Let’s not mince words. Driving with a cracked windshield is incredibly dangerous. Cracks can expand, obscure vision, and even shatter on impact which could have fatal consequences.
Once you notice a crack, no matter how small, you should find qualified auto glass technicians to repair or replace the auto glass. Once this is done, your vehicle will be safe to drive again. So the answer is NO to the question is it safe to drive with a cracked windshield?
A Cracked Windshield Impairs Visibility
While driving you are operating a several tons machine at incredible speed. Visibility is incredibly important for your safety and that of others.
The smallest of cracks negatively impact vision, obscuring both the environment and oncoming traffic. This, of course, can lead to accidents.
Branching Fractures in Cracked Windshields
Perhaps you think you can ignore that tiny crack in the windshield and be fine. You’ll just drive more slowly and carefully.
This sounds good on paper, but even if you could devise ways to overcome obscured vision (which is NOT advisable), that small crack won’t stay small forever. Often a crack will grow, branching out across the entirety of the windshield. This can happen either as a result of the fracture itself or debris lodged in it over time.
Say Goodbye to Structural Integrity
Fractures compromise the windshield’s structural integrity even if they don’t branch out. The windshield is comprised of safety glass layers fused and placed via resin. Cracks along the windshield’s edging disturb the resin compromising the entire pane.
A dramatic but likely scenario is a cave-in of the whole windshield.
Beware Flying Shards from your Cracked Windshield
Driving with a cracked windshield introduces countless safety hazards including flying shards upon impact. Auto glass shards can fly inward affecting both you and your passengers. Long-term injuries including blindness as a result of shards in the eye are not unheard of.
These shards compromise your safety and that of your passengers. From injuries to blindness and even death, you want to avoid the dire consequences of flying shards due to compromised windshield structural integrity.
Launching Upon Impact
If the windshield is not intact during the unfortunate event of an accident you or your passengers risk being flung from the car. Without a windshield to stop your momentum, if your seat belt fails you could launch through the opening where your windshield once was.
Severe injuries from broken bones to damaged organs often result from such incidents. As with the flying shards, death is unfortunately not unheard of.
Fix your Cracked Windshield Immediately
A cracked windshield is insidious. It’s easy to underestimate the impact of a small dent or fracture and wait until a more convenient time to have it fixed. This is what makes them insidious. A small crack easily becomes something unmanageable and even fatal.
As soon as you notice a crack in your windshield you need to take it to be fixed. At High-Tech Auto Glass we’re more than equipped to repair or replace your windshield. For nearly two decades we’ve been the best windshield repair shop in Pheonix, AZ.
Ensure your loved ones’ safety and fix your cracked windshield immediately with our top-tier auto glass repair service at High-Tech Auto Glass.
