4 July 2012

Frosted up Conder driver couldn't see the back of a bus

| johnboy
Join the conversation
56

ACT Policing is again reminding motorists of the dangers of failing to properly clear frost and ice from their windows following a collision on Tom Roberts Avenue in Conder early this morning (Wednesday, July 4).

Around 7.50am today, police attended a collision in which a driver, whose view was obscured by frost on her windscreen, collided with the back of an ACTION bus.

The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries.

The 20-year-old driver from Conder will be issued with a Traffic Infringement Notice for ‘driving a vehicle without clear view’.

Collision Investigation & Reconstruction Team Detective Sergeant Jason Kennedy said it was the responsibility of motorists to ensure all their windows are free of frost as to not impede their vision when driving.

“Anyone leaving their vehicles out in sub-zero temperatures experienced in Canberra recently must take the time to defrost their windows and mirrors before heading off on their journey,” Detective Sergeant Kennedy said.

“The incident highlights how driving without a clear view is highly dangerous to yourself and to others, and may result in a collision that could cost those involved significant cost, inconvenience and injury.”

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

Join the conversation

56
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

shirty_bear said :

Seems likely … ethanol reportedly freezes at -114C … just a little lower than water. Nice tip, but tepid water ain’t rocket surgery.

Is that where they tie a multi-staged missile to your appendix? Removed and cauterized in one go. Youch, but brilliant.

I wish the mid 90’s blue magna that pulled out in front of me from Moonlight ave onto Flemington road with all windows fully frosted, and just using the Force, had seen this news story or read RA.
Lucky one of us spends those 2 minutes defrosting windows.

Jivrashia said :

Namloot said :

This product has a higher freezing point than water
Try It !

No thanks. I don’t want my windscreen freezing up in, say, 10 degrees weather.

Or did you mean LOWER freezing point than water?

Seems likely … ethanol reportedly freezes at -114C … just a little lower than water. Nice tip, but tepid water ain’t rocket surgery.

PrinceOfAles11:03 pm 05 Jul 12

Think of a warm shower. Not a hot shower. Fill a 2L coke/juice/milk bottle with warm water. Pour on windscreen. Your windows wont shatter. Your ice will melt. You will be able to see the back of a bus. Everyone is happy.

I just use half a CD jewel case. Casette cases were better, thicker and shorter, but now it’s CD cases. The US/Canadian scrapers are better but I always forget to bring one home. The brushes are for the snow, which is like moon dust, light and dry. We don’t get that here, anywhere. You have to get that off before tackling any ice that might be there. Often there isn’t any, you just brush off the 8 – 12 inches of dry dusty snow.

I park in the spot where the first rays of dawn hit, works a treat. Only have to scrape when taking the first flight out in the morning.

wildturkeycanoe said :

Pork Hunt said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

The blanket over the windscreen and warm water both have the same problem for me. After a few blocks the windscreen freezes up again and starts to get foggy. The only way is to warm the car up for 5 minutes with the fan on full boar. The side mirrors also fog up after being scraped if the conditions are right [foggy cold air]. Wish I was allowed to build a carport in my front yard but it will encroach into ACTPLA’s rules and regulations.

How does running a cold engine with the fan on full speed warm anything up?
You need hot water from the engine block running through your heater core (a miniature radiator) to get heat. Until the engine heats the water up, the heater core with a fan on acts like your radiator trying to cool the water down…

Um..der! That’s why it takes 5 minutes do defrost, waiting for the engine to actually get warm. As for the heater core acting like a radiator, yes, but not until the thermostat opens in the engine which won’t be until around 100 degrees celsius. Until that time, the water doesn’t circulate through the heater.

Water will run through your heater core all day, it is not subject to the thermostat being open or closed. The thermostat controls the flow of water through the radiator only. Most petrol engines run at 82 deg and my diesel at 90 deg.

The Antichrist9:06 pm 05 Jul 12

Disinformation said :

I still can’t believe that people in Canberra actually try to use water to defrost their windscreens.

I can’t beleive that you can’t believe it !

