There are many ways you can end up with a damaged windshield, and there are different ways in which damages can be dealt with. This article can educate you on everything from some of the most common ways windshields get damaged to what can make damage worse and when to not ignore windshield damages.
Why your windshield is so important
At first thought, you may think the windshield is important because it helps to keep wind, rain, dirt, and bugs from hitting your face while you are driving. It would be very difficult to drive a car with the force of the wind hitting your face constantly as you drive. It would be even more difficult to drive with rain hitting your eyes. Not to mention, you wouldn't have a car very long if rain and snow were able to just come right inside the car to cause a lot of damage.
There is much more that your car's windshield does than just protect you and your car's interior from the elements. The windshield is specially designed to protect you in the care of an accident. If something hits the windshield, the glass will take on much of the impact without shattering. Instead of sending pieces of glass everywhere; the lamination will hold the glass together. The windshield can also be a lot of help when it comes to protecting you in the case of a rollover because it will play a large role in helping to prevent the roof of the car from crushing in toward you. It will also help to prevent someone from being ejected from the vehicle in a crash.
How damages happen
Damages can happen to windshields in a lot of different ways. However, some of the more common ways include accidents, rocks that hit them after being kicked up by the vehicle in front, storm damage including damage caused by hail, and vandalism. When a windshield has any damage at all, it should be repaired. When that damage is more than just a chip or a very small crack, then the windshield should be replaced.
Once a windshield is damaged, the damage can get worse because it takes on so much stress from the force of the winds when the car is traveling. Also, if the windshield takes on any more stress in an area where it already has any damage, then the damage can spread, even if the second stress wouldn't have caused damage to begin with. This is why it's important to have the windshield repaired promptly at the first signs of any damage.
Contact a company like Martin Glass Company to learn more.
Did you know that until the 1500s, most glass that was made had a cloudy look? Clear, colorless glass wasn't invented until the 1500s, and it didn't become popular until the 1700s when people started using it for windows. Clear glass is very common today, but not all of our glass is clear. We also use a good amount of colored glass and clouded glass as a population. And glass has a wider array of uses than ever before. There are entire buildings made from glass, marbles and other toys made from glass, and even fake eyeballs made from this hard material. Learn more about glass as you peruse this website, which we hope serves as an excellent resource.