Most of us motorists have experienced it at one time or another during our winter driving experiences: A huge chunk of snow or ice flies off the vehicle in front of us. We have nowhere to go and little time to react. If we are lucky, the projectile falls harmlessly to the highway, but for those who aren’t as fortunate, it could mean injury, even death.

Such was the case for Christine Lambert, 51, of Palmer Township, as she, her husband and son were driving southbound along Route 209 in Nesquehoning on Christmas Day 2005 on their way to Christine’s parents in Weatherly. A large chunk of ice from a northbound box tractor-trailer flew off, smashed through the windshield killing Christine, the driver, and injuring her husband, Franklin, and their son, Matthew. The projectile then exited the sport utility vehicle by smashing through the rear window.

The truck driver was never found and may have been unaware of what happened. At that time, there was a law that would punish drivers if they failed to clear snow and ice from their vehicles, but state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton and Lehigh, said it didn’t go far enough and introduced legislation in early 2006.

Now, 16 years later, Boscola’s exhausting efforts on behalf of the Lambert family appear to be paying off. The state Senate passed the tougher restrictions bill last week. Appropriately named “Christine’s Law,” it is expected to be signed into law soon by Gov. Tom Wolf. If he does sign it, it would go into effect in 60 days - in time for the coming winter season.

The long battle to pass the legislation was held up for a number of reasons. It was bottled up in the Transportation Committee and never brought forward for a vote until recently. The General Assembly sessions last for two years. Any pending legislation that is not enacted or dealt with must be reintroduced in the next session, which Boscola did faithfully.

According to Boscola, the trucking industry had opposed the bill in its original form but more recently worked with her and other lawmakers to make the bill more palatable to truckers. “This isn’t about hassling truckers,” Boscola said. “It’s about raising awareness and preventing tragedies.”

The Lambert family has been instrumental in helping push the legislation by giving a face to the victim of this preventable tragedy. They’ve promoted and testified on behalf of the legislation in Harrisburg.

As it currently stands, violators can only be punished if snow and ice actually dislodge from a moving vehicle and cause serious bodily injury or death. Vehicles can’t be stopped solely because police spot one traveling with a roof covered with significant snow and ice.

Boscola said her legislation strengthens the existing law by deterring drivers and preventing tragedies before they happen. The current law only penalizes a driver when serious bodily harm occurs from a snow or ice projectile. Christine’s Law would be more proactive, giving police officers discretion to pull over a vehicle where the buildup of ice or snow poses a potential hazard. It also requires motorists to make a “reasonable effort” to remove accumulated snow and ice from a vehicle within 24 hours of a storm.

The bill provides a $50 fine for each offense and a $200-$1,500 fine for each offense when snow or ice falls from a moving vehicle and hits another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious injury.

“I have been fighting on behalf of the Lamberts to get Christine’s Law on the books ever since that tragic accident over a decade and a half ago,” Boscola said. “It’s been a long road to get this bill to the governor’s desk, but it was a fight I had to win for Christine’s husband, Frank, and son, Matthew.”

As for the Lamberts, in a statement they said, “There are no words to adequately express the importance of Christine’s Law to our family. Christine is dearly missed by her family and friends. Sen. Boscola never gave up the fight to get this bill to the governor. We cannot thank her enough for her tenacity and compassion.”

Here is another example of where logical and realistic legislation had to go through many hoops over a 16-year period before common sense prevailed over politics. Even Boscola’s original legislation had to be rolled into a Republican-sponsored bill by Chris Gebhardt, R-Dauphin, and included Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, as a co-sponsor before it was considered for passage, but this is the way the game is played in Harrisburg. The minority party (in this case the Democrats) could have the best idea since sliced bread, but because it comes from a Democrat the chance of its passage is slim. The same was true when Democrats controlled both houses of the General Assembly. The name of the game is power.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.