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It has been revealed that 72 per cent of Irish motorists admit to driving off in the morning before their windows have fully cleared, thus increasing the risk of being involved in an accident. In the recent survey, conducted on behalf of Mr. Windscreen by The Research Centre.ie, results also indicate that many Irish motorists have a lax attitude towards safety.
Of the 72 per cent of motorists that are too impatient to wait for their windows to defrost on cold mornings, younger male drivers are the worst offenders with 1 in 12 admitting they do it regularly. Furthermore, 12 per cent of male drivers admitted to forgetting to refill the washer fluid reservoir, that amount doubles when it comes to female drivers doing the same.
When it comes to cold mornings, rather than use an ice scraper, de-icing fluid or the car's demister, some 58 per cent of motorists say they pour boiling water onto the windscreen of their car to defrost it.
However, this method greatly increases the risk of cracking the windscreen due to the sudden change in temperature and Gerry Fitzgibbon of Mr. Windscreen, said: "On any given frosty morning our depots across the country will see lots of motorists come in having cracked their windscreens with excessively hot water.
"Replacing the windscreen, particularly today's high-tech and heated screens, amounts to a considerable and unnecessary expense."
He added: "Any chip in the windscreen increases the likelihood of it cracking when exposed to overly hot water. It might surprise people to see how effective tepid or even cold water can be in defrosting a windscreen. In Ireland, frosty mornings can come unexpectedly, so it is important for motorists to ensure they are equipped with scraper and anti-freeze before the temperatures drop," says Fitzgibbon. "We also recommend that motorists drop into us for a free windscreen check to make sure they are safe for the conditions ahead."