We have discussed windscreen safety in detail on the website in detail in a section titled Road Safety and Your Windscreen. We would like to refer to the importance of windscreen safety and why a cracked windscreen might be a significant danger to your safety inside the vehicle:.
While during the course of normal driving an imbalance or imperfection in this structure might not be apparent, it can become deadly during a crash or collision.
A cracked windshield can shatter under the pressure of a collision, allowing the impact of the collision to move horizontally through the car, significantly increasing the danger to passengers. During a rollover accident, a cracked or chipped windshield can allow the roof to cave in, causing potentially serious injury. Statistics overwhelmingly indicate the danger and increased risk to passengers in a rollover accident during which the roof crushes.
While seatbelts are the primary means for protecting passengers from ejection during a collision, the windshield also plays an important role. For unbelted passengers, or in situations where the seatbelt is faulty, broken, or severed in the course of the accident, the windshield can provide a final measure of protection ensuring that the passengers remain within the interior of the car. Even a minor chip in the windshield can cause the window to shatter on impact, allowing passengers to be ejected from the vehicle.
In addition to distributing the impact of a crash, the windshield provides support to the airbags, particularly those on the passenger side. When the airbag deploys during an accident, it expands outward and compresses against the windshield before pillowing out to support the passenger. A faulty windshield cannot properly absorb the force of the inflating airbag and can shatter, diminishing or negating the effectiveness of the airbag. The Highway Code, as mentioned above, states that all glass within your vehicle should be in good condition.
However, the Highway Code is not itself a legal document, so can you be fined or charged for having a cracked windscreen? Although the Highway Code cannot legally hold you to account, there is a separate Road Traffic Act that, under Section 40, states that a vehicle with a chip or crack in the windscreen is classed as a vehicle in dangerous condition.
However, this is where the rules can become a bit confusing. If your vehicle has a small chip or crack and goes for its annual MOT and passes, then the chip is legal and safe to drive with. The MOT test has certain regulations of its own when it comes to cracks and chips. If the damage is bigger than 40mm in size anywhere on the windscreen, the car will fail its MOT and the crack would need to be repaired before you take it for a re-test.
However, you should imagine that your windscreen is cut into two zones - Zone A in front of the driver and Zone B in front of the passenger. Therefore a windscreen that is cracked may be illegal and could cause the entire windscreen to fail , leading to potentially disastrous consequences.
For the purposes of the annual MOT test , whether a vehicle with a cracked windscreen will be passed as roadworthy depends on the location and size of the damage.
The area directly in front of the driver, known as the A-zone, is the most critical part of the windscreen element of the MOT. This area, which is mm wide and in line vertically with the steering column, must not have any damage greater than 10mm across. An instant MOT failure is the likely outcome in this situation. Clearly, waiting for the next scheduled MOT is not sensible if your vehicle suffers a cracked windscreen.
Even small areas of damage within the accepted dimensions can rapidly worsen and vehicle owners should bear this in mind. A cracked windscreen means that the glass is less likely to withstand the considerable pressures caused by driving at high speeds and by extremes of weather. For example, a small crack in winter when the windscreen is cold can suddenly expand if subjected to the in-car heating. The windscreen is essential in protecting you and your passengers from danger, such as high-speed missiles, like stones and loose chippings , and to help the vehicle body retain strength and stability.
In an accident a cracked windscreen has the potential to enhance the risks to the occupants of a vehicle. For example, an airbag which deploys in an accident strikes the windscreen with considerable force; if the glass is already cracked, the airbag may deploy through the windscreen instead of forwards towards the driver or front seat passenger, with serious consequences.
If you are unfortunate to suffer a cracked windscreen, you should not ignore the damage or delay its replacement until a more convenient time. For the safety of yourself, your passengers and other road users, you should obtain immediate professional advice and be prepared for the necessary replacement of the glass as a matter of urgency.
For a relatively low excess, you could be helping to prevent a road accident, the long-term consequences of which could be far more serious. This is the little stones, rocks, pebbles and other debris that are flicked into your windscreen by other moving vehicles. Even though the majority of road debris that hits your windscreen is small in size, it collides with a massive force which is sometimes enough to shatter your whole windscreen, especially if it hits a weakened spot — like a chip.
Windscreens are also often damaged by poorly loaded items falling from other vehicles — which is another good reason to avoid tailgating lorries and any other vehicles! The weather can impact your windscreen in a whole host of different ways.
For example, stormy, windy weather can lead to pressure on any weak points or chips and can cause things like branches and debris to hit your windscreen, which may lead to cracks. On the flip side, leaving your car in direct sunlight on a very hot day can also be damaging.
All of these actions cause a sudden change in temperature, making one side of glass expand whilst the other side contracts.
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