When people buy cars, they usually focus on affordability, features, performance, and appearance, but very few people give much thought to a car’s windshield until something happens to damage it. In fact, it’s not unusual to see people driving cars with damaged windshields. 

Even though it doesn’t get much attention, your car’s windshield is one of your vehicle’s most important safety components, and it can even be considered the heart of your car. Without it, you can’t run errands, drive to work, take a road trip, or do any of the numerous things you depend on your car to allow you to do. Here are a few of the primary reasons your windshield is such an essential part of your vehicle and how you benefit from it every day. 

Clear View of the Road

One of your windshield’s most basic functions is to give you a clear view of the road ahead and the traffic around you. An unobstructed view is absolutely essential so you can avoid potentially dangerous situations and get to your destination safely. 

Make sure your view stays clear by keeping your windshield clean, regularly checking your wipers to make sure they’re working properly, and ensuring your windshield is free of cracks, chips, and other types of damage. 

Protection from the Elements & Debris

Your windshield protects you and your passengers from rain, wind, hail, and other weather-related dangers, and it keeps you safe from road debris, such as rocks, bugs, and dust. You may not be aware that it also provides extremely effective protection against the sun’s harmful UV rays. 

Protection in Case of an Accident

If you’re in an accident, especially a head-on collision, the glass in your windshield will break in smaller pieces, which is a design feature that can protect you and your passengers from serious injury. In most cases, the glass will stay connected because it’s made with a small foil designed for this purpose. 

Most windshields are made of laminated glass, which provides a high level of resistance to penetration and keeps damage localized to the point of impact. This specialized type of glass is composed of two sheets of glass with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) layer between them. This PVB layer stops the windshield glass from shattering like regular glass does, which provides extra protection against injuries from flying glass inside the vehicle. In addition, if the occupants of a car aren’t wearing their seatbelts, laminated glass can keep them from being ejected from the car in the event of an accident. 

Structural Support

Another reason your windshield is a fundamental safety element of your car is that it provides up to 40 percent of the support for your car’s roof. If you’re in a rollover accident, your windshield will work as a supportive beam, keeping your car’s roof from collapsing and crushing you and your passengers. 

Proper Airbag Deployment

The windshield of your car also plays a critical role in the proper deployment of the airbags in the front by acting as the backstop for the airbags as they inflate toward the vehicle’s occupants. Without the windshield there to absorb the impact, the airbags won’t work efficiently, and they could even malfunction. You should always make sure there are no large cracks in your windshield because a damaged windshield could prevent your car’s airbags from deploying in an accident.

Addressing Windshield Damage

Without question, the windshield of your car is vital to keeping you and your loved ones safe when you’re on the road, which is why you must keep your windshield in excellent condition. Unfortunately, no matter how vigilant you are, it’s not always possible to avoid windshield damage from accidents and the elements. Whether your windshield has minor or major damage, it’s critical to address it as soon as possible.

A car windshield repair specialist can evaluate your windshield damage and advise you on whether a repair job will be sufficient or you’ll need to have it replaced. Either way, make sure to work with experienced professionals so you can rest assured the job will meet the highest industry standards. 

When you’re looking for experts to help you with your windshield, Liberty Auto Glass should be your top choice. We are a premier windshield replacement and repair company in San Diego. Our team of skilled technicians use state-of-the-art materials, and our top priority is quality and safety when repairing and replacing windshields. We also offer a one-year written warranty against any sort of installation issue or cracks. If you want more information on our services or you need an instant quote for services on your windshield, call us today at (619) 381-7710.