How to de-ice your car and the hacks to avoid

The Met Office forecast for the next few days shows more cold weather is in store. 

And while there are lots of ways to de-ice your car safely, there are also lots of wrong ways which can be dangerous and illegal.

We know how it is - you're late for work and realise your car is covered in an inch of ice, so you boil the kettle.

But stop right there.

The only things you should use when de-icing your car is an ice scraper or de-icer liquid. This really is it. Nothing else.

An alternative is to mix up a saltwater solution, soak a towel in it and leave the towel on the windscreen overnight.

You might also want to leave the engine running while you de-ice your car, but this poses safety issues and may also be in breach of the Highway Code which states you must not leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.

There's also the risk the vehicle could get stolen if the keys are left in the ignition.

The AA's tips for how to de-ice your car:

• Make sure your wipers aren't on before you switch the car on. If wipers are frozen to the glass, the wiper motor could be damaged
• Start the engine and turn on the warm air blower on the windscreen. Switch on the rear windscreen heater and heated mirrors.
• Turn on the air-con - it'll remove moisture from the air to stop the car misting up.
• Use a scraper and de-icer on the outside of your car while you wait for the inside to warm up
• Don't drive off until all of the glass is clear

Can I be fined for not clearing my windows before driving away?

Short answer - yes.

There isn't a law that says it is illegal to drive with snow on your car, however the Highway Code says that you must be able to see out of every window clearly during bad weather.

If you fail to do so you could incur a fine, but more importantly could place your life, the lives of your passengers and the lives of those around you in danger.

As for snow on the roof, while, again, there is no law stating it is illegal to drive with snow on your roof, if it falls off onto your windscreen while driving or flies into the path of another car then you could be penalised for such offences as 'driving without due consideration' or 'using a motor vehicle in a dangerous condition' and again, not worth the risk.

Don't get caught out by online hacks

The internet was in meltdown when a driver shared his "hack" of putting hot water in a sandwich bag to defrost his windscreen.

But when the AA asked its members, only 2 per cent of them said they'd tried it.

The melted water could refreeze and cause your windscreen wipers or even door handles to stick.

Another hack suggests rubbing half a potato onto the inside of your windows to stop them steaming up.

But the AA said it wouldn't recommend rubbing anything onto your windows that could smear them.