Imponderables: The great windshield wiper debate

There are only two kinds of Minnesota drivers in winter: The ones who do this, and the ones who don’t.

Getty images/File/ Jonathan  Nackstrand

It is of questionable value and meaning. In freezing rain, theoretically, it could prevent breaking the wiper when pulling it out of the ice. This, however, requires an ice pack equal to or greater than that which currently resides atop Lake Superior.

Otherwise, it seems to those of us who don’t do this, pulling out the wiper from an ice-cased window provides a starting point (some clear glass) for the scraping.

“Putting your windshield wipers up is a good way to make it not snow,” this commenter on a discussion board observes. “It says you actually believe the forecast.”

In Minnesota today, it didn’t work.

Discuss. Also post other photos of people doing strange things with their windshield wipers.