How Dangerous Can a Cracked Windshield Be?

The windshield is one of the most robust safety components fitted in a car or SUV. It is provided to enhance the safety of the driver and passengers. Though the windshield auto glass is a special type of very strong and highly durable glass, it can sustain damage due to various reasons. While you are driving on the road, the tires of other vehicles can pick up pieces of rocks and stones and these may come flying right onto the windshield of your car or SUV. This is one of the main reasons why you will get a cracked windshield. But when something like this happens, you should take your broken windshield very seriously. This is a crucial safety concern, and any delay in this regard can lead to dangerous consequences.

A broken or cracked windshield is a potential safety hazard. In this article, we will talk about the dangers of a cracked windshield or driving with a damaged windshield. At Magic Glass Repair in the Greater Austin area, we always warn car owners not to drive with a damaged windshield glass as well as provide high quality auto glass replacement and new auto glass installation services.

Before we start discussing what kind of dangers a broken windshield exposes the driver and other passengers to, let us first understand why exactly you need a windshield and what kind of roles it performs.

A windshield provides or facilitates:

• Structural support

• Passenger airbag deployment

• Viewing area

A windshield is not just any piece of regular glass. Actually, it is a piece of glass that is designed using advanced techniques to provide safety for the occupants of a car or SUV during a crash, collision or rollover. The roles that a windshield performs in a vehicle are of extreme importance. While you may think, this auto glass is there just to provide for viewing, this is not the case. While the automotive glass does give you a clear view of the road, what it actually does is that it keeps you protected against a number of external elements as well as injuries in the event of an accident. That is exactly why it is crucial to keep the windshield in excellent condition and get it repaired or replaced quickly after damage.

Let us get back to the main topic or question: “How dangerous can a cracked windshield be?” Like it has been mentioned before, you should never take the risk of driving around while the windshield is broken. It is common for windshields and other automotive glasses in a vehicle to get chips and cracks. But a crack in a windshield is not just a simple crack. A chip or crack is actually a huge safety hazard, which can lead to dangerous accidents and injuries.

Here are some of the most important reasons as to how a cracked windshield can be dangerous and how it compromises your safety as well as other occupants while you are driving on the road.

Obstructed Vision

Chips and cracks hinder your vision. If your windshield is broken, your vision will be obstructed. If you are unable to view the road with absolute clarity, the risk of getting into an accident will increase manifolds.

It is even more dangerous to drive with a cracked windshield in a poorly-lit area or during bad weather. Just because your view is obstructed, anything can happen on the road. When sunlight is reflected off a crack, it can block your vision completely. Just imagine what could happen on the road as a result of a blinding glare. As long as the crack is there on the windshield, you will have distractions while on the road. This puts your life as well as the life of other passengers in the car in grave danger. That is why you should be extremely concerned.

If your windshield is in need of auto glass repair or auto window replacement, you should never let this wait. For those living in Austin, TX, Magic Glass Repair is the ideal destination to fix the windshield.

Compromise Structural Integrity

One of the main functions of a windshield is to give support to the roof of the car. If a windshield is properly installed and intact, it will not let the roof collapse in the event of a rollover. But if it is broken or poorly installed, the structural integrity of your vehicle will remain compromised. As a result of this, anything dangerous can happen to you and other passengers in the car.

A perfectly fine and installed windshield provides 40% strength to the structural frame of the vehicle. But as soon as you have chips or cracks in the auto glass, the strength decreases. In this condition, the windshield will fail to perform its most crucial role of supporting the structural integrity. That is why you should never drive with a broken or cracked windshield. If you do and get involved in an accident or rollover, there are high risks that the car roof will collapse. This can lead to dangerous consequences including serious injuries and even death.

Ineffective Passenger Airbags Deployment

Airbags protect the front-seat passenger against fatal injuries. For these safety airbags to deploy successfully, it is essential for the windshield to provide the required support during a crash or collision.

If the airbags don’t deploy successfully or fail to deploy completely, the life of the front seat passenger will be in jeopardy. When the airbags deploy, they need proper facilitation and support. If the windshield has cracks or it is broken, the airbags will not get the needed support. As a result, the component will not function or deploy in a successful manner. Loose windshields also increase the risk of the passenger being ejected out during a collision. In such dangerous conditions, the occupants might get severely injured or even die.

It is crucial to get an automotive glass repair as fast as you can. If you lack adequate time to take the car to an auto glass company, you should use mobile auto glass repair and mobile windshield replacement.

