Drivers are spending around three hours a year defrosting their car windscreen
On cold, frosty mornings, the last thing many of us want to do is defrost our windscreen.
It’s a task no one looks forward to, and one that surprisingly takes up a lot of our time each year, as discovered by Skoda.
Three long hours
After surveying 2,000 drivers, Skoda found that motorists spend more than three hours a year defrosting their car.
More than a third (35%) spend between five and seven minutes on each defrosting effort, while 13% take between eight and 10 minutes.
When looking at how drivers clear their windscreen, the survey found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of respondents make use of the car’s heating system, 57% use an ice scraper, while 13% admitted to just doing the job with a credit or debit card.
15% admitted they use boiling water to clear ice, which actually poses a risk of damaging the windscreen.
Some were also unaware of the risks they’re taking when defrosting their windscreen – 76% switch their car’s engine on and leave it running to help with defrosting, however, more than half (51%) were unaware this could lead to a fine of £80 if the car is parked on a public highway.
A new discovery
The Skoda survey also highlighted that 74% of drivers were unaware electric cars could be ‘preconditioned’ to clear the windscreen in advance.
Using preconditioning could save drivers up to 10 minutes every day.
Another new way of clearing windscreens has come from TikTok and involves a carrier bag filled with warm or boiling water being dragged over the windscreen. Experts have, however, warned that the use of boiling hot water could cause screens to crack, so drivers should take caution.
Clearing your windscreen is a must-do before you start your journey, but you should also make sure you’re carrying out other car checks for safe journeys during winter. Read our guide to winter car checks to find out more.
