A worn windscreen can pose danger on the road

Most motorists are aware of the importance of a scratch- and crack-free car windscreen for overall safety on the roads, but did you know that the windscreen also contributes to the structural integrity of the vehicle?

According to Arrive Alive, windscreens are designed to add strength to the car – much the same as a door pillar – and when designed in compliance with the carmaker’s original specifications, the windscreen helps prevent the roof from collapsing in a roll-over accident.

Arrive Alive says modern vehicles fitted with airbags use the windscreen as a support surface against which the passenger airbag inflates; the windscreen helps ensure the airbag is properly positioned to protect the occupants when it deploys.

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“A badly fitted windscreen may pop out when subjected to airbag pressure, thus rendering both airbag and windscreen useless,” said the organisation.

Arrive Alive went on to say that, in the case of a chipped windscreen, while replacement can be costly, 30% of the time a windscreen can be easily and effectively repaired before the damage worsens.

“Once a motorist notices a chip or crack, it must be repaired as soon as possible to prevent further damage that may impair visibility.”
With the number of heavy goods vehicles using South Africa’s – and Zululand’s – road networks on a daily basis, and major, ongoing roadworks on many of the national routes, windscreen chips or cracks are inevitable.

“Damage to windscreens falls into two categories; sudden impact damage and degradation of wear,” said Arrive Alive.

“Sudden impact damage includes cracks and ‘bulls eyes’. Both this damage and degradation damage – through multiple fine scratches and chips – may be distracting to drivers and cause visual problems.”

Arrive Alive continued by saying windscreens are continuously hit by small particles such as tiny rocks, sand and dirt that wear the surface, but that wipers can also damage the windscreen over time by scratching these tiny particles across the surface.

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“A faulty windscreen compromises the safety of you and your passengers – its ability to withstand an impact is substantially weakened,” said Arrive Alive.

“A damaged windscreen also inhibits your visibility and can be dangerous to you and other road users.”

Dangers posed by damaged windscreens
• Longer for drivers to readapt vision following exposure to stray light effects through a worn windscreen (dazzling)

• Impaired ability to detect distances to objects up ahead

• Drivers’ reaction times may be slowed

• Older drivers may find worn windscreens more debilitating than younger drivers

Safety advice from Arrive Alive
• Check the windscreen is not cracked in the area of vision

• Check the washers and wiper blades are in good working order

• Drive with a clean windscreen

• Fix all chips and cracks, and replace the windscreen if necessary

• Repair chips as soon as possible to prevent them from developing into cracks

• Check effectiveness of windscreen wipers

• Ensure windscreen wiper bottle does not run out

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