Most Canadians, whether they admit it or not, have driven with a tiny peep hole for a windshield that has otherwise been covered in ice or frost. But visibility is crucial, especially in winter, when even the best driving aids rarely perform well. Your forward collision sensors, for example, won’t help if you can’t see your neighbour leaving their driveway at the same time as you.
While clearing snow and ice off the windshield is an obvious step toward improving winter safety, other factors can help improve visibility as well.
And let’s be clear: visibility isn’t just about being able to see. It’s also about being seen.
Follow these tips to help you see and be seen while driving in winter.
Remove All Snow and Ice
Yes, this includes your windows. Although the most unpleasant step in preparing your vehicle for winter driving, you can complete this task quickly with the right tools.
Always start at the top of your vehicle: snow from the roof will dust your windows on the way down. There’s no point in clearing your windows twice.
This step helps you see and prevents snow from flying off your roof and blocking the view of the driver behind you. Plus, your province may have laws about snow on your vehicle or doing something that blocks another driver’s view.
A snow brush with a telescopic handle, for example, makes it easy to reach the top of your vehicle and comfortable to clear snow from the sides. A plastic ice scraper can help you remove that frustrating layer of frozen water. (Do not use metal, including a butter knife. You risk scratching your windshield or your vehicle’s paint.)
Also keep a spray de-icer in your vehicle for when you return to your vehicle after an eight-hour day at work: it’ll get you driving home faster.
Upgrade Your Headlights to LEDs
Light-emitting diodes, aka LEDs, offer plenty of advantages, such as a long performance life and a wider beam of light. They also use a fraction of the energy that halogens and incandescents use. Brighter bulbs will also help you remain visible in a snowstorm.
If your vehicle doesn’t use LED headlights yet, we have information on LED conversion kits here.
Switch out Your Wipers and Washer Fluid
Like your tires, you can buy wiper blades better suited for warm or cold weather. Winter wiper blades use a rubber or silicone construction to help them avoid freezing and becoming brittle when the temperature drops. However, they become soft and ineffective when the temperature rises again.
Windshield washer fluid also comes in weather-dependent formulations. Using the right windshield washer fluid will vastly improve visibility as well. Read the label carefully: some windshield washer fluids can indeed be used all year long. However, they may not work as well in extremely low temperatures.
Test Your HVAC’s Blower Motor and A/C
While air conditioning is a wonderful feature to have during summer, the blower motor and compressor serve an even more important function during winter: defrosting your windows.
A weak HVAC system will increase defrost times and potentially be unable to keep the windows clear while driving. If you noticed increasingly less air blowing at the end of summer and thought, Winter’s coming. I’ll look after this next year, have it inspected right away.
Windshield Protection
Beyond wipers and washer fluid, applying a hydrophobic product to your windshield will drastically improve visibility. A high-quality windshield treatment will prevent water, dirt, snow, and mud from adhering to a glass surface. A windshield cover can also help.
It’s Not Just Your Safety
Winter has perfect days where you wake up on a weekend to a fresh blanket of glistening white snow and temperatures just below 0 ˚C. You eat a warm breakfast, make yourself your morning coffee or tea, and then head out to the garage, where you can while away the hours, the garage door open, tinkering on your vehicle.
But let’s be real. Most of winter involves slush, crusty, dirty snow, mornings with frost-covered windshields, and the like. Improving your visibility, and making it easy for others to see you on the road, will make your winter drives much more comfortable.
Visit your local NAPA Auto Parts store or visit our website for advice on improving your vehicle’s winter readiness.
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