The temperatures have well and truly dropped throughout the UK – with lots of us having to deal with the nightmare of de-icing our cars and even snow!
In this day and age, with the busy lives that we all lead, we’re always in a rush – so the thought of being greeted with a heavy iced car in the morning is a bit of an ordeal.
The process of de-icing our car is often rushed, dangerous and can even potentially be breaking the law.
With that in mind, we’ve pulled together some top tips on how to safely and legally de-frost your car:
Allow yourself extra time
Always try and leave yourself some extra time in the mornings – especially if there has been a particularly hard frost or heavy snowfall. It makes all the difference in allowing you to de-ice your car properly.
Heat your car from the inside
First step, turn on your engine and de-mister. This is one of the most effective ways to help clear your frozen windscreen as the heat it generates will gradually melt off the ice.
Use a windscreen scraper – not your credit card!
Use a good quality windscreen scraper and de-icer when scraping off the morning frost from your car. Make sure you clear off the ice from the whole of the windscreen – not just a small section that you think you’ll be able to see out of. Avoid using a credit card to do this as you could scratch and damage your windscreen.
Never use boiling water
Never, ever use boiling water when trying to clear ice from your car – this could cause even more problems by cracking your windscreen with the dramatic difference in temperatures. Instead, make sure you use lukewarm water if needed.
Get rid of any snow
If you have had any snowfall on your car, be sure to clear it all off. Any snow left on the body of your car could potentially blow down and obscure your vision or even fall off and affect drivers around you.
Don’t leave your car unattended
You may need to quickly pop back inside to get something during the busy morning rush but be warned – it is an offence to leave a car unattended with the engine running on a public highway. If you need to go back into the house to quickly grab something, you should turn off your engine and lock the doors. Not only are you breaking the law, you could also be invalidating your car insurance policy in the worst-case scenario of vehicle theft.
Protect your windscreen at night
To prevent ice building up on your windscreen overnight, invest in a windscreen protector. This is a great idea to help keep your windscreen frost free.
Never drive away before de-icing
Finally, our most important piece of advice – NEVER drive off until all of the ice and snow has been cleared from your windscreen and car. If you do, you’ll be reducing your visibility and will cause danger.
If you’d like to find out more about our Insurance Cover options here at Omni Davis, give us a call on 01403 785775 | 01243 864018 or by email info@omnidavis.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.