It takes me all of 60 seconds to walk around the car with a 3-litre bottle of slightly warm water, run all the ice off every glass surface – and run the wipers once or twice. While the car is warming up – all of a couple of minutes worth – you may need a second splash on the mirrors. Not once has the ice magically re-formed……

Anybody who still scrapes ice off with a credit card needs some serious help.

Rawhide Kid Part36:00 pm 05 Jul 12

Dilandach said :

harvyk1 said :

A drink bottle full of hot water will do the job quite nicely, just make sure you turn on the windscreen wipers soon afterwards otherwise on the really cold mornings (of which this morning was not) the water will freeze again. I also turn the heater on and direct it towards the windows.

Hot water on a frozen windscreen? Tell me you’re joking.

O’brian Glass has him as a regular on their books.

Disinformation4:29 pm 05 Jul 12

I still can’t believe that people in Canberra actually try to use water to defrost their windscreens.

Apply Rain-x for a start. Dew tends to roll off for a start. Ice has less grip. When “NeverWet” finally makes it to production, the concept of iced up windscreens might be gone forever.
Get yourself a decent scraper for those times you do have to park outside overnight in frosty weather. It almost makes it fun, believe it or not.
Canadian window scrapers have a handle about 70 cm long with a brush along one side. I acquired one from a Canadian girl who got jack of being in Canberra and left for warmer climates. I suggested that she’d not need her scraper and she agreed willingly.
I just cruised ebay and similar items can be posted to your house for $6.32

VYBerlinaV8_is_back3:03 pm 05 Jul 12

Genie said :

One jug of water usually defrosts my car… Sometimes a bit of salt in the water helps.l. Very rarely will it freeze back over..

I also have an awesome plastic ice scraper that I got for free for ACTEWagl many years ago.. There was a post on here about sending an email off to score one… Love it. All 4 sides have a different “scraper” including a rubber side which is regularly used to remove dew from my mirrors…..

I have a nice warm garage with internal access from my home. When I want to drive one of my cars I just walk in, hit the garage door remote, start the car and go.

Much better than stuffing around with water and scrapers!

According to the anti-bike crowd, all you need is a license plate number to report these road menaces to the police. Yet this doesn’t seem to be happening.

Mr Gillespie said :

Salt the water?

and watch your car fall apart within a year or two… Salt is about the last thing I’d want near my car…

Mr Gillespie2:29 pm 05 Jul 12

Salt the water?

Salty water has a significantly lower freezing point. It is however much more corrosive.

bitzermaloney1:53 pm 05 Jul 12

cranky said :

On a side note, the radio was reporting that this accident closed both ends of Tom Roberts Avenue(?)

It would seem inevitable that this silly, silly lady has inconvenienced a large number of people.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if those affected could claim compo from the lady’s insurer.

Sure… if you were in the USofA!

If everyone claimed compo everytime they were inconvienced by someone else’s stupidity we wouuldn’t have to worry about the carbon tax jacking up the cost of living, insurance premiums would do that job nicely.

bitzermaloney1:49 pm 05 Jul 12

Obviously she was trying to catch a bus.

Dilandach said :

harvyk1 said :

A drink bottle full of hot water will do the job quite nicely, just make sure you turn on the windscreen wipers soon afterwards otherwise on the really cold mornings (of which this morning was not) the water will freeze again. I also turn the heater on and direct it towards the windows.

Hot water on a frozen windscreen? Tell me you’re joking.

Nope, not joking, however the water is hot, not boiling, and the water when passed through a relatively small nozzle of the bottle so comes out at a relatively high temp, but cools very quickly in the air, so it’s not too much warmer than the glass by the time it get there, but it gets there with a bit of pressure to push the ice away as well. I also make sure I’m even in how I place the water onto the window so it heats up evenly.

I am well aware of thermal shock and what it can do (although not from personal experience), which is why I am careful with the water temp I use, and the distance the water is away from the glass when I spray it onto the glass.

Namloot said :

This product has a higher freezing point than water
Try It !