Ejection from the Vehicle in a Collision

One of the main reasons you should not drive while the windshield is broken is because it increases the risk of you being ejected from the vehicle, if you happen to be involved in a car crash or collision.

An occupant ejection is a dangerous type of accident. It usually happens due to high impact on the car or SUV. In this accident, the driver or the passenger is literally thrown out of the car through the windshield. The fatality rate for such car accidents is very high. In most cases of occupant ejection, the occupant either dies on the spot or a little later due to serious injuries. This happens due to car window failure. Cracked car window glasses remain susceptible to failure. That is why you should never let a broken auto glass wait. As soon as you spot the damage, you should seek the help of experts to get it either repaired or replaced.

Shattering Glass

Laminated glasses are designed to be shatter-proof. Their anti-break in properties offer protection to car passengers. But the windshield glass will work in this way only while it is in a perfectly fine condition.

If the windshield glass is cracked, it will lose its safety features. Upon impact, a broken windshield will shatter putting the lives of car passengers at risk. In the event of a crash or collision, the glass pieces will fly and cause injuries to those seated in the vehicle. This means that a damaged auto glass will not provide you the safety that it does when it is in a perfectly fine condition. So, you will only put your life in danger, if you continue to drive with a broken auto glass.

If your windshield has sustained damage, you should think about all the dangerous consequences it can lead to. You should never take the risk of driving on the road with a broken car glass. Instead, you should give it quick attention and get it fixed as soon as you can. If you reside in the Greater Austin area, Magic Glass Repair is only a phone call away. Our auto glass services are designed to fix the chips and cracks in your windshield with a high level of precision or replace it completely (if a repair isn’t possible) and get you back on the road fast.

No matter whether the damage looks small or like a blemish, you should never ignore or neglect it. Even small chips and cracks can leave the structural integrity of your car or SUV compromised. Every Time you have a broken windshield, you should know how to deal with the damage in a correct manner.

When you have a cracked windshield, the first thing that comes to mind is whether or not you can fix it yourself. Add to all those DIY solutions available, and you will find it hard to resist the temptation to fix the damage yourself. While some DIY solutions may work in the case of very small damages, these methods often fail when you want to fix a crack in the windshield. In fact, trying to fix a crack yourself may worsen the crack even more and damage the glass. Most of all, you can never be sure as to whether a DIY solution has restored the structural integrity of the car. Whether you have a small chip or a large crack, you should always rely on highly trained and experienced professionals to carry out a repair or replacement.

A structurally weak windshield is a huge safety hazard. Whether it is a car auto glass repair or car window replacement, it should be performed in a manner that you can drive on the road with enhanced safety.

Most small damages are repairable. But if the damage is severe or it lies directly in the line of vision, it will most likely need replacement. Trained technicians have the knowledge and expertise to thoroughly review a damage and then determine the most ideal fix for it. Auto windshield replacement takes a little more time than glass crack repair. Technicians perform both repair as well as replacement with a high degree of accuracy so that the problem goes away completely. Replacing a broken windshield with a new one is a detailed procedure, which consists of several essential steps for the technician to follow correctly.

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Windshield Repair Process

Automotive safety is a crucial concern for everyone. In the United States, every state has some laws regarding this. Windshield laws are an important part of these auto safety laws. Based on which state you live in, you may have to follow some laws in connection with cracked windshields.

Though the state of Texas does not have any specific law for a crack in the windshield, it does warn car owners against driving with anything that obstructs the vision. If a crack is large enough to cause obstruction of view, the law can apply. Likewise, Texas also has windshield wiper laws. In any case, the most important reason for getting a broken windshield glass repaired or replaced is that you should never indulge in unsafe driving. Timely windshield fix will keep you and others in the car or SUV well-protected while you are driving on the road.

If you want to know more about various windshield laws in the greater Austin area in Texas, talk to one of our experts.

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8 Common Questions About Auto Glass Damage And Repair

Hopefully, you have by now understood how driving with a cracked windshield can threaten your life on the road. If you still have a question or want to schedule the repair or replacement of your broken car glass, head over to Magic Glass Repair in the Greater Austin area, Texas. Our services include windshield crack repair, windshield scratch repair, back windshield replacement, mobile auto glass repair, mobile windshield replacement, etc. We have a highly skilled and experienced team of technicians to fix the damage in car window glass.

For your free consultation, you can give our office a phone call or write to us at the email given on our website.