Ignore windscreen cracks at your peril
We've all heard it, the frustrating click as a piece of debris is kicked up and hits the glass, leaving a tiny and seemingly insignificant crack.
More than just a shield from the elements, your car’s windscreen could also prove vital in saving your life during an accident.
This makes it an important part of your vehicle’s regular upkeep, particularly when small cracks can happen at any time and weaken the entire structure of the windscreen.
We’ve all heard it, the frustrating click as a piece of debris is kicked up and hits the glass, leaving a tiny and seemingly insignificant crack.
But unfortunately it is not only an aesthetic concern, as one weak point makes the windscreen much more likely to shatter during the impact of a crash.
“A windscreen provides 34% of a vehicle’s torsional stiffness and dissipates the force during a crash,” said CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert. “They also play a role in reducing the possibility of passengers being ejected from a vehicle in a crash, while also ensuring the correct deployment of airbags.”
While limiting your risk in any crash, a solid windscreen is particularly important when your car rolls as it can often prevent the roof of a your car from caving in.
Aside from crashes however, cracks in the windscreen can impede vision, reduce visibility and make it difficult to clearly see oncoming traffic and obstacles.
“Even small chips or scratches can create glare from sunlight or create a halo effect from oncoming vehicles. If your windscreen is hit by a flying object it can also shatter once you are driving causing injury to yourself and other occupants,” said Herbert.
It makes financial sense to repair cracks as they appear too, as individual repairs will be much cheaper than replacing the entire windscreen in a worst case scenario.
Glass also expands and contracts with the temperature which can cause the cracks to grow larger if not treated quickly.
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