What I'm about to transcribe here is, in fact, a true story. Yes, this actually happened to me. Not this year, thank goodness, but several winters ago. And it's a story that I love sharing with people. It might save you the cost of a potentially hefty fine.

Again, this incident happened several winters ago(I couldn't even tell you which winter month it happened, to be honest) after a particularly nasty snowstorm. I was out and about in my car, probably running some errands for my parents.

WBEC FM logo
Get our free mobile app

I'm heading down Dalton Division Road toward Williams Street, minding my business, when I'm suddenly pulled over by one of Pittsfield's finest. I know that I wasn't speeding so I start to get all jumpy and nervous because I'm thinking to myself why did he pull me over?

And then the police officer shared with me the reason that he pulled me over. He explained to me that because I hadn't cleared all the snow off my car before going out on the roadways, I could be subject to a potential $200 fine.

Now I can assure you faithful readers(and fellow drivers!) that the snow that still remained on my vehicle was not in any way blocking any of the windows or side mirrors(in other words, obstructing my view of the road, front, back, and sides). And by the way, that's the same thing I assured the officer.

He carefully(and politely, I might add) explained to me that what I did was good just not good enough. He further explained that it was very possible that the snow that was on the roof of my car could very easily slide down onto my windshield and obstruct my view of the road.

And if my view was obstructed, even for the briefest of moments, that made me a danger to vehicles in front of me, vehicles coming toward me in the other lane, and possible pedestrians walking along the sides of the road. Well, that sure made sense to me.

Now keep in mind, the Pittsfield Police officer(who sadly remains nameless) could have been a complete ass. He would have been well within his rights to slap me with a $200 fine but perhaps because I was calm, rational, and genuinely sorry for not doing what I should have done before I left my driveway that morning, he let me go with just a warning(before making me clear the rest of the snow from my car, of course).

With snow (possibly heavy) in the upcoming forecast, I figured I would just pass along that story to you. If you do not remove all the ice and snow from your vehicle before you venture out on the roads, you could be fined for driving with an "unsecured load" and fined up to 200 bucks.

In addition, if you're traveling on the Mass Pike and you have ice and snow on your vehicle, you could be fined $100. Just a friendly word of caution, Berkshire County. Be careful out there.

LOOK: Here's where people in every state are moving to most

Stacker analyzed the Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey data to determine the three most popular destinations for people moving out of each state.

Gallery Credit: Amanda Silvestri

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

25 True Crime Locations: What Do They Look Like Today?

Below, find out where 25 of the most infamous crimes in history took place — and what the locations are used for today. (If they've been left standing.)

More From WBEC FM