WHEN you set off on your summer car journey, are you seeing clearly through a sparkling windscreen or is your vision obscured by fly stains, dust and the general murk of an un-washed screen?

According to RAC Auto Windscreens, at least half of us risk summer road accidents simply because we are screen idle.

This summer's safety message from the company follows research carried out on our screen-cleaning habits which are not good.

At least half of all motorists fail to keep their screen clean and, in fact, the same number apparently drive around for several days with a completely empty washer bottle.

At least 12 per cent wait for the rain to do the job for them and 28 per cent will go for an entire journey without once using their screenwasher.

Unfortunately too, out of the half of us who do top up our washer bottles, 30 per cent use ordinary household washing up liquid.

According to RAC Auto Windscreens, this simply does not have the cleaning power to cut through the sort of stubborn dirt your windscreen accumu-lates in the summer and will leave the screen with a detergent film that obscures vision.

And, as well as being careless with keeping washer bottles filled up, we also neglect our wiper blades.

After 12 months, the per-formance of a wiper blade will have deteriorated significantly, yet most drivers wait two years before replacing them.

RAC Auto Windscreens' Richard Usher says this adds up to extra driving hazards.

He says: "Worn wiper blades, empty washer bottles, dead flies, dust and bright sunlight can all impair vision for the ill-prepared motorist.

"It takes seconds to wipe your screen over and if you use your screenwash regularly while you are driving, you will ensure that the debris that gathers doesn't get the chance to become baked on by the sun."

To reinforce this summer driving safety message, RAC Auto Windscreens have created a couple of characters to remind drivers of the dangers a dirty screen can pose.

The RAC Auto Windscreens 'Screen Idles' are Waterless, who will be warning motorists of the dangers of driving without washer fluid, and Scowl, who highlights the hazards of peering through a dirty windscreen.

The campaign has won the support of police authorities around the country, keen to see improvements in our approach to road safety.

Speaking on behalf of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, Bryan Lunn, chief examiner, said: "No matter how good a driver you are, if your vehicle is not in the right condition, you could be jeopardising safety on our roads.

"If you are driving in bright sunlight, with a dirty windscreen, you are considerably limiting your vision and your ability to prepare for potential hazards.

"And don't forget, driving with restricted vision is a criminal offence, punishable with a fine."

The company is supporting the campaign with a range of promotional material, including leaflets and T-shirts.

Also, RAC Auto Windscreens will be visiting various MOTO service stations around the country cleaning windscreens for a nominal amount of money and handing out car stickers.

All monies raised will be donated to the RNIB.

The team will also be on the look out for real life 'Screen Idles' and drivers singled out will be given a T-shirt, a screen valet pack and a leaflet giving advice on the best ways to keep your screen sparkling clean.

To avoid being singled out as a Screen Idle, you can obtain a full screen-clean valet pack from any of RAC Auto Windscreens' 161 fitting centres nationwide.

Priced at £12.99 is contains a high-performance screen wash, a trigger spray glass cleaner and deep cleansing windscreen treatment products.

For details of your nearest RAC Auto Windscreen fitting centre, call 0800 919700 or visit the website on www.racautowindscreens.co.uk.