No thanks. I don’t want my windscreen freezing up in, say, 10 degrees weather.

Or did you mean LOWER freezing point than water?

One jug of water usually defrosts my car… Sometimes a bit of salt in the water helps.l. Very rarely will it freeze back over..

I also have an awesome plastic ice scraper that I got for free for ACTEWagl many years ago.. There was a post on here about sending an email off to score one… Love it. All 4 sides have a different “scraper” including a rubber side which is regularly used to remove dew from my mirrors…..

Jezuz, anyone would think 45 seconds with an ice scraper or credit card was rocket science in this town…

wildturkeycanoe12:14 pm 05 Jul 12

Dilandach said :

harvyk1 said :

A drink bottle full of hot water will do the job quite nicely, just make sure you turn on the windscreen wipers soon afterwards otherwise on the really cold mornings (of which this morning was not) the water will freeze again. I also turn the heater on and direct it towards the windows.

Hot water on a frozen windscreen? Tell me you’re joking.

If I was joking I’d say, “A hose walked into a bar….”

I agree with Dilandach, hot water on a windscreen at -4 may have catastrophic effects. I have seen a windscreen on a summer’s day crack in half when cold water from the hose was turned onto it to wash the car. Extremes aren’t good for glass.

A hose walked into a bar, said to the bartender “can I get some water? It can’t be out of a bottle though, it has to come from the tap”

Dilandach said :

Hot water on a frozen windscreen? Tell me you’re joking.

Thermal shock is a fallacy.

🙂 just in case you think I’m serious.

harvyk1 said :

A drink bottle full of hot water will do the job quite nicely, just make sure you turn on the windscreen wipers soon afterwards otherwise on the really cold mornings (of which this morning was not) the water will freeze again. I also turn the heater on and direct it towards the windows.

Hot water on a frozen windscreen? Tell me you’re joking.

The only way is to warm the car up for 5 minutes with the fan on full boar.

I always ensure that I have at least one spare warm pig on winter mornings.

+1 🙂

A drink bottle full of hot water will do the job quite nicely, just make sure you turn on the windscreen wipers soon afterwards otherwise on the really cold mornings (of which this morning was not) the water will freeze again. I also turn the heater on and direct it towards the windows.

The other thing (and I really should try and remember this myself) is if you park your car where the sun hits the windscreen, the sun starts defrosting your car for you in the morning before you even get up. Doesn’t help on foggy days obviously, but on a sunny day works nicely.

The funny thing was coming from Banks at around 8:10, it was the quietest I’d see it on the road ever (I wondered if today was actually a Saturday).

devils_advocate9:04 am 05 Jul 12

Pork Hunt said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

The blanket over the windscreen and warm water both have the same problem for me. After a few blocks the windscreen freezes up again and starts to get foggy. The only way is to warm the car up for 5 minutes with the fan on full boar. The side mirrors also fog up after being scraped if the conditions are right [foggy cold air]. Wish I was allowed to build a carport in my front yard but it will encroach into ACTPLA’s rules and regulations.

How does running a cold engine with the fan on full speed warm anything up?
You need hot water from the engine block running through your heater core (a miniature radiator) to get heat. Until the engine heats the water up, the heater core with a fan on acts like your radiator trying to cool the water down…

Modern engines, with smallish engine blocks and constructed from alloy, warm up within a couple of minutes.

But granted, this won’t work with the XD falcon running a cast iron straight six.

In our house we spray “frost no more 2012″TM on the glass prior to heading out on these frosty mornings. This product has a higher freezing point than water and instantly melts the ice. It also prevents the ice from reforming while your vehicle is warming up. This is readly available from most supermarkets. It is also known as methylated spirits.

Try It !

wildturkeycanoe7:44 am 05 Jul 12

Pork Hunt said :

wildturkeycanoe said :

The blanket over the windscreen and warm water both have the same problem for me. After a few blocks the windscreen freezes up again and starts to get foggy. The only way is to warm the car up for 5 minutes with the fan on full boar. The side mirrors also fog up after being scraped if the conditions are right [foggy cold air]. Wish I was allowed to build a carport in my front yard but it will encroach into ACTPLA’s rules and regulations.

