Why don’t car side doors – particularly the driver’s side and the passenger seat – have wipers on the windows? Lenny Denby, London
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Readers reply
It would make winding the windows down a bit tricky. EddieChorepost
Most cars already have a sort of wiper at the bottom of the window – a seal to stop the water going inside the door. Rob333
They’re not usually necessary, as the bottom seal works quite well if you open the window. This is also handy for when your passenger, who instead of engaging in polite conversation has rudely nodded off, a face full of rain is a very efficient wake-up call. You can also remove the front ones and provide work for unemployed snakes. They do a great job, the windscreen vipers. bricklayersoption
Forget the compatibility of it with opening windows and that for a sec. Gravity. Water will go down from those windows more easily and quicker than the slanted front windows. If you could feasibly put one somewhere, then the sunroof would make more sense. Plus, unless you are a rally driver, you mostly drive forwards. catchytitled
The front window shows where you’re going – that’s the one you have to check for pedestrians, other vehicles, road turns and markings, traffic lights, signs and a whole lot more. The door windows are needed to see other traffic at junctions and roundabouts; if you can’t see enough, then wind the window down; you’re stationary. Plus, the front gets a lot more water than the side as you are driving into it, and the head-on wind isn’t as effective at clearing that water as the side breeze on the door windows. leadballoon
But you also need to view your side mirrors clearly at all times, particularly when turning. I’m surprised that no manufacturer has looked at this issue. teabags12
I just wind the windows down then back up again. I may get a few spots of rain on me in the process, but I’m usually already a bit wet from climbing into the car, so it doesn’t make much difference. And if it’s raining really heavily, you probably don’t need to do anything, as the windows will be coated in water, rather than fogged. Magic_Max
The simple answer: cost. Any bell or whistle added to a car adds to the cost. Side wipers are not a safety feature, so they would be optional extras. As for the side mirrors, some luxury models have wipers on those as well. The_End_Is_Here
