How To Improve Car Safety and Visibility with Windshield Wash

Last year was not a good one for traffic accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year. That’s a 10.5% increase from 2020, when fatalities hit 38,824, and the highest number of traffic deaths since 2005.   

“You’re three times more likely to have an accident at night than in daytime.” -Car and Driver 

Things get even more grim when talking about night driving. While we only drive at night a fourth of the time, the National Safety Council (NSC) warns that 50% of traffic deaths happen at night. And compromised vision is a huge reason why. According to the NSC, “Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision can be compromised in the dark, and the glare of headlights from an oncoming vehicle can temporarily blind a driver.”  

Even at their best, traditional headlights with the high beams on can only provide about 500 feet of visibility (half that with normal beams). That means you’ve got less time to react when something crosses your path at night. And as the days get shorter and darker, you’ll find yourself driving in the dark more often. Add rain into the equation, and well, you get the picture. 
 

Obviously, drivers can’t always avoid hitting the road at night, or in the rain. But there is something you can do to stay safe on the roads, day or night, rain, or shine. When maintained properly, and chosen wisely, three often overlooked components can help you stay safe on the road: headlights, wiper blades, and windshield wash.  

Learn how to improve visibility, reliability, and safety with performance you can see.

Windshield Wash 

“If your windshield is streaked and dirty, it can impair visibility in the daytime. At night, things will be even worse—a grimy windshield can create hot spots and other visual distortions that make it harder to see the visual cues you need to stay on course.” -Car & Driver 

When’s the last time you’ve given windshield wash any thought? If you’re like most drivers, the answer is probably … never. Just grab a gallon of the blue stuff and be on your way, right? The truth is windshield wash completes the safety trifecta of headlights-wipers-wash to maximize visibility and keep you safe on the road. Because it doesn’t matter how great your headlights and wiper blades are if you’ve got a dirty windshield streaked with smudges and smears.

Windshield Maintenance and Best Practices 

“An unsuitable windshield washer fluid or just water in the washer reservoir can represent a true safety risk. Especially in the dark or when the sun is going down, light coming from up ahead and passing through a dirty windshield can cause glare, which impairs the driver’s vision, increasing the risk of accidents.”  -Thilo Kunst, DEKRA 

This one’s a no-brainer, but it often gets overlooked when you’re rushing out the door: Keep your windshield clean. Heading out at night, or in extreme weather? Check your windshield and give it a quick wipe down before you set out.  

Even something as seemingly harmless as dust can cost a host of visibility issues. A fine layer of dust can increase glare from both the sun and oncoming headlights. It can also create or intensify fog in damp driving conditions. Those fine particles of dust give the moisture in the air something to hold on to, so a dirty windshield will fog up a lot faster than a clean one.  

When hit by the sun, or oncoming headlights, smears and smudges on your windshield can cause dazzling bright spots and light flares. Of course dirt, mud and bug guts are no better, as they directly reduce your visibility. Keeping your windshield clean is especially important in bad weather and during the winter months, when freezing temps, road salt and hazardous conditions are factors. 

 
Bottom line: The dirtier your windshield, the less safe you’ll be on the road, so keep that windshield clean! And invest in a high-quality windshield wash to stay safe on the road.

What to Look for in Windshield Wash

Believe it, or not, windshield wash does not come in a universal formula that happens to be bright blue. So don’t just grab the first bottle you see without giving it some consideration. You want a high-quality, smear-free wash that doesn’t leave a film or smudges on your windshield. Look for a fluid that performs well in extreme weather and can repel rain/snow/debris.  
 
While you can purchase a concentrated mixture to which you add water, ready mixed solutions are much easier to use. The same goes for solutions that are specific to the summer or winter months. You’ll need to remember to change out your wash as the seasons change or add antifreeze.

An easier, more effective path? Look for a year-round wash that requires no mixing or seasonal changes. In addition, it’s always a good idea to seek out a reputable brand with good reviews.  

A Year-Round Solution: PEAK® ALL-IN-ONE™ WINDSHIELD WASH 

Get premium performance year round with PEAK® ALL-IN-ONE™ WINDSHIELD WASH. The advanced solution delivers optimal spot-free cleaning in both summer and winter months. 

In the winter, the formula has a higher-than-average alcohol content to melt frost, snow and light ice down to -30°F. When it warms up, bug guts don’t stand a chance against a powerful formula that removes bug proteins to ensure a crystal-clear commute. You’ll also stay safe on the road when it’s raining out thanks to water repellent technology that provides improved visibility. 

The all-in-one formula: 

• Provides year-round streak-free cleaning 
• Melts frost, snow and light ice in winter 
• Provides superior freeze protection down to -30°F 
• Easily removes road grime, tree sap and bugs 
• Includes water repellent technology for improved visibility 
• Is safe for use with rain-sensing Wiper Blades