Driving with a frozen windscreen
 

Well it's finally happened - after weeks of getting angry at people who do not defrost their windows before driving in the morning and relying on a clear spot on the windscreen the size of a letter box, someone's gone up the back of my car this morning at some traffic lights :mad:

I got out and he wound his window down and said sorry, he didn't see me (despite the fact I was stationary with my brake lights on) - I looked through his window at the windscreen and he couldn't see ANYTHING. Turns out he lives not 50m away and had jumped straight in the car and pulled off the drive without de-icing any of the windows.

He admitted liability (that's a good start) and said he was fully comp and the car was road legal. However, it was an old Land Rover (M reg) which didn't have a front number plate, but white letters and numbers stuck on to the (dark green) bonnet. It also had a feck-off (looked like home-made) bull-bar which has done the damage to my bumper.

I know that there was some debate a while ago about outlawing bullbars but I would have thought that at least the white lettering on the bonnet would be illegal and if so, could this invalidate his MOT and subsequently his insurance?

Anyone in the know?

You cant invalidate an MOT and you cant invalidate insurance. Dont worry (about that, at least).

Does it matter? as long as you get paid out for your damage etc all is good right?

I would have also got a pic of his windscreen so that even hs insurers wouldn't have a leg to stand on if they try getting out of paying.

Bullbars aren't illegal to fit to certain vehicles, I believe that if they were a option when new, you can fit one, all new bullbars now have to meet with impact tests (if that is what they are called).

As everyone has amobile phone, and they all have camera's, its a no brainer after an accident, TAKE PICTURES and lots of them including the other driver for ID purposes. He's less likely to try and pull a fast one on you then if he knows you have taken photos.
It doesn't matter that they are digital, as far as your insurance Co are concerned, they are good solid evidence that WILL keep you your NCB!

Er yes, if his insurance is invalidated and they don't pay, it kind of does.

I note what GC8 has said (about not being able to invalidate insurance) but surely an insurer can if they consider that the car is not road legal. No doubt somewhere in their terms and conditions they could wriggle out of paying for some reason (remember, they don't often pay for theft if you lwere in the wrong by leaving the keys in the car or the engine running).

No: they take your money and you take their certificate.

I'll get on with reporting it to my insurers then :(

As a paid up member of SIDC, you are entitled to Free Accident management and legal support through Holmes and Hills Solicitors.

if you are in SIDC, of course. ;)

They can void a policy IIRC.Thats between the insurer and insured though.They still have to pay up to you but might chase their insured for the money they fork out.

Anyway,its only guesswork as to whether this bloke and his insurers have a to do.Not your problem.

Saw a chap doing the same this morning.Every window white over and just a small space cleared on the drivers side of the front windscreen for him/her to see out

you did take a photo of the windscreen ???

so what he admitted liability. you wait till it gets to paying out.

a local doctor drove into the back of my parked car once.

I'd parked outside my house- i'd cycled to work.

a neighbour in the village caught him........ took 9 mths for direct line to pay out........... he claimed it wasn't is fault !!!!!!!!

the debate on bull bars is irrelevant........ yes they can be installed to certain older vehicles. its new installs to new cars that are outlawed.

I'm sure everything will work out mate, it just sucks that your car will need the work bet he's never even had a mark!!

Did this myself when I was 20 and hit a parked car, lesson well and truly learned.

I bet your neck is hurting by now ;)

I saw a Calibra on the M62 last weekend at 6am in -4º conditions driving along at under 50mph, driver squinting through a gap in the frost about the size of a beer mat :rolleyes: Due care and attention springs to mind :cuckoo:

Have you set up as an ambulance chaser is your spare time :Suspiciou:D

sh1t

this is my worst driving habit -- a reality check to stop doing it

<edited typo in title>

I came out this morning to defrost the car and JUST stopped my neighbour pouring a hot KETTLE full of boiling water on her windscreen.

Fortunately I had spare cans of de-icer so I sorted out her screens myself.

I really can't understand the mentality of people who actually think it is okay to drive with such limited visibility and as a regular commuting cyclist it scares the bejesus out of me.

I've seen a couple of pillocks this morning with frozen windscreens, and I'm not just talking the outside, the inside as well!

I spent about 15 minutes this morning clearing the ice from the outside of the windows, whilst the car was warming itself up and removing the ice from the inside/outside of the windows as well.

It was a tad chilly out there, -20C, plus a slight windchill taking it to -26C, and even though it's a round trip of about 25 minutes, I wasn't going to act like a fool and not bother to clear the windows.

If it's not frozen/fogged up windows, then it's idiots who haven't cleared the snow from the windows, just clearing a small patch to see from.

How do you know it was boiling water?

My kettle that I use to de-ice is only about 60C and it still gives off steam, sod all this cans of deicer and scraping lark!

That's also one of the reasons my motorbike stays safely locked in the garage during the winter months :eek:

Drove past an acccident on my way to work the other morning where a Transit pick-up had ploughed straight into a skip at the side of the road :eek:
His windscreen still near enough fully iced up, I bet his bosses are less than impressed with his driving skills :lol1:

It can also crack the screen to use boiling water on it. Best way is a bucketful of water out of the cold tap.

Les

Yup - done that myself a few times :thumb:


(the amount of steam coming out of the kettle showed it was either boiling hot or damn near)

I always defrost the car with a kettle of very luke warm water. never de-icer- its just not as effective.

you can do all the windows on a wagon and mirror with one kettle- rather than leave the sides etc.

Same here, never had a problem, by far the quickest way - but then again never used near boiling water either

That reminds me, I should get a can of deicer. I'm unsure as to why I've not done it yet. My washer fluid does have deicer in it though, and it's rated to -45C, which is very handy when you're driving in sleet, snow and freezing rain and want to actually see where you're going.

Cheers Kieran :thumb: I don't look like such a dumbass now :lol1:

For 10 years Ive been pooring hot water from the tap into an empty wine bottle, clears my screen in seconds and never had the glass crack(apart from today when it iced over straight away, had to do it again and put the window wipers on straight away :) )

Boiling kettle is stupid but a kettle warmed up is ok. Just because theres steam coming from it does not mean its boiled

I remember doing the same in my pre-mod days and it drove me nuts not being able to edit it. :)

It is annoying, I take the time to clear it as its quicker than driving slowly, squinting or crashing into something, as a cyclist it is annoying when people are so thick and lazy that they dont have the brains to work it out themselves, they are just soooo busy. My snap judgement of a driver based on his vehicle I use to assess danger would have been high on the potential threat scale had I seen an old Landy as described, home made Bull Bars suggest special needs and a small willy based Ego.

I have been caught out by a cold but dry windscreen and then used the screen wash and had it freeze, just pulled over but now I make sure the screen is warm enough not to do that.

Makes you wonder how many lives the Quickclear windscreen on Fords has saved, assuming the retards use it of course.