John Humphreys said it was like a “bomb had gone off in his car”
11:33, 10 Jan 2025Updated 11:33, 10 Jan 2025
John Humphreys, 38(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
A taxi driver said he was forced to pull over on the M53 after what felt like a ‘bomb went off in his car’. John Humphreys left his home around 8am to start his job as a taxi driver, but after completing several jobs he was driving along the motorway when he claims a block of frozen snow came off a car in front of him and hit his windscreen.
He told the ECHO: “The bang that went off when it hit my car was like a bomb had gone off in the car. I just thought someone had thrown a brick off a bridge onto my car but when I managed to get onto the hard shoulder I looked and there was no bridge near me.”
The 38-year-old explained how it was only when he looked at the motorway and saw cars driving over the shattered ice on the carriageway that he realised that was what had hit the passenger side of the glass.
Initially John was thinking about the cost of a new windscreen and the lack of earnings from having his car off the road, but when he posted it into a taxi driver’s Facebook page he was flooded with comments saying how lucky he was to come out unscathed.
He said: “When I got home and people were commenting saying how it could have been so much worse, at that time I was more thinking I can’t work. It was only when people said how dangerous it was that it sunk in.”
John was driving on the M53 when his car was hit with the block of frozen snow
The dad-of-two from Birkenhead is meant to be travelling to Center Parcs on Monday but is worried he might not be able to get his windscreen fixed in time.
John said he has now been left with no choice but to try desperately to find a company who can help fix his windscreen, after his insurance company said Tuesday would be the earliest it could be fixed.
However he wants to warn other drivers about the importance of fully clearing the snow from their cars before setting off driving to avoid another incident like his.
He added: “I just want to make people aware. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it before this but once the snow freezes it’s coming off like bricks.”
According to the RAC there is no law stating it is illegal to drive with snow on your roof, however if it falls off onto your windscreen while driving or flies into the path of another car then you could be penalised for such offences as ‘driving without due consideration’ or ‘using a motor vehicle in a dangerous condition’ which could incur a fine and penalty points on your licence.
The car insurance expert and breakdown specialist suggest wiping snow or frost off every window and use a proper scraper or de-icer tool to ensure the job is done properly.