Besides protecting the driver against wind and elements, windshields do more than that for your car. You may not think of your windshield or your side windows as being some of the most important parts of your vehicle, but you may find that they matter very much. Your auto glass is there so you can see clearly in all directions, and it also keeps the weather and bugs out of your car or truck. Though this glass is made to be a bit more durable than what you may have in your windows in your home or apartment, it can still break in some cases. Some of this can be from natural causes, but other times the problem is of human induced.
Some states have laws about the condition of your auto glass. They may not care too much about your side windows, but you had better have both front and back in good condition. One of the biggest problems with windshields is that they can crack, and that crack and slowly spread. When the weather and the temperatures go up and down, the cracks will slowly move around until they are blocking your vision. If a police officer sees this, they are going to pull you over and either ticket you or give you so many days to get it fixed.
Most of the time, cracks in auto glass start as a small nick. There are times when they can remain that way, but most grow into something larger. A nick usually comes when something on the road flies up and hits the windshield, or a passing vehicle has something fly from it.
These are usually things that are unavoidable, and you can think of them as bad luck. Some types of auto glass will not chip quite as easily, but this can be a huge problem on most older cars and trucks. At times, small collisions like fender benders can cause a nick to turn into a crack.
When it comes to the side windows, they are usually safer than the windshield when it comes to road or natural hazards, but they are broken from time to time. When this auto glass breaks or cracks, it is usually the result of human behavior.
Some have broken these windows by trying to put something too big in their backseat and then closing the door. Other times, the breaking of this auto glass is usually the result of someone breaking into your car. Thieves prefer not to do that, but if you have something they really want, that can happen.
Auto glasses are central part for any vehicle even the least mistake in design could cause major accidents on roads. Wrong design calculations could result in large driving blind spots. Limited visibility to adjacent vehicles passing by next to yours could increase the risk of accidents exponentially. Shopping for new car? Add auto glass to your check-list.