{"id":1895,"date":"2026-01-07T13:22:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T13:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/?p=1895"},"modified":"2026-01-07T19:32:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T19:32:19","slug":"the-simple-0p-cardboard-trick-the-rac-wants-every-driver-to-know-this-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/the-simple-0p-cardboard-trick-the-rac-wants-every-driver-to-know-this-winter\/1895\/","title":{"rendered":"The simple 0p cardboard trick the RAC wants every driver to know this winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With much of the UK bracing for a severe cold snap \u2014 and temperatures expected to fall as low as -12.5\u00b0C in some areas \u2014 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rac.co.uk\/drive\/advice\/winter-driving\/top-tips-in-the-extreme-cold\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RAC has issued targeted advice for drivers<\/a> who park their cars outdoors. The warning focuses on a simple, practical step that can help prevent one of winter\u2019s most common and frustrating problems: <strong>windscreen wipers freezing solid overnight<\/strong>. According to the motoring organisation, a basic household item can make a surprising difference when temperatures drop well below zero.<\/p>\n<h2>Why the RAC is recommending cardboard during freezing nights<\/h2>\n<p>The RAC advises drivers to place a sheet of cardboard between the windscreen and the wiper blades before leaving the car overnight. This creates a protective barrier that prevents the rubber blades from freezing directly onto the glass \u2014 something that frequently happens during sub-zero conditions.<\/p>\n<p>By stopping the blades from bonding to the windscreen, the cardboard helps drivers avoid damage and delays the following morning. The advice complements wider winter-driving guidance, including recommendations from <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalhighways.co.uk\/road-safety\/travelling-in-severe-weather\/travelling-in-snow-and-ice\/winter-driving-how-we-help-you-on-our-roads\/?gad_campaignid=23070603781&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAC1IM_ZFDv9V_yw8wysd8h3qlHX2L&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Highways<\/a>, which stress the importance of preparing vehicles before ice and frost set in.<\/p>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"9\"><b data-path-to-node=\"9\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Avoiding an &#8220;Expensive&#8221; Mistake<\/b><\/h2>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10\">The RAC warns that failing to protect your wipers can lead to more than just a minor delay. If you attempt to turn on your wipers while they are frozen to the glass, you risk:<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"11\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"11,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Motor Failure:<\/b> The strain of trying to move the frozen blades can cause the wiper motor to burn out.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"11,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Electrical Faults:<\/b> It is common for a fuse to blow if the motor is overworked. Drivers should remember that maintaining clear visibility is a legal requirement under <a class=\"ng-star-inserted\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/the-highway-code\/driving-in-adverse-weather-conditions-226-to-237\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-hveid=\"0\" data-ved=\"0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwinivP5nfSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8gE\">The Highway Code Rule 229<\/a>, which mandates that you must be able to see out of every glass panel.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"11,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Damaged Blades:<\/b> Tearing the rubber off the glass manually can ruin the blades, leading to poor performance and an MOT failure.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"12\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">A Final Warning on De-Icing<\/b><\/h2>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13\">While the cardboard trick helps prevent the problem, the RAC is also reminding drivers to stay away from the kettle. <b data-path-to-node=\"13\" data-index-in-node=\"117\">Never pour boiling water<\/b> on a frozen windscreen. The sudden temperature shift is a leading cause of cracked glass.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"14\">Scientific studies, such as those discussed in <a class=\"ng-star-inserted\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=https:\/\/www.ox.ac.uk\/news-and-events\/the-university-of-oxford-search%3Fquery%3Dmaterials%2Bscience%2Bthermal%2Bstress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-hveid=\"0\" data-ved=\"0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwinivP5nfSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ8wE\">engineering research at the University of Oxford<\/a>, highlight how thermal shock can cause rapid crack propagation in brittle materials like automotive glass.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">Instead, use the car&#8217;s heater or a dedicated de-icer. If your washer jets are frozen, the RAC suggests using warm (not boiling) water to help thaw the reservoir, or simply waiting for the engine\u2019s natural heat to do the job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With much of the UK bracing for a severe cold snap \u2014 and temperatures expected to fall as low as -12.5\u00b0C in some areas \u2014 the RAC has issued targeted advice for drivers who park their cars outdoors. The warning focuses on a simple, practical step that can help prevent one of winter\u2019s most common &#8230; <a title=\"The simple 0p cardboard trick the RAC wants every driver to know this winter\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/the-simple-0p-cardboard-trick-the-rac-wants-every-driver-to-know-this-winter\/1895\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about The simple 0p cardboard trick the RAC wants every driver to know this winter\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1896,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobility"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1895"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1904,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895\/revisions\/1904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}