How does running a cold engine with the fan on full speed warm anything up?
You need hot water from the engine block running through your heater core (a miniature radiator) to get heat. Until the engine heats the water up, the heater core with a fan on acts like your radiator trying to cool the water down…

Um..der! That’s why it takes 5 minutes do defrost, waiting for the engine to actually get warm. As for the heater core acting like a radiator, yes, but not until the thermostat opens in the engine which won’t be until around 100 degrees celsius. Until that time, the water doesn’t circulate through the heater.

screaming banshee7:01 am 05 Jul 12

Wily_Bear said :

gooterz said :

Maybe she thought it was fog.

I still dont see why women have cheaper insurance.

Where in the ACT Policing release was the offending driver referred to as being female?

“whose view was obscured by frost on her windscreen

hermanmunster14:27 am 05 Jul 12

Mr Gillespie said :

Jono said :

Does anyone know a good translation engine? I tried to put the above through Babelfish to find out what it meant, but it doesn’t have a “Gibberish to English” category available.

I think what you’re trying to translate is the points I am making, rather than the language I am using.

THINK McFly THINK!

Garages & carports = cars parked in shelter so they don’t get frosted

Garages not seen as “luxuries” = EVERYONE (not just the “well off”) can park their car so it doesn’t get frosted

More responsible spending of money and resources on things like sheltered facilities for cars to be parked = cars in a safer condition

Are you getting my drift so far?

Why do you need Google Translate or Babelfish to translate commonsense like this??

Because you are yabbering on about absolute b*llsh/t!
Anyway, I witnessed the accident & it was a cyclist who threw ice on her windscreen as they passed her. Luckly, legislation has been introduced making it mandatory for cyclists to be registered and display number plates. Now I suspect they will suffer the same fate as “Jim”!

Wily_Bear said :

gooterz said :

Maybe she thought it was fog.

I still dont see why women have cheaper insurance.

Where in the ACT Policing release was the offending driver referred to as being female?

In the second line of the second paragraph.

Tetranitrate12:24 am 05 Jul 12

Felix the Cat said :

Tetranitrate said :

Pretty irresponsible to be driving around with so little visibility that you ran into a bus!

I just can’t believe anyone could be so thick. A couple of saucepan fulls of tapwater is usually enough to disrupt frost enough that windscreen wipers can clear it anyway, I just can’t see how anyone could consider driving without clearing it.

Pouring water on the windscreen can make the problem worse (especially warm/hot water) as it can freeze up again as you drive. Best thing to do is to scrape it off with a credit card or similar shaped object.

A ‘flat-packed’ cardboard box over the windscreen with the wipers holding it on is a good way of preventing the frost getting on there in the first place, but you still need to clear the side and rear windows. You could put a large sheet over the roof and cover all the windows but it may be a bit wet and cold to take off, but I guess wet and cold is better than running into a bus – or worse.

I really don’t find re-freezing to be a big issue personally. Wipers remove most of the water. For some reason the rear and side windows never seem to get as thick a layer of frost as the windscreen – perhaps because they’re closer to vertical.

By the time ACTPOL got there, the driver had been removed from the scene, and ACTION had a person on site directing traffic around the scene when I went past about 7:35.

Greatly inconvenienced? Nah. Maybe I was just lucky. I’ve had worse traffic when I’ve been leaving for work and the papist masses have been dropping the tribals off to before school care.

gooterz said :

Maybe she thought it was fog.

I still dont see why women have cheaper insurance.

Where in the ACT Policing release was the offending driver referred to as being female?

Mr Gillespie said :

Jono said :

Does anyone know a good translation engine? I tried to put the above through Babelfish to find out what it meant, but it doesn’t have a “Gibberish to English” category available.

I think what you’re trying to translate is the points I am making, rather than the language I am using.

THINK McFly THINK!

