Don't Forget To Change Your Blades This Sunday

(Rochester Hills, Michigan) - A lot of changes happen when Day Light Savings Time goes into effect. You can use this day as a timely reminder to take some important safety precautions for you and your family. When you change your clocks forward one hour, you probably also change the batteries in your home smoke detectors. Why not add one more, often forgotten, safety measure to your list? Change your wiper blades now too and make it a habit twice a year with the time change.

So when March 14th rolls around and you’re changing your clocks, don’t forget to change your wiper blades.

Trico Products reminds you how easy this is to remember - and how important. In fact, the American Optometric Association reports that 90 percent of driving decisions are based on visibility. As such, TRICO wants drivers to know just how critical it is to change wiper blades every six months. 

While the “change your clocks, change your wiper blades” rule is a reliable reminder, it’s also a good idea to visually inspect your wipers every few months, especially if you live in an area where weather conditions are severe. From a safety and customer service perspective, TRICO suggests that drivers change their blades “twice a year to keep your windshield clear.”

Many drivers don’t realize the abuse that their wiper blades endure. Over time, temperature extremes, heavy precipitation along with ice and snow and repetitive friction on the windshield have a damaging effect on wiper blade performance.

While the natural rubber from which blades are made provides the most flexible and resilient edge for wiping across glass, it eventually dries out and deteriorates. The rubber can become warped by heat or made brittle by cold. Also contributing to the rubber’s deterioration are the effects of sunlight, ozone and road spray.

“Drivers should look for splits, discoloration or worn rubber,” states James Croston, director of marketing for TRICO. If you find evidence of any of these types of damage, you’ve probably already noticed streaking, which creates the annoyance of a partially wiped windshield. Or, if you’ve heard your blades “chattering,” either you don’t use your blades regularly or they have been exposed to too much sunlight. In either case, it’s time to change your blades, for both your own safety and for the safety of other motorists sharing the road.

TRICO also suggests that drivers take the additional safety precautions recommended by the American Automobile Association (AAA). These tips include carrying essential safety items in your automobile, such as a flashlight, booster cables, and flares or triangle warning devices.

TRICO is one of the world's largest wiper product manufacturers and operates major facilities in Asia, Australia, North America, South America and the United Kingdom. For more information on NeoForm or any of the other TRICO product lines, please contact: Trico Products, 1900 Billy Mitchell Blvd. Building D, Brownsville, Texas 78521, phone: 800-388-7426.