Cracked windshields are fairly commonplace. You could see small dings on windshield glass on many cars everywhere at any time of the day, on any given week. However, as an article from the blog site Price of Geekiness suggests, a cracked windshield should actually be of significant concern.
At some point you might find yourself with a cracked windshield. It happens from time to time.
Sometimes it’s due to a rock or piece of debris that flies up from another car and hits you while driving fast, and just like that, your windshield. Sometimes it’s more of a mystery crack that just keeps growing.
It doesn’t matter where it came from or what caused it; what matters is that you need to get it repaired right away. A cracked windshield is exceptionally dangerous to you and your passengers.
Washington State may not have an explicit law on driving around with a cracked windshield, but that’s not a valid excuse to forego visiting a local Seattle auto glass shop. Below are some of the perils that come with driving with a damaged windshield.
High risk of ejection – When the car figures in a crash, the driver is more likely to shoot out of the driver’s compartment and suffer more injuries in the process. Studies have concluded that surviving a car crash is much more likely if the passengers remain inside. In this case, the windshield itself will act as a secondary defense should the seatbelts fail.
Structural failure – A car’s windshield is a critical component of a vehicle’s overall structural stability. If the glass is cracked, there is a greater chance of injury among passengers and the driver in an accident. Windshields are essentially made to serve as a medium or buffer against physical impact, transferring the shock from the accident itself downward to the chassis, where the energy is evenly spread.
Airbag hazard – Airbags are supposed to be safety features, but not with cracked windshields. As soon as an airbag deploys, the windshield acts as a barrier to prevent the driver and passenger from shooting out the front. If the windshield is damaged, not only could the passengers fly out of the car, but they could also be injured as shards of glass shatter and fly both outside and inside the car.
Cracked windshields are flat-out dangerous, no matter how stable one may think they still are. In this case, it is much better to adhere to the old adage “prevention is better than cure” by visiting a nearby Seattle auto glass repair shop like Bullseye Auto Glass as soon as possible.
(Source: Driving with a Cracked Windshield is Dangerous, Price of Geekiness, November 11, 2013)