People stunned to discover what the black dots on car windscreens are for

Whether you're the designated driver or spend your time scrolling on your phone in the passenger seat, we spend a lot of our time in the car.

And at the end of the day, most cars have similar features when it comes down to it - that includes those little black dots you might have spotted when mundanely looking around the vehicle on a long motorway drive.

Admit it, though, you look at them and aren't quite sure what they are.

Sure, not everything is as recognisable as the hazard button, the simple A/C knob, or putting the heated seats on if you should be so lucky.

And while you might not know what the black dots do, we're sure your head has wondered.

Well we're here to tell you exactly what their purpose is. And it's a pretty vital one when it comes to running your motor.

Despite it being April, it's still pretty nippy out there and it's easy for the windscreen to fog up.

Well, those black dots are here to rescue you from being late to work.

Black dots on a windscreen, we've all seen them (Getty Stock Images)

They work by helping to distribute temperature inside the car evenly across your windscreen.

It means your windscreen will de-mist or unfreeze at a more even rate.

But not only that, the black dots help to reduce optical distortion or lensing while you're on the roads. This makes your journey somewhat smoother and safer without even realising.

Experts at Autoglaze explained that this vision-bending phenomenon occurs when 'the frit band (the solid black one) heats up much faster than the windscreen's glass'.

This creates an optical distortion 'that makes either straight lines look curved or bowed inwards toward the centre'.

They are a big help in really cold weather where your windscreen is frozen or foggy (Getty Stock Images)

The gradual move from larger dots, to smaller and then none stops your view becoming warped when on the road.

As well as all this, the dots actually have a physical effect on the car, helping to preserve the urethane sealant used to bond the glass to the frame.

They are dotted to stop the edges from being thick black bands.

Autoglaze explained: "They create etches on the surface, making them rougher so the adhesive can stick better to the glass.

"Frits are also there for aesthetic purposes. If you look closely, the contrast between the dark band and the transparent glass can look too obvious even when viewed from afar.

"Creating a halftone pattern or dot-matrix allows a gradual decrease in size, making the transition much more subtle and easier on the eyes."

Over on Reddit, one user joked: "I am stunned at the amount that I have learned about frit today."