Posted on Jul 25, 2017 by Sue
If you’ve sustained damage to your car windscreen, side window, or rear window, it’s always a good idea to get it repaired or replaced as soon as possible to avoid the damage from getting worse, leaving your vehicle insecure, or even putting it off the road. Many windscreen repair specialists offer a ‘repair first’ option, where they will do everything possible to carry out a windscreen repair, rather than replace the whole piece of glass. A repair is generally quicker than a replacement, and will certainly cost less if you have to pay for it. However, if you have vehicle glass cover on your car insurance, you may be tempted to go for a replacement anyway, on the grounds that it won’t cost you anything so why not?
Posted on Nov 23, 2016 by Sue
Everyone likes to think that they can save themselves some money, so when I read that the best way to clean your car windscreen was to use newspaper, I was keen to give it a go. According to the article I read, the ink used to print the newspapers is slightly abrasive and contains solvents, so if you rub the windscreen with damp newspaper, it will dry to a streak-free shine and all traces of road film and insect corpses will be gone. My paper recycling bag is full of newspaper every week, especially in the summer months when I don’t use any paper to light a fire, and it seemed a win-win prospect. I would not only be helping the environment by re-using some of the paper, but would also avoid using up paper towels or having to wash window cloths.
Posted on Sep 11, 2016 by Sue
A family had an incredibly lucky escape recently when a large branch sheared off a roadside tree and crashed through their car windscreen as they were driving along a road in Staffordshire. There were three people in the car – an 8-year-old girl and 2 adults, and they were travelling along Rugeley Road in Cannock Chase. The adults, seated in the front of the car, were extremely lucky to escape without serious injuries, as the branch actually passed between them before hitting the young girl who was the back seat passenger. An ambulance and a paramedic attended the scene, but after seeing that the girl had suffered puncture wounds to her face and a broken arm, the Air Ambulance was called and the girl was airlifted to the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, where she underwent treatment in the Major Trauma Unit.
Posted on Jul 26, 2016 by Sue
A driver on the M25 had an extremely lucky escape recently when part of the braking system of the HGV he was following came loose and smashed through his car windscreen. Andy Foster, aged 33 years old, was driving his Nissan Qashqai at around 65 miles per hour, when a brake disc became detached from the lorry, and hit his windscreen. The disc was red hot and spinning as it landed, and actually burned through the windscreen. Luckily, Mr Foster had the presence of mind to duck as the object came towards him, otherwise it would have hit him in the neck.
Posted on May 30, 2016 by Sue
Samsung has recently announced that it is developing a ‘Smart Windshield’ for use on motor scooters, and is trialling it in Italy. It is not really a brand new technology; it uses the same type of mobile connectivity that has already been applied in heads-up displays on cars and other four-wheeled vehicle windscreens. The difference is that information is to be displayed on a motor scooter windshield, and the system consists basically of a smartphone app connected to a projector. The app will project information onto the windshield, giving the rider hands-free access to that information.
Posted on May 11, 2016 by Sue
According to official figures, around 1% of the road accidents that occur each year are caused by the driver having a blind spot, and as a result, approximately 25 people lose their lives. One of the major causes of blind spots is ironically enough related to a safety feature – windscreen pillars and door pillars that have tended to become wider on modern cars. The increase in size of the pillars has often come about in order to increase their strength and offer more protection in a collision, but that’s not the only reason. The other reason is to do with styling – modern car designers appear to favour designs with wide pillars, and they are sacrificing all-round visibility for cosmetic reasons.
Posted on Mar 20, 2016 by Sue
Sunshine in winter can often take drivers by surprise, but during the early part of the year, problems caused by sun glare tend to peak. During the hours near to sunrise and sunset, the sun is at a low level in the sky, but can still be extremely bright, and the glare that this causes can be dazzling. Many vehicle crashes are caused by sun glare, the Department for Transport figures show that it amounts to 2% or roughly 3,000 of all road collisions where death or injury occurs. Thankfully, with a little care and preparation, motorists can avoid the problem.
Posted on Feb 26, 2016 by Sue
The weather in the early part of the year can be pretty miserable, with wind, rain, sleet and snow, and 2016 has been no exception so far. You would imagine that motorists, especially in places that are prone to extreme weather, would be prepared for wintry weather in winter. Apparently not. A motorist in Scotland appears to have been caught out by an overnight snow storm and didn’t have time to clear the snow off the car before setting out. Video footage has emerged of a car being driven along with the windscreen practically covered with snow, during the morning rush hour on a road near to Aberdeen.
Posted on Feb 18, 2016 by Sue
It’s the kind of story you never want to be personally involved in – it took a total of five months for a car owner from Hedon, a small Yorkshire town, to get a satisfactory replacement for a cracked windscreen. The problems began when 45 year old Jason Marshall bought himself a car, a Mini Cooper, which already had a chip in the windscreen. Being a sensible car owner, he decided to get the chip attended to before it propagated into something more major.
Posted on Feb 12, 2016 by Sue
I read recently that Canterbury City Council has had to pay compensation to a car owner after a traffic warden fixed a parking ticket to the car windscreen, and it was claimed that the adhesive had damaged the glass. The ticket was for a fixed penalty of £25, and the compensation awarded was £41, leaving the car owner a nice little profit of £16. A spokesperson for the City Council stated that the damage claim had been investigated ‘fully’, and was clearly a ‘one-off’ event. It was also stated that the money was paid out by the Council’s insurers, and that there were no plans for the Council to change the type of adhesive used for penalty notices in the foreseeable future.