Sometimes we notice cars with badly chipped or cracked windscreens and wonder how those motorists can drive. It is a bad idea to drive like that, and here’s why.
How do cracked windscreens start?1
When driving on the road, perhaps behind a truck, a small stone kicked up by the truck’s tyre could hit the windscreen. If the chip is not attended to quickly, it could develop into a crack that slowly but surely begins to run along the windshield.
What are the legal requirements? 1,2
The National Road Traffic Act prohibits any motorist from driving a car with a cracked windscreen that impairs vision. Impairment of vision or view increases the risk of having an accident. A few cracks across the driver’s line of vision can become blinding depending on how the sun’s light hits the windscreen.
Legal requirements may not meet safety requirements1
According to the National Road Traffic Act, a small crack in the windscreen is not illegal if it does not interfere with the driver’s vision. But is it safe? If left in that state, the safety of car occupants could be seriously compromised.
The windscreen’s integrity affects the car’s structural integrity1,2
Any compromise on the structural integrity of a car could possibly affect the occupants’ safety. The windscreen provides vital support to the car’s structure. This may not be obvious during everyday driving, but a collision will severely test the car’s structure, which may collapse and even prove to be fatal.
An important function of the windscreen1,2
The windscreen distributes the force of a front-end collision via the car’s front part into the chassis. In this way, the effect of a sudden impact on the car’s occupants is minimised, thus affording them protection. However, if the windscreen is cracked, instead of distributing the collision force as it was designed to do, it can collapse into many pieces. This time, the huge force at play moves horizontally through the car, seriously endangering the occupants’ lives.
What other support does a sound windscreen provide? 1,2
By acting as a vertical support, a windscreen also stops the roof from being crushed. Should your car roll, a chipped or cracked windscreen that has lost its integral strength may not be able to prevent the roof from being crushed. This can cause serious injuries to the car’s occupants.
A roadworthy windscreen may help keep passengers inside1,2
The use of seatbelts is undoubtedly the first approach to protect a car’s occupants, but the windscreen also plays a protective role. If the structural integrity of a safety belt is compromised in any way, and snaps during a collision, the occupants could be thrown forward. One of the only barriers preventing them from being thrown out of the car would be the windscreen itself. Even a small chip on the windshield could make the windscreen disintegrate upon impact, throwing the occupants out of the vehicle.
An uncompromised windscreen provides airbag support1,2
Especially on the front passenger side, an airbag exploding during a collision, pushes itself against the windscreen for additional support, while holding the passenger firmly in position. A chipped or cracked windscreen could shatter when the airbag is deployed, thus eliminating that stability that an airbag requires to protect the passenger.
Damage to windscreens is covered by PMD’s affordable car insurance products.* Why not contact them and find out more about their unique products? T’s and C’s apply.*
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
Sources:
1https://www.arrivealive.co.za/Cracked-Windshield-Safe-Driving-and-the-Law
2https://www.autoglass.ie/the-dangers-of-driving-with-a-damaged-windscreen/