Garages & carports = cars parked in shelter so they don’t get frosted

Garages not seen as “luxuries” = EVERYONE (not just the “well off”) can park their car so it doesn’t get frosted

More responsible spending of money and resources on things like sheltered facilities for cars to be parked = cars in a safer condition

Are you getting my drift so far?

Why do you need Google Translate or Babelfish to translate commonsense like this??

Kudos for the BTTF reference.

With regards to everything else…. you, sir, are a moron.

Mr Gillespie said :

johnboy said :

I’m sure everyone who doesn’t have the luxury of a garage will really appreciate that advice.

Just saying Johnboy that with all this emphasis on “saving the planet from climate change on global warming” the dollars spent on measures to “combat climate change” could be better spent on shelter for cars that are otherwise parked out in the open exposed to frost, and to proper housing designs and more and better housing, and curbs to this ever-growing population.

A garage doesn’t have to be a luxury, if housing was made less expensive, not more, while we pay extra because of this “climate change” bulls*** being forced down our throats.

Best post ever… although I think you left out the cyclists.

wildturkeycanoe said :

The blanket over the windscreen and warm water both have the same problem for me. After a few blocks the windscreen freezes up again and starts to get foggy. The only way is to warm the car up for 5 minutes with the fan on full boar. The side mirrors also fog up after being scraped if the conditions are right [foggy cold air]. Wish I was allowed to build a carport in my front yard but it will encroach into ACTPLA’s rules and regulations.

How does running a cold engine with the fan on full speed warm anything up?
You need hot water from the engine block running through your heater core (a miniature radiator) to get heat. Until the engine heats the water up, the heater core with a fan on acts like your radiator trying to cool the water down…

wildturkeycanoe7:57 pm 04 Jul 12

The blanket over the windscreen and warm water both have the same problem for me. After a few blocks the windscreen freezes up again and starts to get foggy. The only way is to warm the car up for 5 minutes with the fan on full boar. The side mirrors also fog up after being scraped if the conditions are right [foggy cold air]. Wish I was allowed to build a carport in my front yard but it will encroach into ACTPLA’s rules and regulations.

Mr Gillespie said :

johnboy said :

A garage doesn’t have to be a luxury, if housing was made less expensive, not more, while we pay extra because of this “climate change” bulls*** being forced down our throats.

That so explains houses without garages for the last 30 years.

Holden Caulfield7:24 pm 04 Jul 12

gentoopenguin said :

Kim F said :

A Volvo driver in Deakin almost cleared me up as I walked to walk. With the sun in his eyes and a 2 inch layer of frost on his windscreen, he managed to mount the curb 20 metres in front of me. If I had been a bit earlier, he would have got me.

Mate, you didn’t have to explain any further than “a Volvo driver”. Says it all already!!

It’s a shame the new V40 with pedestrian airbags aren’t on sale in Australia yet.

cranky said :

Wouldn’t it be lovely if those affected could claim compo from the lady’s insurer.

Ummmmmm, no. That would basically signal the end of a decent society if people expected compo for being inconvenienced.

Felix the Cat7:22 pm 04 Jul 12

Tetranitrate said :

Pretty irresponsible to be driving around with so little visibility that you ran into a bus!

I just can’t believe anyone could be so thick. A couple of saucepan fulls of tapwater is usually enough to disrupt frost enough that windscreen wipers can clear it anyway, I just can’t see how anyone could consider driving without clearing it.

Pouring water on the windscreen can make the problem worse (especially warm/hot water) as it can freeze up again as you drive. Best thing to do is to scrape it off with a credit card or similar shaped object.

A ‘flat-packed’ cardboard box over the windscreen with the wipers holding it on is a good way of preventing the frost getting on there in the first place, but you still need to clear the side and rear windows. You could put a large sheet over the roof and cover all the windows but it may be a bit wet and cold to take off, but I guess wet and cold is better than running into a bus – or worse.

Mr Gillespie7:12 pm 04 Jul 12

Jono said :

Does anyone know a good translation engine? I tried to put the above through Babelfish to find out what it meant, but it doesn’t have a “Gibberish to English” category available.

