The Role of Windshields in Car Safety
A car windshield lets drivers see activity happening in front of their vehicle. On a non-accident day, that is our primary focus. When an accident occurs, we expect our cars to do more.
Luckily, the windshield is a barrier for safety, separating the occupants inside the vehicle from the impact on the outside. There are specific purposes a windshield offers to keep you safe on the road that you may not realize.
The Role of Car Windshields In Your Safety
Contents
Keep reading to explore how your windshield keeps you safe.
Provides Clear Visibility
Besides seeing the road in front of you, a windshield stops glare and sunlight from blocking your view in the daytime. It also blocks headlights’ glare at night from disrupting your view. It includes UV protection to keep your eyes safe and blocks some heat to keep the seat and interior vehicle from being too hot.
Without a windshield, your eyes must juggle between getting direct sunlight out of your eyes and watching the road. That can lead to accidents and reduced vision.
A windshield with a crack or scratch will affect vision, especially if the imperfection is in front of the driving view. The distraction forces drivers to work harder to see the road. This struggle can cause an accident or injury.
Acts as a Protective Barricade
A windshield is a barricade between you and things flying toward and falling on the glass. The barrier keeps everyone inside the vehicle dry and clean. It also keeps outside stuff and weather elements on the outside. Should they touch the glass, windshield wipers can remove them.
Without a windshield, everyone in the vehicle will be wet and dirty before reaching their destination. Things like insects, debris, dust, sleet, and stones will divide your attention between them and the road, causing accidents, collisions, and injury. The wind will hit you directly, blowing your hair everywhere, including your eyes, and you will constantly have to push it back to see the road. Meanwhile, water and snow moisture is a risk to vehicle operation.
There are different consequences when a windshield doesn’t have good windshield wipers. If windshield wipers cannot remove stuck debris like snow, ice, mud, or animal droppings, it becomes harder to see the road. That can cause accidents, collisions, and injuries. A windshield is not complete without windshield wipers.
Aids in Airbag Deployment
Airbags activate by force. They cushion the driver and front passenger’s head from the impact. Absorbing the power of the airbag opening and providing the correct pressure to open is what the windshield does. That pressure comes from the crash. As it opens, the airbags bounce off the windshield and go toward the occupant.
Without a windshield, the airbag will not work as intended. Should it open, it will not reach the occupant because it doesn’t have a barricade guiding it. That will cause the driver to hit the steering wheel head or body first, and the front passenger will hit the dashboard head or body first. That could cause head trauma, whiplash, a concussion, or an injury.
It Stops Possible Ejection
On a non-accident day, the windshield is the front part of the vehicle that holds up the car roof. A windshield keeps the driver and passengers inside the vehicle during a collision or accident. It is the last line of defense to keep a person inside the car when the seatbelt is off or broken.
Without it, every person in the vehicle would have to take 100% of the impact when the brute force throws everyone out of the vehicle. By keeping everyone inside, the windshield helps the car absorb some smashes, so the passengers and driver don’t have to take the punishment. This method increases survival chances better than throwing caution to the wind and driving without a sturdy windshield.
Keeps the Structure Intact During a Rollover
Sometimes, the force in an accident causes cars to roll over. The wheels are on top, and the car roof is at the bottom. This visual is scary, but it would be even more terrifying if there were no windshield.
A windshield keeps the car roof from crushing the driver and passengers in an accident. With a good windshield, the car can handle 60% of the impact, so the occupants don’t have to take 100% of it alone. The windshield is 40% to 45% of car structure stability in a front-end collision.
Why Windshields Can Absorb the Impact
It can withstand the impact because of its construction. The windshield has PVB (polyvinyl butyral) sandwiched between two pieces of laminate glass. The PVB keeps the shards inside the glass in case the glass shatters on one side or both sides. That means the fragments won’t impale anyone in the vehicle or injure their eyes.
The back windshield that also holds up the car roof is tempered glass. While it doesn’t have the protections of the front windshield, a silver lining is the glass shatters into thousands of tiny pieces instead of large shards. Should your body hit this glass, it will only cause minimal damage as opposed to significant injuries.
Any crack, chip, scratch, hole, or dent threatens the windshield. A weak windshield will not protect you in an accident or collision. The crash will test the windshield’s strength at the moment. Sadly, it’s too late to course-correct the windshield if it can’t withstand the brute impact.
Conclusion
Never wait until it is too late to fix a windshield. Rely on an auto glass repair shop to examine and repair the windshield. The windshield replacement will be a brand new safe windshield with both beauty and function to keep everyone safe on the road. Paying the cash for new glass now means not returning the cost down the line through significant injuries or losing a loved one.
For Superior Auto Glass Repairs, Call Liberty AutoGlass
Liberty AutoGlass offers auto glass repair using the highest quality materials and the most advanced auto glass technology to repair your auto glass correctly and quickly. We offer mobile services so we can repair your damaged auto glass at the convenience of your home or office. This means that we come to wherever your vehicle is parked, and you can go about your day as you would normally. We fix windshields, back glass, door glass, vent glass, and quarter glass. We also can handle your insurance claim from start to finish, making the process easier for you! Call Liberty AutoGlass today to find out more!
Contact us today or give us a call at (610) 377-7787 or (877) 90-GLASS if you have any questions. Click here to view our complete mobile auto glass service area in Pennsylvania.
