6 Most Common Causes of Chips and Cracks in Windscreens

Windscreen Damage – Chips & Cracks

As every driver knows, it’s important to be vigilant at all times when driving your vehicle on the road. Accidents can occur when we least expect them, and this is especially true in relation to windscreen damage. 

It’s not uncommon for someone to be driving down a road when all of a sudden, a small chip or crack seems to appear from nowhere on the windscreen, often accompanied by a small cracking or popping sound. 

6 Common reasons for chipped and cracked windscreens

A chipped windscreen may not seem like a big deal at the time, especially if the chip is only small. However, windscreen damage (especially a cracked windscreen) is likely to worsen over time. 

This is why it’s important to have the repairs carried out ASAP in order to avoid ending up with a totally smashed windscreen and then having to get a full windscreen replacement. Not only will this save you time and money, but it is also the safe and responsible thing to do.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common causes of chipped and cracked windscreens. 

1. Road debris 

Definitely one of the most common causes, road debris such as loose gravel or road chippings run the risk of being spat up from the road by a passing vehicle and hitting your windscreen, resulting in a crack or chip.

This is most likely to occur on older roads with loose gravel or on a road that is under construction. Speed is a dangerous factor here, as the faster your vehicle is travelling, the greater the impact of the debris. 

2. Vandalism

Unfortunately, vandalism is a prevalent cause of car glass damage, especially in urban areas. This may happen in order to gain access to the vehicle for theft purposes or purely as an act of vandalism.

In these situations, it’s often the rear and side windows that are damaged. As these windows are harder to repair it’s likely that you’ll need a full side window or rear windscreen replacement. 

Things to be aware of here include ensuring no valuables are on display when you park your vehicle in urban areas and also being conscious of where you leave your car at night and for how long. 

3. Direct impact 

Windscreen damage can occur from direct impact in several ways. If you are involved in a minor traffic accident with another vehicle or indeed a pedestrian or cyclist, it may be necessary to have your car window repaired as a result of the damage. 

Furthermore, impact with wildlife such as birds or even something bigger like a deer can also result in significant windscreen damage. If you’re unfortunate enough to experience one of the incidents, your windscreen will most likely be smashed and you’ll have to replace the car window completely. 

4. Temperature Changes 

It’s widely known that rapid or extreme changes in temperature can cause windscreen damage. This can also happen suddenly in a single incident, such as pouring boiling water over a frozen windscreen. 

Things to keep in mind to avoid this occurring are using only warm water when defrosting the windscreen, slowing increasing the temperature of the internal defroster and avoiding parking in direct sunlight when it is cold outside. 

5. Poor Installation 

If you had your car window repaired or replaced, it is vital to ensure the installation or repair process is carried out to the highest standard. If car window repairs are carried out incorrectly, it could result in your windscreen leaking and you run the risk of experiencing even more serious damage in the fjuture – which would be a waste of time and money, as well as being highly dangerous. 

That’s why all of our technicians at Windscreen Compare are vetted and approved, meaning all car glass repairs and replacements carried out by us are completed to top industry standards using the highest quality materials. 

6. Severe Weather

Severe weather can result in dangerous conditions for any driver. Extreme weather such as strong winds and thunderstorms can dislodge debris from the road as well as send branches and other objects flying through the air. Even extreme hail can cause significant chips and cracks in a drivers windscreen. 

Fix Your Damaged Windscreen

The moral of the story is that windscreen chips and cracks are indeed dangerous and can occur at any time. To ensure your own safety as well as those around you, and also to avoid trouble with the law, it’s best to tend to cracks and chips as soon as they appear. 

Use our free quotation request tool to get the best price and service from top rated technicians in your area. Replace or repair, surely Windscreen Compare!