at, as I found with a woman I found driving an igloo last winter.

"You obviously cleared off your windshield. What about the snow and ice up here?" I asked her.

"It was my husband who cleared the car this morning," she told me. So I responded, "Oh, your husband. You gotta tell him to do a better job."

"I will," she promised.

I hope I don't see her again this year taking the same risk. And that goes for you, too.

Share your snow-covered vehicle horror stories with me via email at keller@wbztv.com, or you can reach me on Twitter, @kelleratlarge.