Driving with a damaged windshield can often be a very dangerous and risky prospect, mostly because of the various ways in which a damaged windshield can compromise your safety. Listed below are three reasons to have your vehicle's damaged windshield replaced or repaired sooner rather than later.
Chips Can Expand
A major reason to have your vehicle's damaged windshield repaired is the fact that chips in your windshield, which are the most common type of windshield damage, can easily expand depending on the temperature and the roughness of the road that you are driving down. The problem with this is that when those rock chips expand, they can quickly turn into large cracks that will require the windshield to be replaced rather than repaired. However, if you take your vehicle to an auto glass repair service as soon as you notice a rock chip, they can often seal that chip so that it will not expand into a large crack, which is substantially cheaper than having to replace your entire windshield and is often covered by your auto insurance policy.
Visibility Can Be Affected
Another reason to have your vehicle's damaged windshield repaired or replaced sooner rather than later is the fact that a large crack or numerous cracks across your windshield can greatly affect your visibility. This means that the chances of you ending up in an accident or striking an object in the road can go up dramatically simply because your visibility is impaired to the point where you might not be able to see any obstructions in the road until it is most likely top late to take steps to avoid the obstruction or accident.
Windshield Strength Is Compromised
Finally, if you have a severely cracked or damaged windshield, it is important to replace it as soon as possible simply because the overall strength of your windshield is compromised. This is a problem on several levels because your windshield is intended to protect you from multiple different types of accidents and it may not be able to fulfill its purpose effectively if its strength is compromised.
For example, in a head-on or a rear-end collision, the windshield acts as a barrier to keep you in the car if you are not wearing your seatbelt or if your seatbelt has failed to hold you in place. Another example of how a windshield is intended to protect you during an accident is by providing a bit of structural strength and support to the roof of your vehicle if your vehicle gets knocked on its roof or is involved in a rollover accident in order to prevent the roof from caving in on everyone in the vehicle. In all of the aforementioned accident types, if the windshield is cracked severely, it may just shatter entirely rather than keep you in the vehicle or prevent the roof from caving in on you.
Contact an auto glass repair service today in order to discuss the various reasons to have your windshield replaced or repaired as soon as possible and to determine if your damaged windshield is in need of being repaired or replaced. You will want to have your vehicle's damaged windshield repaired or replaced as soon as possible because chips can expand, visibility can be affected, and your windshield's strength is compromised when the windshield is damaged. For more information, visit websites like http://www.healyglass.com/.
