Improving Your Vehicle

It happens. You are driving along, thinking about your day, when the sound of a rock striking your windshield rudely interrupts your thoughts. As you stare at the glittering chip or crack in the glass, do you know what actions you need to take?

If not, do not fear, the following checklist can serve as a guide to help ensure your safety and prevent the damage from becoming worse until you can have your car's windshield professionally repaired.

1. As soon as the damage occurs, find a safe place to pull over. Inspect the damage and contact your vehicle's insurance agent, if your policy includes glass coverage.
2. If the chip is small and it is not located in the driver's field of vision, or A-zone, you should be able to continue to your destination without incurring risk. When taking this action, try to avoid causing any additional damage by steering clear of rough roads, potholes and speed bumps. In addition, avoid exposing the glass to the stress of sudden temperature changes from the heater or air conditioning system.  
3. If you find the damage to your windshield is severe, affects your vision or extends beyond a small crack or chip, you may want to consider contacting your auto glass repair specialist to arrange for an immediate repair or replacement before continuing to drive your car. This is important because your car's windshield is a major safety component in the design of your vehicle. When the windshield is damaged beyond a small chip, a rollover accident or traffic crash could create greater danger for the occupants inside, because the strength of the windshield has been compromised.  
4. If the damage is slight and you choose to make a later appointment with your auto glass repair specialist, you will need to protect the windshield from further damage until the repair is made. To do this: avoid bumps, refrain from parking in the sun or exposing the windshield to the stress of high wind or thunderstorms and avoid cranking up either the heater or air conditioning so that the windshield will not be subjected to extreme temperatures.
5. Lastly, resist the temptation to put off dealing with your windshield damage, no matter how minor you think it is. Doing so will almost certainly cause the damage to escalate and make the repair more extensive. Additionally, leaving the windshield damage unrepaired can have other negative impacts, such as causing the vehicle fail the inspection process during license renewal,  lowering the resale value or even receiving a summons into court for faulty equipment.

To learn more, contact a company like FB Glass.