Can snow-covered windows and mirrors on the car you are going to drive affect your assessment of the situation on the road?

In the photo there is a car covered with snow: the side windows and the mirror are covered with snow. Snow-covered windows or mirrors make it harder to assess the situation on the road. The answer is: yes.

The Road Traffic Act requires a vehicle to be built, equipped and maintained so that it gives the driver a sufficient field of view, and it requires a road user to avoid any action that could endanger safety. Driving with only a small "window" cleared on the windscreen means that you cannot see cars at the sides, a cyclist in the blind spot or what is happening behind you - and mirrors under snow are useless. On top of that, snow from the roof slides onto the windscreen when you brake, and snow from the boot flies off onto the vehicles behind. Before driving, you clear snow from all the windows, mirrors, lights, number plates and the roof; a few minutes with a scraper is a small part of what a collision costs. Driving a car that has not been cleared of snow can lead to a fine, because such a vehicle does not meet the technical conditions. It is worth keeping a scraper and a brush in the car all winter.

Legal basis: Art. 66 para. 1 point 5 and Art. 3 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)