Auto Glass Replacement Safety
The glass in your vehicle does more than give you a clear view of the road ahead. Your auto glass protects you from road debris and the sun's rays, acts as a sound barrier, reduces glare, and even serves as a safety device in the event of an accident.
There is More to Your Windshield Than You Think
The natural properties of glass are not quite enough to meet auto glass safety specifications. A wealth of scientific knowledge goes into creating each piece of glass and all are formulated differently to provide the best performance in their specific roles. The door glass, for instance, includes several layers of film within multiple layers of laminated glass. One layer helps to protect against the sun's damaging UV rays while the other serves to reduce glare from headlights at night and light reflection from the sun during the day.
Basic properties of ALL windshields:
- Prevents object penetration into the passenger compartment
- Provides additional structural support to the vehicle frame during a rollover accident
- Keeps the passengers in the vehicle during an accident
- Provides resistance for the deployment of the passenger side airbag
The windshield is the most important piece of glass in the vehicle as it is the first line of defense in most accidents. When an accident occurs, flying debris is the first danger. In the first few seconds of an accident, debris from the oncoming vehicle or within your vehicle travel up to 50 times faster than the vehicle's occupants. This means that a box of tissues in the back window will impact the windshield a split second BEFORE the seat belt catches the driver! This also applies to anything that may be in the oncoming vehicle or that may break off or come loose from either vehicle.
The second danger in an accident occurs as the passengers "catch up". In an ideal situation, the seat belt restrains the passengers as everything in the vehicle lunges forward. If the occupants are not wearing a seat belt, the windshield will prevent them from being thrown from the vehicle but with the potential of head injuries or other bodily harm.
Finally, as the vehicle occupants and items in the vehicles "recoil" and come to rest, there is the potential for a third danger. A properly installed windshield will hold up to a rollover, deflect the debris, and sustain impact from the occupants without coming loose from the frame. A windshield installed incorrectly or that has been bonded to an unsafe surface, such as a corroded frame, will come loose and could fall back onto the vehicle occupants.
AGRSS: Keeping Your Family Safe
