If you use your car frequently then you are bound to get cuts in your tires, scratches in your paint and of course the biggest culprit, chips and cracks in your windshield. It’s very common for a windshield to suffer damage from rocks and pebbles, hail, and other causes. It’s tempting to leave it cracked, because, after all, your car is still running, and there are no holes in it, so it’s fine, right? Why spend the money, if you don’t have to? However, there are some reasons you might not have been aware of and that you should consider fixing your windshield as soon as it cracks.
- The crack can expand
First of all, it’s good to know that if your windshield sustains a crack, and you leave it, it won’t stay like that. Instead, it will continue to expand, cracking further and further, on an increasingly wide surface. That is not only displeasing visually, but it is dangerous – you don’t know when something might hit your car and break your windshield for good.
- The crack affects your visibility
Depending on the size and the area where it is sustained, a crack in your windshield can affect your visibility, sometimes in a major way. And even if it’s a small crack over to the side, where it wouldn’t interfere, there is always the possibility of it expanding. Before you know it, you’ll have a windshield that is cracked beyond repair, and that doesn’t offer you the visibility you need to drive safely. This means that, in the end, you have to replace the whole thing.
- The crack compromises the safety and integrity of your vehicle
Believe it or not, your windshield is very important to the structural integrity of your car. The windshield supports your roof. Did you know that? Also, it contributes to helping airbag deployment, not to mention that it saves you from being thrown out of the car, in case of an accident of any kind. A cracked windshield is a weak windshield that is not 100% safe. Every single time you drive your car with your damaged windshield, you are possibly risking your safety.
- Driving with a cracked windshield is illegal
That’s right, you are not legally allowed to drive around with a damaged windshield and should inspection come, you will be charged for it accordingly. Police officers may let you off only with a request for you to fix it or replace it, should you get into trouble with them, but the law is there for a reason. And that reason is the same safety concern mentioned above.
In conclusion, when your windshield gets damaged, the appropriate course of action is to fix it or replace it. Not only is it ugly, but it can also be very dangerous to continue to drive around with a cracked windshield, which is why the law forbids it. Don’t compromise your safety and don’t wait to fix your windshield.
