According to auto experts, four major groups of components are considered safety-critical in a car. The first three safety parts are the brake system, suspension system, and tires. The last group has a lot to do with the “visibility of the driver;” the components in this category include windscreens, wipers, and lights.
As you already know, the windshield plays an integral role in your driving and overall safety. Driving without a windshield is very dangerous to the driver and even the passengers. Even a minor crack on the windscreen could be dangerous, which is why it’s advisable to always take them seriously.
If your car’s windshield breaks while driving, the first thing you need is to stop and see to it that no one was injured as a result of the accident. After that, check the cracks and see whether it’s legal to drive the car. If yes, drive to your repairer’s shop to fix the issue. If not, call your local windscreen company.
How long can you drive with a cracked windshield? What do you do if your windshield cracks while driving? Will a cracked windshield blow out? Is it safe to drive a cracked windshield? These are the burning questions that I’ll be addressing in the rest of this article.
How Long Can You Drive With A Cracked Windshield?
When faced with a cracked windshield issue, one of the few questions that concerned drivers often ask is; how long can they drive their vehicles with a cracked windscreen?
The answer is simple; there’s exactly no set amount of time that you can drive your car safely with a cracked windshield. How long you get to drive your car depends, to a large extent, on the nature of the cracks.
Here’s the thing; cracks can happen in different ways. Sometimes, the cracks can be minor and not located in a place that can interfere with your field of vision while driving. In this case, you can still drive your car for days, weeks, or even months. No additional cracks will happen to the glass because you drive it around.
That said, it’s safe to say that one of the key factors that affect how long you get to drive your car is the size or amount of damage done on the windshield.
If after checking the damages, you found out that the cracks are large, it may be illegal for you to drive the vehicle around. So, it’s not even a matter of how long you get to drive the car. Instead, it’s a question – can I drive with this type of cracked windscreen?
The second factor that affects how long you get to drive the car is the exact spot affected by the cracks. This matters a lot. For instance, the cracks are obstructing your field of vision when driving, driving for a short while is not even advisable.
There are two things involved when it comes to the location of the cracks. First, it’s dangerous to drive your car if the cracks hinder your view as you drive. The second thing is that the federal regulation is against driving with a cracked windscreen, especially if the issue interferes with your field of vision as you drive your car. So, it’s illegal in this case.
The bottom line is that there’s no set time as to how long you can drive your vehicle with a cracked windscreen. Two main factors that can influence the amount of time to drive the car are the size and location of the cracks.
What Do You Do If Your Windshield Cracks While Driving?
Imagine you’re driving your car and all of a sudden your windshield cracks. What exactly are you supposed to do in this case?
As earlier mentioned, the very first thing you need to do is to stop the car, get down from your car, and check that no one is injured as a result of the accident.
After ensuring the safety of everyone, the next thing isn’t to go back and drive your car. This move could be very dangerous. The only time I’ll advise you to drive is if you’re in the middle of traffic and you need to leave the road for other vehicles to move.
Instead of just going ahead and driving your car, the next thing you need is to access the nature of the cracks. If the cracks are small, you can drive home or to wherever you’re heading to. You may even drive the car like that for weeks or even months. However, it’s advisable to fix the issue as soon as possible to be on the safe side.
There’s no denying that windshields are usually made of laminated safety glass, which does easily get shattered when broken or cracked. However, if the accident is severe, you might end up with shattered glass. So, if the crack is severe, be sure to wear a glove before picking the broken glasses. The purpose of picking up the glasses is to ensure that the area is safe and harmless.
Furthermore, if the cracks are large, the best thing you can do is to avoid driving the car, as it could be tagged as illegal. Instead, you need to call a reliable local windshield repair shop to get the car fixed for you.
Will A Cracked Windshield Blow Out?
A cracked windshield can always blow out over time. This explains why it’s not recommended to drive your car for a long time if the crack is severe.
Here’s the thing; by driving with a cracked front windshield, one thing you need to understand is that – over time, the cracks will most likely become bigger as you drive around. If this continues without fixing the issue, the windshield may end up blowing out. However, it’s worth noting that this rarely happens.
Is It Safe To Drive A Cracked Windshield?
It’s not entirely safe to drive with a cracked windshield. If the crack is small, you can still drive your car. However, for bigger cracks, it’s not safe to drive your vehicle. It’s dangerous and apart from that, it might even end up affecting the windshield even further – to the point where you’ll need to replace the whole glass instead of fixing the affected area.
