Drivers scraping a porthole in their windscreen

[Fiis]

Drivers need to leave their home at least 5 mins (10 mins for snow) earlier to scrape off ice and snow off their cars.

Fed up of seeing drivers just scraping a porthole - about a fifth of the windscreen, leaving the rest of the windows still covered with ice or snow. This is stupid and illegal

Also when it snows heavily, people don't remove the snow from their car roofs. Seen it where they braked and the snow on the front half of the roof falls onto the windscreen. Wipers can't cope with that snow - plus besides, you can damage them if you attempt to shift thick snow using wipers. They have to physically get out - causing traffic problems.

Also drivers that pour water onto their windscreens, don't realise that the water freezes. I sprained my wrist a few years ago after slipping on ice caused by a driver doing this. Warm water can crack your windscreen.

Like this?

Also when it snows heavily, people don't remove the snow from their car roofs.

IIRC it is illegal to drive with snow on your roof where i am (not UK)

Agreed some people are lazy or stupid when it comes to snow and ice. I drum it into my teen about winter driving.

“Also drivers that pour water onto their windscreens, don't realise that the water freezes. I sprained my wrist a few years ago after slipping on ice caused by a driver doing this. Warm water can crack your windscreen.”

Use tepid water with your engine running, it doesn’t crack your screen or refreeze, and it doesn’t need to go onto the ground around the car if you direct it into the screen. It takes about a minute.

What about your side windows though? You have to clear all your windows to be able to drive safely.

I have a dashcam in my car that records in 3 minute cycles. Yesterday, I got in my car, started it, put the heaters on front and back, got out and scraped all my side windows and the windscreen (no need to do the back because the de-mister did it by the time I'd done the sides and front) and was back in the car before the first 3 minute cycle on my dashcam was finished. I think it was less than 2 minutes. I don't have a huge car, but I don't have a tiny one either.

DH, however, has a proper heated windscreen, so will just sit in his car and wait. It takes at least 5 minutes to clear, if not more, plus it doesn't do the side windows. Give me a scraper any day.

Sometimes it's that bastard ice that is a mission to get off, but you should be able to clear your car of ice, without leaving yourself with terrible blindspots, or making the pavement/road a death trap for others, in around 5 minutes.

People are just too lazy. I saw a van yesterday morning with two circles scraped - one for the driver and one for the passenger! Twats!

The RAC website says that while there is no law to say it's illegal to drive with snow on your car, the Highway Code states that you must, by law, be able to see out of every glass panel in your vehicle.

Leaving your car in a situation where your windscreen becomes blocked by you braking and the snow sliding onto your windscreen is where the issue is.

The amount of times I've been hit by other people's flying snow is bloody annoying too, especially when it's icy snow that could potentially chip or crack a windscreen.

Then there’s those who try to scrape their windscreen with a credit card. Get a scraper FFS.

I'm in Germany. I have been on my way to work on days when it has snowed overnight and the police are literally at the end of my road stopping people who haven't cleared their windows & roof properly.

But i do have to say at this time of year the thing that worries me most of all are those massive sheets of thick ice that suddenly crash off the tops of lorries.

If you're lucky enough to have your car parked in your own front garden - put fan heater on extension lead in the car while you're having breakfast. Within fifteen minutes you'll have a lovely warm car with clear windows all round.

Tepid water in a ziplock back doesn't crack the windscreen or spill water.
There was a thread on here the other day where someone hadn't scraped the snow off their roof it came down onto the windscreen on a roundabout. She had to put the brakes and get out of the car to clear it. Very lucky there wasn't an accident.

The RAC website says that while there is no law to say it's illegal to drive with snow on your car, the Highway Code states that you must, by law, be able to see out of every glass panel in your vehicle.

Exactly. Which means it's illegal to drive with "portholes".

I don't know what it is with modern cars, but my last couple have a really hard job of demisting the interior. I'll happily scrape the exterior, but by the time that's done, I get back in and despite having the blower on, the inside of the windscreen will be completely misted up, and often frozen. It takes ages for that to go.
When I first started driving, it would take seconds to demist inside. My first car had blowers so strong that if I angled them right I could dry my hair on the way to work 😆

Where do you think the water goes after you've poured it onto the screen? It doesn't slosh around inside your car - it goes onto the ground! And then you drive your car away and if it's cold enough it will freeze.

If you're on your own driveway then you only have yourselves to think of, but if you're parked in a parking space, or by a road, then the ice may affect others.

Oh and my new car helpfully tells me that I have been running my engine for more than 2 minutes whilst stationary and should turn it off 🙄

I tend to just let it run for 10 mins and de-ice itself

it's illegal here to run your car engine when de-icing etc.

Actually depending on the type of car it could well end up in a big sloshy water well in PP's car. The Rover 75 and Renault Megane Cabriolet were both infamous for this if any leaves blocked their pathetically tiny (smaller than a 5p coin) drainage hole. My feet used to get wet when it rained in my Megane.

My car is terrible for this. I have taken to using a window hoover in the winter. Sucks up all the moisture.

Did none of you read yesterday's thread on this 😁, it was bonkers!

It is illegal in the UK to leave car engine on when stationary on a public road, and could incur a fine. However, on a private road or your own driveway, it is not illegal.
I didn't know this, so today is a school day.

any chance of a link?

As a short person I can not reach all of my roof even if I use a long handled brush. Same with scraping windscreen, I have to leave a strip in the middle that I use deicer on. I have a small car.

I did this yesterday 🙈 my scraper has mysteriously gone missing since last year

I just use the app to turn on the heating 15 mins before going to the car. Warms the seat up too.

Me too. It’s lovely. X