As the temperatures plummet as a result of the poor weather in the UK at the moment drivers are faced with tricky road conditions.
Roads can be extremely dangerous to contend with when they are icy or covered in rain or snow. In fact, new research reveals that it can take you 10 times longer to stop when the road is icy.
Motorists could, however, be making mistakes long before they get behind the wheel of the car and run into problems before leaving their home.
In fact, you could invalidate your car insurance without leaving the driveway.
Here are three common mistakes drivers are making when defrosting their car’s windscreen in the morning.
1. Boiling water
Motorists could be risking forking out for a huge repair bill by using an improper method to shift ice and snow from their car’s glass.
It may be tempting but you should never pour hot or boiling water over the windscreen as it can crack the glass. You should instead either using de-icer and a scraper or a solution made from rubbing alcohol and water to shift the frost.
One motorist shared their ingenious windscreen hack earlier this week which used a sandwich bag full of warm water which when dragged over the glass melted it instantly.
2. Leaving the engine running
It is something that nobody wants to do first thing in the morning is shift the ice from your car’s windscreen in the freezing cold.
However, you could invalidate your car insurance by turning the engine on and leaving it to run while you nip back inside the house.
You could be invalidating your car insurance by doing so and what’s more, you could also be putting yourself at risk of having it pinched by an opportunistic thief.
If it is stolen as a result of you doing this then your insurers may refuse to pay out for your claim.
3. Windscreen wipers
You should ensure that your wiper blades are not frozen as they can be ineffective if they are. Ice can also do significant damage to wiper based.
If they are resting against the screen they can freeze and stick to it which can damage the rubber squeegee. Drivers should lift the blades away preventing them from sticking and freezing.
Similarly, if they are frozen against the screen and you try to use them it could put some strain on the motor which will cause additional damage.
Cold temperatures could also make them stiffen and become brittle over time which will reduce their efficiency, so you should check them.
Advice suggests that you should change them every 12 months. Having ineffective wiper blades can land you a fine of £100 which could ruse up to £1,00 if your case goes to court.