Your windshield does a lot more than keep bugs out of your teeth! This not-so-glamorous car component is actually essential to your safety in the event of an accident. Your windshield, if properly installed and maintained, could save your life! Find out why your windshield is critical, and how you can be sure it is keeping you and your family fully protected. As cars have evolved, they have become less heavy and more streamlined. The frames of modern cars are much lighter than in days past. They are also much less rigid, and are actually designed to crush more easily in strategic locations during an accident. This prevents some of the force of the crash from being transferred to you, the occupant. In order for these strategic weak points (called crumple zones) to work properly, the cab of the car must be sufficiently firm. Modern cars rely heavily on the windshield to lend rigidity to the cab and to prevent the roof from collapsing during a rollover or other collision. Industry experts estimate that the windshield provides as much as 70% of a vehicle’s structural integrity in a rollover accident. If a windshield is compromised by chips or cracks, it loses much of its strength and is prone fail dangerously. It may surprise you to find out that windshields are also essential to proper function of your vehicle’s airbag. When an airbag deploys, it uses the windshield as a backstop to lend it stability. Airbags deploy at up to 200 miles per hour, so if a windshield is damaged or poorly installed, it can pop out of the car altogether. When this happens, the windshield is unrestrained and does very little to protect passengers from hitting the dashboard or being completely ejected from the vehicle. Windshields are part of what folks in the auto industry call the safety restraint system (SRS), which also includes airbags and seat belts. A defective windshield reduces the effectiveness of other SRS components and greatly increases the chances that a motorist and passengers will be ejected during a crash. Being ejected exponentially increases the likelihood of fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 30% of all accident-related fatalities - or a staggering 12,000 deaths annually - occur when vehicle occupants are ejected from the vehicle. Now that you know how important the windshield is, it should be easy to understand why they need to perform perfectly. Windshield glass can be compromised even by the tiniest of chips and most minute cracks in the glass. Weakened windshields have reduced tensile strength and pose a serious threat to your safety, as well as the safety of your passengers. Poor installation, or even proper installation of an inferior product, has also been known to cause windshield failure. For this reason, if you need your windshield glass repaired or replaced entirely, you should find an experienced auto glass expert. After all, your safety (and the safety of your precious cargo) is at stake!
Related Articles -
windshield repair, windshield replacement, rock chip, auto safety, airbag support, auto glass, mobile auto glass, repair rock chip, ,
|