What Car? Q&A - Can I drive with a broker wiper stalk?

Q: I’ve just broken the windscreen wiper stalk on my car, and although I can still use the wipers, the stalk is only half as long as it should be. Is it still legal to drive a car like this before I have it repaired?
Steven Ford

A: As long as you can still adequately operate the windscreen wipers while driving, the car can be legally driven. This is covered under section 34 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, which states that a car must have ‘automatic windscreen wipers capable of clearing the windscreen’. As long as these operate properly you should be fine.

Obviously it’s highly dangerous to drive without being able to see out of the windscreen properly, so we’d advise you not to make any journeys until the wipers are fixed.