What ‘Peephole Driving’ Is, and Why It’s Dangerous

Have you ever heard of “peephole driver?” The term is not as creepy as you may think, but it certainly is scary enough. As Boston residents are well aware, there has been plenty of snow and wintry conditions over the past month or two, causing some very slick road conditions and making it more difficult for drivers to safely navigate around the city. It happens every winter, but it has been particularly bad this year.

As part of this winter ritual, drivers need to bust out their ice scraper and clear off their windshields every once and a while. Some people choose to clean off the entire windshield, giving them a clear view of the road in front of them. But some people choose to chip off a small section to see out of. After all, who wants to stand outside in the cold clearing off snow and ice when it’s just going to happen all over again in a couple of weeks?

These are “peephole drivers” — the guys who are slowly chugging down the road and wavering in their lane a little bit because they don’t have a full perspective of the road. The tiny “peephole” that they see as a convenient act of corner-cutting is the same thing that leaves other drivers and pedestrians terrified.

Peephole drivers could make themselves liable for car accidents. Failing to properly clean their windshield and, thus, leaving themselves with a diminished view of the road could be considered negligent in civil court.

Source: Star Tribune, “‘Peephole Drivers’ Ignore Safety and Law When They Don’t Scrape Cars,” Kim Ode, Jan. 5, 2014