It’s entering a limbo period of plenty of sun but still cold weather, which can lead to foggy windows. But is it illegal to drive with them fogged up?
Australia is transitioning into a climate where the air remains frosty. Still, the sun is shining, causing a bit of an imbalance in the internal temperature of the car and the outside, thus leaving you with foggy windows.
RELATED: Letting your car warm up may cost you more than just petrol
But if you’re in a hurry to take off, you might not have time to clear the windows, leaving you with an obscured view and extra blind spots.
While it’s dangerous in itself to drive with foggy windows, is it actually illegal? And how do you clear your windows faster?
Is it illegal to drive with foggy windows?
Technically speaking, having foggy windows counts as an obstruction of view, covered under the Road Rules 2014 – regulation 297, “driver to have proper control of a vehicle”.
Sub-rule two states “a driver must not drive a motor vehicle unless the driver has a clear view of the road, and traffic, ahead, behind and to each side of the driver”.
That means driving with a foggy windshield, side windows or rear window will incur a fine that actually includes demerit points.
ACT Policing confirmed the possibility of a fine in a safe driving campaign a few years ago, telling the Region newspaper in Canberra that “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; it’s actually an offence to drive a vehicle if your vision to the front or rear is obstructed”.
The fines are no joke either. In NSW, you’ll face a $432 fine and three demerit points. Queensland will hit you with a fine of up to $581 and three demerits, and South Australia will see a fine of $228.
But how do you get rid of foggy windows quickly?
Is hot or cold air faster to defog a windscreen?
The answer actually depends on the outside temperature. The condensation formed on your windshield in colder climates is different from what is formed in humid, hot environments.
If it’s hot and humid outside, consider turning on the air conditioning with cold air to clear your windshield. However, if it is cold outside, then the heater would be the more effective way to demist the glass.
Hank Green, a popular scientist on YouTube and TikTok, gave an excellent explanation of when to use the heater or the air conditioner.
“You want something to hit that windshield and carry the water away. You might think it must be hot then, right? Because hot air can carry more water,” he said.
“If it’s cold outside, there’s not going to be a lot of water in the air around you, and so you’re going to be blowing hot air that doesn’t have very much moisture in it; that’s going to be great for getting rid of the fog on the inside of your windshield.
“But, if it’s super humid outside and you’re blowing hot air, then maybe that air is now going to be 100 per cent humidity, and there’s no way that it’s going to carry any of that water away because it can’t hold any more water. In that situation, you’d want to use the air conditioning because air conditioning dehumidifies the air.”
Alternatively, if you do not want to wait for your windows to defog, you can pick up a brand of interior anti-fog spray, such as Fog-X, for under $20. Applying this treatment means that you will find yourself using the demister setting much less frequently.
Spraying this on the inside of your windshield should be part of your wash routine. It’s one of the most effective, cheap, and easy ways to combat fog.
Keeping your windscreen free of dirt and grime is another easy way to prevent it from fogging up so frequently. The fine water droplets that cause misting are attracted to impurities and grime on the inside of the glass, and a grubby screen will be harder to keep clean than a spotless one.
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