At this time of the year, it is common to come out to the car and find that it is covered in ice or snow and in really severe weather it is difficult to even open the car door especially if it has rained earlier in the evening.

If it has snowed it is vital and in fact illegal to drive the car without removing as much of the snow as possible before you attempt to drive. Snow on the roof of the car can slide down onto the windscreen obscuring the driver’s vision and so should be completely removed from the car roof.

Some people in an effort to de-ice the screen quickly pour boiling water onto the screen, but this is not a good idea because it could cause the screen to crack and will simply refreeze again. The best action to take is to start the car engine and put the warm air blowers on the screen. The rear heated screen that most cars have should also be put on and if the car has air conditioning putting this on will prevent the screen from steaming up.

Some people prefer to use de-icer spray on the car windscreen to remove any ice but in very cold weather this can freeze as it hits the screen but using a good quality spray that works in very icy conditions can work. Using an ice scraper is probably the most common method of clearing ice from a screen and is very effective.