Advised where drivers should leave cars in the snow: pine and fir are often broken

“Although the snowfall has subsided, the loss reports are very intense. During the last day, the cars of the Lithuanian people were the most affected. There is an extremely high number of minor accidents when the car could not stop properly due to to the slippery road surface and collided with another vehicle. Roads on rural roads are much harsher. During the last day, vehicles were sliding off the road into ditches or roadside trees, turning around the side of the road. There have been cases where cars went to the opposite lane due to a slippery road and collided with a vehicle traveling there, “says Viktorija Katilienė, head of the Claims Department for the Baltic States of the insurance company Gjensidige.

According to V. Katilienė, the last day was approached by people whose vehicles were damaged by the breaking of trees or their branches.

“The cars left on the streets or in the yards of apartment buildings were damaged when trees that could not bear the weight of the snow bent the roofs of the vehicles, the hoods and the windows shattered. We recorded that conifers – spruces, pines – tend to break, because the greatest amount of snow accumulates on their branches ”, comments a representative of the insurance company.

She emphasizes that drivers should be more responsible when choosing parking spaces when it is snowing and melting.

“Keeping cars under trees during natural disasters is extremely risky. If there is no other way out, the accumulated snow on the branches should be periodically shaken by hand. This will protect them from breakage and the vehicle from the risk of damage ”, says V. Katilienė.

She urges drivers to drive today only when necessary and not to forget to clean the snow covered vehicle well.

“Last day we saw a group of drivers on the street, which we can call tanker trucks. These are the road users who take to the street after clearing a small area in the front window of the vehicle. These drivers don’t see much of themselves, but others can’t see the turn signal or the illuminated lights, ”says the insurer.

According to V. Katilienė, a vehicle covered with a thick layer of snow must be cleaned from the roof. “The ‘hat’ of this car is the most dangerous on the road because it lands on the windshield or collides with the windshields of other vehicles and causes accidents,” said a spokeswoman for the insurance company.

According to her, no layer has yet accumulated on the roofs of the cars in the last day, which could bend or damage the surface of the vehicles, but the vehicles were hit by an avalanche of snow falling from the buildings.

“The untimely snow on the roofs of houses represents a danger for vehicles and buildings in the yard: warehouses, garages, greenhouses,” says the insurer.

The insurance company recorded accidents on the last day in which snow damaged the dome of the Vilnius sports stadium, the roofs of agricultural buildings, the roofs over the doors, the roofs of the buildings and even the structures of the buildings.

“Breaking the roof of a private house damages not only its construction, but also the interior decoration of the building. When the roof collapses, the load-bearing walls are damaged. Since the morning, we have registered 14 cases of this type, 80 thousand have been reserved for these damages. euros “, – says V. Katilienė.

She points out that removing a tree from the roof of a building leads to roof damage – cracks or openings, so they need to be covered.

The Insurer recommends reporting the event online by attaching photographs that illustrate the insured event. Insurers can be informed by phone about damages if the Internet connection is interrupted or there is no electricity. It is recommended to provide information about the event within three business days, but the accident report will be recorded later.