Sometimes you may be cruising down the highway when without warning a stone or pebble is thrown up against your windshield. You hear that unmistakable ping that means you now have a chip or a crack in the glass that will have to be repaired. A windshield crack will only get worse as time goes by. In fact, if left unrepaired, the result may be in-motion windshield failure which means the glass shatters suddenly sending small shards of glass directly into the faces of everyone in the car. Before something this drastic happens, you want to call for Auto Windshield Replacement St. Paul.
Another reason to have the damaged windshield repaired or replaced by an expert Auto Windshield Replacement St. Paul company is that the crack may prevent your vehicle from passing the annual inspection required by most states. Some jurisdictions allow a crack if it does not extend into the visibility area of the driver. Other states have made it illegal to drive with any sort of windshield crack. Not only will it fail the inspection, but you will get a ticket and be fined for driving with a damaged windshield.
You should also be aware that a cracked windshield is considered to be a safety issue. It accounts for up to 30 percent of an automobile’s structural strength. When the strength of the windscreen is reduced due to a crack, the airbags may not deploy properly. The airbag and the windshield work together as part of the “Safety Restraint System.” An airbag — specifically the passenger airbag — uses a windscreen as a backstop for proper function. With cracked glass, the bag may break through the windshield entirely. In other words, if it breaks through the windshield, this leaves the passenger with no airbag protection and no windshield to act as a barrier. The result can be deadly.
Another windshield function is to keep your roof from caving in if there is a rollover. In fact, as much as 60 percent of the structural integrity of the roof depends on an intact windshield in the event of a rollover. As you can see, it is in your best interest to have your windshield repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
