Winter brings snowmen and snow sledding and cups of hot cocoa and hot chocolate and marshmallows. But it also brings inclement weather and imperfect driving conditions with lower visibility and greater chances of hydroplaning.  

Clean windshields are ‘clearly’ pretty critical to drive safely. If you can’t see the road through the ice or the grime, you’re not going to be able to get where you want to go. 

Don’t clear things off halfway… thinking you can coast by and peek through the slushy windshield. Visibility is always top priority and you don’t want to hinder your vision, feeling like you need to squint through the frost.  

But when you get to your car and discover a sheet of ice across the glass, what’s the best way to clear your windshield? 

Don’t throw scalding water at the problem. It’s not like the glass is the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. And in this case, instead of melting your foe, you’d potentially just crack or shatter the windshield. That’ll be an issue for you. 

Unless you want to corrode chrome and paint, do NOT splash vinegar onto your windshield. Remember: vinegar is an acid.  

It’s hard to know where the idea to toss vinegar onto your car started out, but it certainly makes the rounds on social and other news sources across the internet. Do your paint job a favor and skip the vinegar splash for the windshield; it’s a better dressing for your salad. 

Parking your vehicle in a garage or even a covered carport should help. Or you could drape a protective tarp or blanket over your car or windshield before inclement weather hits. 

Start your engine and turn on the defroster, setting the temperature control to full heat and adjusting the airflow to recirculate. As the air warms up, starting to thaw the frost, use your ice scraper, a squeegee, or soft brush to start cleaning.  

If you’re using a scraper, best to use a plastic one so that it doesn’t scratch the glass. Scrape with a light to moderate pressure to avoid weakening the glass. And avoid scraping any crevices beyond the windshield (which could scratch your car’s paint, along with the molding or trim of your window’s edges).  

Naturally, the more you have to run your car’s defrost, the more fuel you’re using up… which isn’t great for either the environment or your wallet. So whenever possible, try to keep these energy costs low by keeping cars in the garage. 

When you leave your car unlocked, keys inside, and signal all of this to would-be thieves with the tell-tale sign of steam puffing out from the exhaust pipe, can it really come as a surprise that there’s a 25% uptick in car thefts during the winter? 

Don’t be part of this statistic, read our blog on Car Thefts Spike in Winter: Don’t Leave Your Car Unattended. 

Stay cool and prepared this winter and check out our blogs on:  

• 5 Essentials for a Winter Survival Emergency Kit   

• Winter Rx: Cold Weather Guide  

• Your Car Emergency Kit, Explained  

As always, empowered drivers are safer drivers, more thoughtful drivers, and more engaged drivers. Check out more helpful tips, including: 

• Time to Replace Your Windshield Wipers 

• 9 Surprising Hacks to Save Money at the Gas Station 

• 6 Ways to Defend Yourself From Drunk Drivers 

What are you waiting for? Join the ride and get a quote today and see how techno-driven coverage can lower your premiums.