DIRTY SECRET: Half of all motorists unaware of £5,000 fines and penalty points for dirty windscreens

New research by the car insurance team at Comparethemarket reveals that nearly half of motorists are unaware that driving with a dirty windscreen could land them with a fine of up to £5,000 and nine penalty points depending on the severity of the situation.

This is because the Highway Code rules state that a driver’s vision needs to be free from obstruction. They could also end up with an insurance claim being rejected, but over two-thirds of drivers are unaware of the impact that a dirty windscreen could have on their car insurance policy.

Comparethemarket also reveals how many times a year motorists clean their vehicles and the cities where the cleanest and dirtiest cars can be found.

Londoners drive the cleanest cars, while Plymouth residents drive the dirtiest.

Drivers in the UK capital wash their car an average of 39 times per year, the most in the country.

Nottingham ranks as the city with the second-cleanest cars, with drivers washing them an average of 38 times a year. This is followed by Leeds, whose residents clean their cars an average of 35 times per year, and Norwich and Manchester where drivers wash their cars 34 times annually.

On the other hand, car owners in the port city of Plymouth admit to washing their cars an average of 16 times per year - 50% less than the national average. Glasgow (19 times) and Brighton (21 times) round out the bottom three cities with the dirtiest car exteriors.