Driver’s creative (but rather dangerous) windscreen wiper fix has TikTok in hysterics

A driver has come up with a creative (but equally dangerous) hack for when those pesky windscreen wipers decide not to work and it’s left people in hysterics.

As you probably guessed, we warn you NOT to try this out for yourself on the roads.

TikToker and bricklayer Stephen Keeling (@stephenkeeling9) captured the moment he noticed a car going past him which had white string tied around the windscreen wiper which, in turn, was being held by the anonymous driver. The motorist was then seen pulling at the string to make the wipers move whenever the front windowscreen needed a quick clean.

It’s fair to say the driver took the concept of a manual car a bit too literally there...

Perhaps the DIY trick was the driver’s attempt to avoid getting issued a fine for the broken wipers – which according to The Windscreen Company Group can be around £50.

Though the fine could be even more than that, according to the group. “There is a chance that the police might view this as dangerous driving, and they can issue you with a £100 on-the-spot fine. If the case goes to court, the maximum fine increases to £5,000.” it explains.

Perplexed by what he had witnessed, Keeling uploaded the video and added in text: “That’s enough for one day”. He also added: “Someone stop the world I’m getting off.”

Since posting the strange sighting, Keeling’s video has received 3.6m views, with nearly 240,000 likes, along with thousands of comments from people.

Some shared their disbelief and amusement at the driver’s creativity.

One person wrote: “‘Sometimes my genius is frightening.’”

“Innovation at its best ... should see him on the phone eating a Mac when it’s raining,” another person said sarcastically.

Someone else added: “I’m so annoyed I didn’t think of that when mine were broken.”

“Who passed that M.O.T?” A fourth person asked.

It also seems that the TikTok was pretty relatable, with people sharing how they have had to go to similar extreme measures when their windscreen wipes stopped working.

One person wrote: “Brum to Sheffield wiper in my hand, arm out the window pouring down the whole way. Bad night.”

“It’s not funny, I’ve had to do this before hahaha it was so embarrassing,” another person said.

Someone else replied: “I did this hanging out a moving double-decker bus on the motorway to get a school trip back home on time. Lol.”

“Exactly the same thing happened to me on New Year’s Eve on the millennium,” a fourth person added.

Bad news for the mystery driver though as, according to the UK Government website, string controlled windscreen wipers don’t quite cut it – though it did look like at least one of his wipers worked by itself in the video.

“Every vehicle fitted with a windscreen must have one or more efficient automatic windscreen wipers, unless the driver can obtain an adequate view of the road to the front without looking through the windscreen,” it says.

Meanwhile, a “missing, insecure or in poor condition” wiper could mean a car potentially failing its MOT, according to Autoglass.

So, if you’re the mystery driver, please get your vehicle checked over soon – and all you other drivers out there should, too.