Three Reasons To Act Quickly When Your Windshield Gets Chipped

As a driver, it can be easy to ignore the small chip in your windshield -- the damage seems minor and you might be resistant to scheduling a trip to the local auto shop if you have a shortage of spare time. However, this is a problem that requires quick action. Call your local auto glass repair shop, provide details about the size of the chip and make a time to visit. In most cases, a small chip can be repaired quickly and you'll be back on the road before you know it. Here are three reasons why it's important to act quickly once you notice that you have a chip in your windshield.

Your Actions Can Make The Chip Grow

The growth of the windshield chip into a large crack is often the result of your own actions. For example, a chip can expand into a crack when you slam your door hard. The vibration travels through the vehicle and causes the growth. A crack can also emerge from the chip if there's a major change in temperature in your vehicle, which is what occurs when you blast the air conditioning in the summer or the dashboard heater during the winter. Finally, driving on a bumpy road or hitting a pothole can also affect the chip. All of this means that by getting to an auto shop promptly, you reduce the risk of the chip expanding to the point that you need a complete windshield replacement.

You Could Be In Line For A Ticket

If you put off getting the windshield chip repaired, there's little question that it will start to expand in time. It might not happen the first time you're out in your vehicle, but you can count on this sort of growth. In some cases, a crack can expand considerably and cause issues with your visibility. This is a concern, but it's also worth noting that you're at risk of getting pulled over and ticketed for driving with a cracked windshield. This risk is mainly a concern if the crack is large and excessively impedes your visibility, but it's important to know.

You're Not As Safe In An Accident

In the event of an accident, a cracked windshield doesn't provide the same degree of stability -- and, in turn, safety -- as a windshield that's been repaired. Even a small chip is a weakness in the glass, which means that the glass is more likely to break during an accident, which could mean an injury to you or your passenger.