Drivers in the snowy capital know all too well just how treacherous roads get after a storm, but some forget that the ice sitting on top of their cars is just as dangerous as the slippery ice below.

Susan Hwang, a third-year student at the University of Ottawa, shared on Facebook Thursday evening about a frightening incident during her mother's morning commute to work.

While driving eastbound on Highway 417, Hwang said her mother noticed something flying around in the air. What she first thought was a paper banner floating around turned out to be a chunk of solid ice that ripped off of a car travelling in the opposite direction.

The ice headed straight into her mother's windshield, completely puncturing the passenger's side of the glass.

The chunk of ice that flew off of an oncoming vehicle punctured the passenger side of the front windshield, leaving shards of glass everywhere. (Facebook/Susan Hwang )

"Luckily, my mom was left unscathed, but it's clear that anyone in the passenger seat wouldn't have been," she said in the post.

Hwang said she usually drives her mother to work in the morning, but she's thankful she didn't that day.

"If it had been me [driving], my mom would have been hit with the chunk of ice and she would have been severely injured," she said.

An all-too-common scenario

Apple Auto Glass on Carling Avenue sees at least 10-15 cars a week in the winter with damaged windshields from ice flying off of cars and trucks, according to the shop's administrator Alysha McLean.

That accounts for about a third of all the cases they receive each week, she added.

A bill that would make it an offence under the Highway Traffic Act to leave snow or ice on a vehicle if it poses danger to other vehicles is awaiting approval.

If passed, drivers will be fined anywhere from $50 to $500 — and double for commercial truck drivers.

As it stands, drivers can still be charged a fine for depositing snow or ice on a road without permission from the Ministry of Transportation, according to s.181 of the Highway Traffic Act.

A steep cost to pay

With no way to know whose car the ice fell from, Hwang said her family is left to cover almost all of the expenses to fix their car.

Flying ice from cars damaging windshields accounts for about a third of cases at Apple Auto Glass on Carling, said McLean. (Facebook/Susan Hwang) Preventable accidents like this come at a cost for unlucky drivers — a full windshield replacement can cost anywhere from $300 to $700 depending on the features of the car, according to McLean.

She urges that the few minutes it takes to clear your car of ice in the morning is "very well worth it."

"I'm just thankful that my Mom's okay, but frustrated that some people don't take the time to do what they should be doing for safety," Hwang said.