Auto Windscreens is predicting a fourfold increase in vehicles that fail their NCT due to windscreen damage caused by the frost damaged roads.
Auto Windscreens is now urging motorists to check their windscreen before their vehicle’s NCT and avoid the potential cost of a re-test and the vehicle being off the road. If there is damage of more than 10mm in the driver’s line of sight or 40mm in the rest of the swept area, then the car is liable to fail.
The freezing weather has left the roads exposed to a damaging condition known as ‘freeze-thaw’ resulting in an estimated 1.5 million potholes, twice as many as 2007 according to The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA).
Prior to the big freeze in January this year, the AIA’s **2009 ALARM survey showed that there was a pothole on average every 275 metres of road. The AIA estimates that this could now have reduced to every 183 metres of road.
Nigel Davies, Auto Windscreens Sales and Marketing Director, said: “Given the current road conditions the chances of windscreen damage is more likely. All too often people don’t give their windscreen a second thought until it is too late. My advice is to check it now to avoid the costly inconvenience of the vehicle failing its annual test and subsequently being off the road until a windscreen replacement or repair can be arranged.”