With the arrival of spring, we welcome warmer, longer days, new leaves on the trees and spring daylight-saving time. In remembering to advance the clocks forward on March 11 – daylight-saving time starts three weeks earlier this year – Trico Products encourages drivers to also change their wiper blades. Many drivers procrastinate when it comes to changing the wiper blades on their vehicles, but the American Optometric Association reports that 90 percent of driving decisions are based on visibility. Knowing that, TRICO extends a reminder to all drivers to use spring daylight-saving time as a cue to “change your clocks, change your wiper blades.”

Drivers can use this twice a year occurrence to visually inspect and replace wiper blades, especially if they are exposed to severe weather conditions on a regular basis. Temperature extremes, heavy precipitation and repetitive friction on a windshield have damaging effects on a wiper blade’s performance over time. Having forged the harsh weather of winter, it is likely that a blade’s natural rubber has dried, warped or begun to deteriorate by springtime.

“Drivers should look for splits, discoloration or worn rubber,” said James Croston, director of marketing for Trico Products. “If the wiper blades show visual evidence of any damage, the driver has likely already noticed streaking and a partially wiped windshield.” Noisy “chattering” also indicates deterioration, and is caused by infrequent wiper blade use or overexposure to sunlight.

Despite the decreased visibility and potential safety hazard that deteriorated wiper blades create, it has been found that drivers continue to neglect changing them due to the hassles associated with this task. In fact, research indicates that 60 percent of the drivers who don’t install their own wiper blades cite difficult installation as the reason. In many cases, consumers become frustrated at the initial removal stage, using force to pry off the blades and subsequently causing damage to the hardware. Determining which adaptor to use and dealing with complicated instructions only adds to the struggle. Drivers have been found to become so discouraged, they abandon the idea of changing their blades altogether.

Trico Products has recognized the struggle its consumers experience, realizing the importance of providing a solution that can help them overcome wiper blade installation difficulties. For this very reason, TRICO offers the Exact Fitâ wiper blade. Designed to “click on easy,” Exact Fit wiper blades make installation possible in seconds, by virtually anyone and on nearly any vehicle. Building upon existing relationships with OE manufacturers, TRICO also is able to provide blades of Original Equipment quality - in appearance, fit and performance. These highly durable blades are manufactured using the finest materials, including high-strength steel, corrosion-resistant epoxy coating and superior-caliber natural rubber.

TRICO Products 1900 Billy Mitchell Blvd. Bldg. D Brownsville, TX Tollfree: 800-388-7426 www.tricoproducts.com