A Windshield is a part of your car’s safety structure. It not only gives you the ability to look around while drive, but it also keeps you safe from debris, stone, etc. Windshields are designed to keep the passenger safe, still, you can find someone on the road driving with a cracked windshield.
Yes, you can drive with a cracked windshield. Windshields are laminated and don’t shatter due to impact. Pieces of the windshield remain with the PVB layer if anything stuck with the windshield. But for your own safety, you should avoid driving with a cracked windshield.
If cracks are small, you shouldn’t ignore them and keep on driving. We suggest you visit a car glass repair shop and get it repaired. These small cracks will expand with time, and once they become larger than a rupee coin you will need a new windshield. The Cost of a windshield replacement is very much higher than repair.
You must remind that Not all cracks can be repaired.
Let’s make one thing clear, Stickers can stop a crack from expanding is a myth. No sticker stops a windshield crack from expanding. It just hides the crack and your car windshield doesn’t look bad due to crack. But cracks can expand any time in any direction as glass is an amorphous solid. If you drive with a crack windshield, your safety is compromised as the windshield may collapse in case of an accident from the point of the crack. You should opt for repair instead of a sticker to hide the crack.
Any kind of change in the temperature can cause thermal stress on the cracked area and hence the crack can expand. Also, the crack creates extra stress on the windshield while driving at a high speed, it causes the crack to expand and further decrease its strength.
Car manufacturers spent a lot of money to design the best possible and safe windshield for your car. The purpose is to have an overall system that will keep its occupant safe in case of an accident. Windshield support many other systems that are part of car safety features. Windshields are made laminated so that it doesn’t shatter in case of an accident. This feature is for passenger safety and shouldn’t be misused to save a few bucks as it compromises with your own safety.
Check if your windshield crack is repairable.
Morden day cars have many safety systems, some of them are directly connected with the windshield like lane departure system, car proximity system, pedestrian safety system, emergency braking system, etc. In the case of a damaged windshield, the sensors on the windshield may not work properly and can be fatal.
The windshield also provides structural support to your car roof and it keeps the occupants safe in case a car roll’s over. It also gives support to the co-passenger side airbag. If the windshield is the week it may not be able to hold the airbag.
As an expert in car glass repair and replacement, Auto Glass Masters suggest you not to drive with a cracked or damaged windshield. You should visit your nearest windshield repair shop and get it repaired. If the damage is large, go for a replacement. Auto Glass Masters offers you an insurance claim facility to keep your cost low.
