Windscreen Safety

Windscreens provide 60% of your protection in rollover accidents and shield you from wind, weather and debris whilst driving.

It’s worth keeping them in safe condition, so here are a few useful tips:

1 Always get small chips repaired without delay; in cold weather the temperature difference between inside and outside surfaces will rapidly convert a small chip into the Cheddar Gorge (repairing chips is a lot less expensive than replacing windscreens).

2 Never be tempted to use a credit card to remove ice and frost – it’ll just scratch the glass. Scrapers and de-icer are far better.

3 Never dispose of ice with hot or boiling water – it’ll just fracture the glass.

4 Keep your windscreen clean: dirt impairs visibility not just by making the world outside look murky, but it makes sun-glare far worse too.

5 Replace worn wipers – they not only fail to do what they’re meant to (wipe your screen clear) but they can actually damage the screen, too.

6 Keep clear sticky tape handy in the car – if you get a chip whilst driving, cover it with the tape until you can have the damage repaired.

7 If you do have to have a screen replaced, ensure that it comes with a guarantee, that it’s a factory recommended full cut-out (the strongest) and that it’s made of OEM glass, the only glass that conforms to industry safety standards.

8 Especially when the season begins to turn nasty, ensure that your screen wash is regularly topped up – there’s nothing worse than running out of screen wash in rain, sleet or snow.