A chilly start to the day for a Christchurch woman who was fined for driving her children to school with ice covering her windscreen

Police noticed a vehicle swerving across a centre island, to the other side of the road in Wigram, yesterday morning.

The woman was stopped by police and given a 150-dollar fine for driving with an obscured windscreen.

Senior Sergeant Paul Robertson says it's important for drivers to ensure cars are safe, roadworthy and equipped for winter driving.

He says they urge drivers to safely defrost their windscreens before heading out.