To think pouring water on your icy car is just selfish?

[7hup]

Just fell on my face outside a neighbour who must have done this early morning.

So a stream of ice running across the pavement to the road which I didn't see

I fell hard. Am OK but if I were elderly or more fragile I could have bad injuries.

At least salt the pavement after!

I use this on my car. Covers the side windows and wing mirrors too. Cost £9 on Amazon. Had it 4 years and so easy to just whip off and get in the car. No need to run engines illegally, get cold hands scraping or risk cracked windows and icy pavements. Why wouldn't you?

Any tips on how to get the inner windscreen to de-mist quickly? That's the biggest issue for me in the mornings.

@Weebitawks You know your insurance won’t cover it if someone nicks your car that way?

Windscreen cover (and little mittens for the wing mirrors) absolutely revolutionised my cold mornings.

I'm very short, so trying to clear the windscreen is a chilly experience trying to reach all the way to the middle!

Then the only issue is snow on the roof....

I’m suggesting that it’s not safe or possible for some people to go out in this weather at all. My gps in their 90s for eg wouldn’t consider it. They are at risk of falling in their home let alone on ice!

I think people need to take responsibility for wearing decent shoes and walking carefully in weather like this. And anyone elderly or with mobility problems would be taking their life in their hands to walk anywhere other than the gritted main roads.

Decent shoes and walking carefully won’t help you with a frictionless ice slick on a slope.

And FFS, nobody’s walking on dangerous ice for the fun of it while well-gritted pavements are right there. My council don’t even grit the pavements usually, main road or no main road. I’m hugely pregnant and it’s a bugger not to slip even in hiking boots. How do you suggest people like me get to work, fly?

I’m suggesting that it’s not safe or possible for some people to go out in this weather at all

Some people have no option.

I help out my elderly neighbour. I have an injury now so much more likely to damage myself. I still need to take my daughter places. Help out the neighbour.

Fortunately my neighbours are all of the same mindset and we’re careful not to impact others.

By the way, with the wraparound windscreen cover, you don't get 'mist' on the inside of the car either.

I use tepid tap water to deice my car.
I have a car with a panoramic front window and I can’t reach the whole window to defrost it because I’m too short.
I usually turn on the blowers and then start on the outside.
I used 3L today because I also had to defrost the doors as they were frozen shut. It took nearly 15 minutes to defrost it this morning the ice was that thick.

@BongoBingoBam

You use a credit card? that's so odd just invest in a scraper they're about £1. Poor credit card.

Why the grinning/gurning face? Lots of people find a credit card leaves less scratches than an ice scraper.

Are me and my DH the only ones who like scraping the ice? We fight to do both cars each morning

Love all these different ways of dealing with this - the issue is what works for some is not OK for others. Some people with their own drives can use water as it will not be impacting on others - depending on the slope of your drive.

I know people down our street who have tried the windscreen covers but they get nicked and played with - we have no off road parking. They have also been issues with them blowing off and/or flapping around. But they are clearly the best solution for many people.

I have never got on with de-icer - it always seems to make my windows smeary - so I cannot see out of them anyway.

I swear by a credit card followed by heaters in the car - I leave at 6am to walk the dog every day and this is what works for me.

If you put your sun shields down the hot air from the window vents hits these and comes back down so your windows demist quicker. If they are up the heat just flows up to the roof. I only heard this a couple of months ago and I find it really works - but again may depend on your make of car.

And anyone elderly or with mobility problems would be taking their life in their hands to walk anywhere other than the gritted main roads.

I'll click my fingers and magic myself there then should I?

I’m suggesting that it’s not safe or possible for some people to go out in this weather at all.

How do you propose I get to my numerous medical appointments? Get shopping? Have a life

Ooh, I like the windscreen cover!

Mine feels like it takes forever to defrost. Lots of scraping while the engine runs. Still don't pour water on because I don't like falling on my arse!

Even if it's just your drive, your postie will probably be walking over it later.

If you put your sun shields down the hot air from the window vents hits these and comes back down so your windows demist quicker. If they are up the heat just flows up to the roof. I only heard this a couple of months ago and I find it really works - but again may depend on your make of car.

That's a great tip, will give it a try, thanks!

Hmm, yes - good point that it can be dangerous.

However... if we're going down the "that's selfish" route, the use of de-icers is pretty selfish, environmentally, and possibly with wider impact. And driving is incredibly selfish. Just depends on how far we choose to look past our own front doors, and on the immediate impact on us personally...

@KittyVonCatsington

How does your one fix on? Does it have straps or anything that go underneath the car like some I've seen? (I can't always guarantee being able to bend down like that in the morning)

Oh no! We do this! I never gave it a thought. We may have got a way with injuring people as we live on the end of a cul de sac. Will get a spray from aldi today.

YANBU. So selfish.

Years ago when we had lots of snow, DH went to Asda in the early evening and saw a local takeaway throwing their mop bucket water into the pavement and road. This is a two lane, very busy route that would get gritted but not for a few hours. There was a police car stopped not far away and he told them, the police officers went and tore them a new one and made them salt the road.

Not that DH hung around to watch them get a bollocking of owt

I never thought about the run off water then freezing.
Not that I do it but I would assume the water would run to the gutter where its unlikely people will tread, or wouldn't freeze during the day.

It is irresponsible if you are aware it could potentially hurt someone, ok the paths are dry iced why add a sheet of water to create an ice rink.
There are many products to avoid this.
Those that do it in their driveways, if the postman or someone dropping off leaflets had a dangerous fall, can they claim off your house insurance?

YANBU. It caused the death of a young father near us about 8 or 9 years ago - he slipped on the ice and smacked his head on the ground.

No need to run engines illegally

Only illegal if you leave it unattended on a public road though. Running on your drive whilst you scrape it is not a problem.

I always pour water on mine, but it’s on our gravel drive.