Five tips to prevent the cold from blurring your vision

■ To remove the mist from the windows you should point the air vents towards the glass and turn on the air conditioning on high for several moments

■ Setting an evenly distributed interior temperature of 21.5 °C is the key to safe, comfortable driving

■ Unlike air conditioning, heating the car does not consume any extra fuel or water

Temperatures near freezing, a metre of snow on the ground, icy roads and polar wind blowing. Winter is behind these and other occurrences, such as the windows of our cars fogging up. The following advice and recommendations should be considered if you want greater comfort and safety when driving in cold weather:

How to de-mist the windows

The contrast between the low temperature on the exterior and a warmer car interior makes the windows fog up. When faced with this situation, you should turn the air conditioning all the way up and point the vents towards the windows and windscreen.

Full winter garb at the wheel?

Gloves, coats and scarves tend to limit your freedom of movement, and therefore are a safety risk. Wearing gloves is only recommended in exceptional cases when low temperatures can cause a loss of feeling in the hands at the wheel.

Heated seats to warm up quickly

They are the most effective way to get warm in the least time possible. This system provides even warmth in just three minutes. They should be activated as soon as you get in the car and gradually regulated as you feel warmer. You should also avoid using them at high temperature for long periods.

The ideal travelling temperature

This is 21.5 °C and it is called the ‘comfort temperature’. The climate control’s Auto setting automatically regulates the interior temperature of your car. It provides a balanced heat distribution: half of the warm air comes out at around 40 °C near your feet and cools by the time it reaches your upper body and head, keeping you more alert at the wheel. In fact, driving when the upper part of the body is extremely warm can cause drowsiness. Driving with an interior temperature of 35 °C is similar to having a blood alcohol level of 0.5 g/l.

Heat at no extra cost

Heating does not consume any extra fuel or water. The reason is that hot water generated by the motor is used for heating and it returns to the engine at a much lower temperature, so it actually benefits the engine radiator.