With summer well and truly gone, many people getting behind the wheel in the morning are set to make one common mistake when they do not defrost their windscreen - and they could be hit with a fine if they do it. Under Regulation 98 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, it's an offence to leave your engine running unnecessarily while parked on a public road.
This means that whether you're sitting inside the car or standing nearby as it idles to clear ice, you could be hit with a fine of up to £80. Neil Hutchinson, founder of JLR Essex, describes it as amongst the most frequent winter blunders motorists commit, reports the Daily Record.
He stated: "Everyone's guilty of it. You wake up, it's freezing, and you start the car to warm it up while you finish your coffee. But if you're parked on the road with the engine running, that's technically breaking the law. It might seem harmless, but councils and police do issue fines for it, especially outside schools and busy streets."
Whilst some people believe idling helps the engine during frosty mornings, modern vehicles are designed to be operated almost straight away. Neil added: "Engines actually warm up faster when you're driving, not idling. Leaving the car running just wastes fuel, adds wear to the engine, and risks a fine on top of it."
As well as this, motorists are being urged not to abandon vehicles unattended with keys left inside, a primary factor behind 'frost jacking', where criminals target idling cars left to defrost. Instead, specialists recommend using a scraper or de-icing spray, ensuring all windows are clear before departure, and driving cautiously for the initial few minutes to allow the engine to warm up naturally.
Neil said: "It's a small change that can save you fuel, protect your car, and keep you on the right side of the law. It's just not worth an £80 fine for a few minutes of warmth."
To tackle the ice, some people also resort to convenient shortcuts. Nevertheless, some of these approaches pose concealed dangers, and a motoring specialist has cautioned against one widespread technique that could be causing serious damage to your vehicle.
Robert Webster from MyCarGlass, said: "More TikTok hacks are going viral as users share quick-fix solutions to common problems. One of the most recent includes using boiling water or salt water to defrost car windows in winter, but this could actually do more harm than good.
"While boiling water might seem like a quick and easy solution for your frosted car windows, it could cause drastic damage to your car. This is because the drastic temperature change between cold glass and boiling water results in thermal stress, which could crack or shatter the glass."