While many individuals consider windshield repair or windshield replacement an insignificant or cosmetic issue, there are serious implications for driving around with a fractured piece of glass separating you from the road. Due to the fact that your automobile will still drive and function just the same, many people wait months or even years before making the necessary auto glass repair. This is fine for those who do not care about their safety or the safety of their family, but for anyone who believes that a car should be as safe as possible, car window repair or car window replacement is a necessary part of vehicle maintenance if the piece of glass is structurally compromised.
Driving with Chips
In the vast majority of cases, damaged windshields start out as tiny, seemingly insignificant problems. Maybe you were driving down the freeway and a pebble – recently dislodged from a passing truck – suddenly finds itself in your way and in contact with your windshield. Depending on the original quality of the glass, its age and how large and fast the damaging object came into contact with the windshield, it may take weeks or months for the chip or blemish to spread. However, there are plenty of instances in which auto glass replacement has to be done after only days of driving with a damaged windshield, making windshield repair impossible due to large cracks that form from driving over bumps.
Driving with Large Cracks
If you have been driving your vehicle with a damaged windshield and now have large cracks running vertically or horizontally throughout the windshield, windshield replacement is the only option. The entire structural integrity of the windshield has been compromised and this causes a number of safety issues. In the event of a rollover, the windshield – depending on the vehicle – can provide up to 50% of the total support of the frame of the vehicle; without auto glass replacement, your life is in danger. Windshields are known to be shatter-proof but if your windshield is weakened, you are far more likely to be thrown from the vehicle during an accident or collision. In order to have a safe driving experience, car window replacement and auto glass repair is the only option.
More Safety Reasons to Replace
In many states, having damage to your windshield is not only dangerous, but also a violation and can lead to tickets and fines. While instances where the chips can be corrected by auto glass repair methods typically are not penalized, cracks in the center of the windshield can cost you big bucks with the local police department before having to take it in anyways for auto glass replacement. When car window repair and car window replacement is avoided, cracks that form can also lead to impaired driving – especially at night – as light refracts and creates distractions.
