Why People are Lifting Their Windshield Wipers at Night — Let's Break It Down...

A street full of raised wipers

It is the first hard frost of the year. You step outside in the morning, coffee in hand, and something looks odd. Up and down the street, the parked cars have their windshield wipers standing straight up, sticking out from the frosted glass like a row of raised arms. Is it a prank? Did everyone on the block get the same message except you?

Not quite. In places with long, hard winters, such as Minnesota, Michigan, or upstate New York, lifting the wipers away from the windshield the evening before a freeze is an old habit. Many drivers do it without thinking, the same way they keep an ice scraper in the car from November on. Once you know why they do it, there is a good chance you will start doing it too.

It looks strange, but there are good reasons behind it: four of them, in fact. It costs nothing, it takes about ten seconds, and it can save you a frustrating morning and the price of new wiper blades. There are also cars where you should not do it at all, and one very common winter mistake that can crack your windshield. On the next page, we break down exactly why people lift their wipers before a freeze.