Selman Collision Center

Foggy Windows Can Be Dangerous in Hot and Cold Weather

"I can't see where I'm driving!"

In many cases, these are the last words people say right before getting into a car accident. Then their vehicles end up here at  Selman Collision Center , in Orange , CA  where we return them back into their pre-accident condition.

It's scary when you're battling foggy windows, a fight you will not win unless you take the proper precautions.

If you live with cold winters, staying warm in your freezing car means you have to turn on the car's heater to beat the chill. But, while you're all warm and comfy inside, the resulting fog on the interior of your windows can seriously impede your safety as either a driver or a passenger.

On the flip of that, if you reside in warm, humid areas, turning on your A/C will cause the opposite effect by fogging up your windows from the outside. 

The cause for foggy windows revolves around two separate factors--the temperature and the amount of moisture either in your car or outside. On a brisk day, any moisture in the air within your car's interior from passengers' body warmth, snow on your shoes, etc., can contribute to the existence of that pesky old fog.

So, here are some tips to make your car's interior less foggy or 100% fog-free in some instances:

•For a quick fix: Reduce the temperature inside your vehicle rapidly by turning on the defrost vent with cool air or by opening up a window. Never turn  on the heat, because that will only make the situation worse. This will cool down the interior of your automobile and help to reduce the fog. Additionally, turn on your car’s rear-window defogger to clear up the back window.

•For a more comfortable solution: Turn on the defroster and blow warm air across the windshield to evaporate the accumulating moisture. If your vehicle’s ventilation system has a re-circulate feature, turn it off. When this feature is on, your car’s heat or A/C reuses the air in the car's interior, instead of continually pulling in air from the outside. 

•For an easy and fast solution, use your windshield wipers to get rid of the condensation until you’ve balanced out the temperature in the vehicle.

•Warm up your car: Turn down the A/C to the lowest setting to intensify the temperature without jeopardizing your comfort. If this does not work, turn the A/C off completely to get the results you desire.

•Leave recirculation off: As we've mentioned above, it’s a smart idea to turn off your car’s recirculation system in order to alleviate foggy windows, so the temperature and moisture levels in your car begin to equalize with those outside.

Attempting to operate a vehicle with foggy windows is highly dangerous and we hear stories about car accidents caused by this condition here in  Orange .  CA  all the time. But if you're able to follow these helpful tips, you can be a safer driver by eliminating foggy windows in any type of weather.

Sources: The Weather Channel, DMV.org and AAA