I think what you’re trying to translate is the points I am making, rather than the language I am using.

THINK McFly THINK!

Garages & carports = cars parked in shelter so they don’t get frosted

Garages not seen as “luxuries” = EVERYONE (not just the “well off”) can park their car so it doesn’t get frosted

More responsible spending of money and resources on things like sheltered facilities for cars to be parked = cars in a safer condition

Are you getting my drift so far?

Why do you need Google Translate or Babelfish to translate commonsense like this??

gentoopenguin said :

Mate, you didn’t have to explain any further than “a Volvo driver”. Says it all already!!

Libel! I used the tried and true bucket of water method to get the frost off my giant Volvo Wagon before heading out with lights and hat on.

gentoopenguin6:52 pm 04 Jul 12

Kim F said :

A Volvo driver in Deakin almost cleared me up as I walked to walk. With the sun in his eyes and a 2 inch layer of frost on his windscreen, he managed to mount the curb 20 metres in front of me. If I had been a bit earlier, he would have got me.

Mate, you didn’t have to explain any further than “a Volvo driver”. Says it all already!!

Maybe she thought it was fog.

I still dont see why women have cheaper insurance.

geeks may appreciate this tip.Grab a couple of old hard drives and pull out the rare earth magnets tie them into the corners of old an sheet then throw it over your windscreen then Clack it’s held on securely and easily taken off again.

Mr Gillespie said :

Just saying Johnboy that with all this emphasis on “saving the planet from climate change on global warming” the dollars spent on measures to “combat climate change” could be better spent on shelter for cars that are otherwise parked out in the open exposed to frost, and to proper housing designs and more and better housing, and curbs to this ever-growing population.

A garage doesn’t have to be a luxury, if housing was made less expensive, not more, while we pay extra because of this “climate change” bulls*** being forced down our throats.

Does anyone know a good translation engine? I tried to put the above through Babelfish to find out what it meant, but it doesn’t have a “Gibberish to English” category available.

On a side note, the radio was reporting that this accident closed both ends of Tom Roberts Avenue(?)

It would seem inevitable that this silly, silly lady has inconvenienced a large number of people.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if those affected could claim compo from the lady’s insurer.

Mr Gillespie5:53 pm 04 Jul 12

johnboy said :

I’m sure everyone who doesn’t have the luxury of a garage will really appreciate that advice.

Just saying Johnboy that with all this emphasis on “saving the planet from climate change on global warming” the dollars spent on measures to “combat climate change” could be better spent on shelter for cars that are otherwise parked out in the open exposed to frost, and to proper housing designs and more and better housing, and curbs to this ever-growing population.

A garage doesn’t have to be a luxury, if housing was made less expensive, not more, while we pay extra because of this “climate change” bulls*** being forced down our throats.

Tetranitrate5:44 pm 04 Jul 12

caf said :

You can put a blanket over the windscreen the night before.

Pretty irresponsible to be driving around with so little visibility that you ran into a bus!

I just can’t believe anyone could be so thick. A couple of saucepan fulls of tapwater is usually enough to disrupt frost enough that windscreen wipers can clear it anyway, I just can’t see how anyone could consider driving without clearing it.

A Volvo driver in Deakin almost cleared me up as I walked to walk. With the sun in his eyes and a 2 inch layer of frost on his windscreen, he managed to mount the curb 20 metres in front of me. If I had been a bit earlier, he would have got me.

Mr Gillespie said :

Another way to avoid this is to park your car under a shelter or in a garage, that way the car won’t frost up at all.

johnboy said :

I’m sure everyone who doesn’t have the luxury of a garage will really appreciate that advice.

Of course one could always cover the windscreen with an old blanket or newspaper!

You can put a blanket over the windscreen the night before.

Pretty irresponsible to be driving around with so little visibility that you ran into a bus!

Mr Gillespie5:08 pm 04 Jul 12

Another way to avoid this is to park your car under a shelter or in a garage, that way the car won’t frost up at all.

I’m sure everyone who doesn’t have the luxury of a garage will really appreciate that advice.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.