We are seeing a growing number of reports of ice falling from truck roofs, raising questions about responsibility for road safety. Is this solely the driver’s fault, or are trailer manufacturers, employers and the legal system itself also responsible?

– How much enthusiasm does another fine for a driver whose roof ice broke away inspire? – asks Leszek Socha. – These are high fines and presumably a police officer’s high satisfaction. I studied law for the purposes of working in the police, and I would like an answer to my question clarifying the grounds for finding a truck driver guilty when a block of ice breaks away from the roof of the truck he is driving, Socha asks.

The most important legal and practical questions

  • What is the legal basis on which a police officer issues a fine to a driver, alleging that he is at fault for a block of ice falling from the roof? What elements of fault are taken into account here?
  • Can a truck driver be held responsible for this act and, if so, what are the specific legal grounds and scope of liability?
  • Do manufacturers of trailers or complete road vehicle combinations allow for ice to form on roofs, and under what conditions?
  • What snow-clearing and ice-removal duties apply to drivers in practice, from an occupational health and safety perspective, and is there a provision that regulates this precisely?
  • Does the duty to clear snow also apply to trucks, and does the law allow loss of life or health as a consequence of actions forced on drivers by legal requirements?
  • Is there a legal alternative for drivers threatened by ice accumulating on their vehicle while en route?

Just punish the TIR driver

Although more than 70% of road incidents are caused by passenger-car drivers, it is still assumed that truck drivers are responsible for everything, Socha believes.

– Since overtaking between trucks was banned, the number of so-called “pile-ups” and high-speed accidents has increased, Socha says. – Previously, drivers, wary of trucks, did not reach particularly high speeds. The legislator, however, decided to cater to road pirates. No one notices ice falling from passenger cars or vans either. I drive thousands of kilometres and see frozen windows with a wiped little observation circle and a load of snow on the bodywork, but those are passenger cars, the columnist adds.

There are more legal blunders, Socha claims, because we like to shift responsibility onto others.

– Personally, as a TIR driver and retired police officer, I would not accept such a fine for an uncleared truck, because I am curious about the court’s opinion in this matter, Socha adds. – The provision on this matter is general and does not identify the person responsible. Redirecting responsibility to the driver is entirely unlawful. This is my assessment of the issue: either we create laws or we pretend that we have them, Leszek Socha states firmly.