Drivers are being warned that failing to clear snow from their cars before driving off could land them with points in their licence and a fine.
A recent survey from motoring retailer Halfords has found that nearly one in five drivers fails to properly clear snow from their vehicle before driving away.
However, it's not just the windscreen and windows which must be cleared before you take to the road.
Police can hand out penalties of three points and a £60 fine for cars which they deem to be in contravention of rule 229 of the Highway Code, which states that motorists should "remove all snow that might fall off into the path of other road users."
Once you're on the road, the bottom layer of snow on your car's roof will melt, weakening the grip between the snow and the car. If the snow has frozen together into a solid block, it could fall off the back of the car into the path of a following motorist, or worse, slither onto your windscreen during heavy braking, obscuring your view of the road.
And what's more, if you're involved in an accident and the Rozzers think that the snow on your roof was a contributory factor in the accident, you could be prosecuted for careless or inconsiderate driving.
Halfords also pointed out that failing to remove snow from the roof can have an impact on your car's fuel efficiency -- an overnight fall of snow on the average car's roof weighs 35kg and can potentially increase fuel consumption by 2 per cent.
