Snow and ice removal — New Hampshire Permit Test

Snow and ice removal on the New Hampshire permit test — 5 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Since 2002 New Hampshire drivers have been legally required to clear snow and ice off their vehicles before getting on the road.

Ice leaving a roof at highway speed does not fall, it flies, and it reaches the windshield behind at the speed of both vehicles.

Since 2002, New Hampshire drivers have been legally required to clear snow and ice off their vehicles before getting on the road.
New Hampshire Driver's Manual, p.13

Jessica’s Law is a New Hampshire law passed after the death of Jessica Smith, who was killed when ice from a tractor-trailer hit her vehicle.

The law has a name because somebody died, and knowing whose name it is makes it harder to treat as a formality.

Jessica was killed when ice from a tractor-trailer hit her vehicle.
New Hampshire Driver's Manual, p.13

Snow and ice left on a vehicle may impair the driver’s ability to see and may come loose on a roadway and endanger other drivers.

There are two separate dangers and drivers usually think of only the first, which is why the roof matters as much as the windshield.

Snow and ice on a vehicle may not only impair a driver’s ability to see but may become loose while on a roadway and may endanger other drivers.
New Hampshire Driver's Manual, p.13

Under RSA 265:79-b a driver whose vehicle endangers or is likely to endanger any person or property may be guilty of a violation under Negligent Driving.

The charge does not wait for damage. Being likely to endanger somebody is enough on its own.

the driver may be considered guilty of a violation under Negligent Driving.
New Hampshire Driver's Manual, p.13

Penalties for a first Negligent Driving offense can be $250.00 to $500.00, with increased penalties for subsequent offenses.

Two hundred and fifty dollars is what two minutes with a snow brush is worth, and that is only the first time.

Penalties for this offense can be $250.00 to $500.00 for the first offense with increased penalties for subsequent offenses.
New Hampshire Driver's Manual, p.13

On the test

Since what year have New Hampshire drivers been required to clear snow and ice from their vehicles?

2002. Ice leaving a roof at highway speed does not fall, it flies, and it reaches the windshield behind at the speed of both vehicles. New Hampshire Driver's Manual, p.13: “Since 2002, New Hampshire drivers have been legally required to clear snow and ice off their vehicles before getting on the road.”

How this works

Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.

You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.

Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against New Hampshire Driver's Manual, published by the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-16.