Crack in car windscreen

[adc82140]

I've got a large crack in my windscreen (pictured). The insurer has said that there is a two week wait for a replacement. I have about 500 miles of driving to do before then. A search of the net has turned up various bits of advice, ranging from not driving a millimetre further because the whole lot will shatter and slice me in three, to people in Norway driving entire winters like it without Ill effect. I suspect the truth lies in the middle somewhere. Also advice re legality has ranged from an immediate 6 points on the licence, to being OK if you can provide evidence that a repair is booked.

Can anyone provide a real insight in to this?

Thanks.

 

[315801]

As far as I am aware, driving with a cracked windscreen is illegal as the cracks can and will eventually become a distraction as they will be right in your line of sight.

I am not sure on the points situation for anybody caught driving with a windscreen that is cracked but the primary reason for not driving a car with a cracked windscreen is because if it shatters not only could it cause you injury but it also affects the structural stability of the vehicle.

 

[adc82140]

As far as I am aware, driving with a cracked windscreen is illegal as the cracks can and will eventually become a distraction as they will be right in your line of sight.

I am not sure on the points situation for anybody caught driving with a windscreen that is cracked but the primary reason for not driving a car with a cracked windscreen is because if it shatters not only could it cause you injury but it also affects the structural stability of the vehicle.

Do modern laminated windscreens shatter? This is one of my concerns.

 

[Cowley]

Do modern laminated windscreens shatter? This is one of my concerns.

I drove my old Sprinter van with a very similar crack for a few months, once it had worked its way across the screen it just stayed as it was. Being laminated it isn’t likely to shatter.
If you got pulled over who’s to say it didn’t happen five minutes ago?

It looks like every Russian dashcam video on YouTube by the way.

 

[DelW]

Do modern laminated windscreens shatter? This is one of my concerns.

Toughened windscreens used to shatter but they've not been used for many years. A laminated windscreen won't shatter unless it's attacked with something like a sledgehammer, or in a crash, but even then it should all stay in one piece.

If you got pulled over who’s to say it didn’t happen five minutes ago?

Erm, having posted photos of it on an internet forum a few days previously might not help that defence!

 

[ainsworth74]

Toughened windscreens used to shatter but they've not been used for many years. A laminated windscreen won't shatter unless it's attacked with something like a sledgehammer, or in a crash, but even then it should all stay in one piece.

Even a sledgehammer struggles to penetrate a modern laminated windscreen. They're extraordinarily tough! More so than toughened glass ironically

 

[Darandio]

Erm, having posted photos of it on an internet forum a few days previously might not help that defence!

I'm fairly certain searching railway forums when conducting a routine traffic stop isn't what happens in reality.

 

[Cowley]

I'm fairly certain searching railway forums when conducting a routine traffic stop isn't what happens in reality.

“Is this your vehicle Mr adc82140, if that is indeed your name..?”

 

[DelW]

I'm fairly certain searching railway forums when conducting a routine traffic stop isn't what happens in reality.

Indeed, I imagine the usual outcome would be an instruction to get it repaired asap (as the OP will be doing), and at most, possibly demonstrate that it's been fixed within a stated time. That's what used to be done anyway, in my experience (of driving old bangers years ago!).

 

[Cowley]

Even a sledgehammer struggles to penetrate a modern laminated windscreen. They're extraordinarily tough! More so than toughened glass ironically

Years ago I was helping a friend put a much older windscreen back into a VW T2. We carefully carried it out from the back of the garage where it had been stored and lowered it slowly down onto the ground next to the van but there must have been a tiny stone on the floor that we hadn’t noticed and the screen just popped and disintegrated, leaving both of us still in the same position but with just a tiny grain of glass in each of of our hands.

 

[adc82140]

Thanks for all the advice. Very reassuring. I'm going to call the company on Monday to see if the repair can be brought forward- I'd happily travel 50 miles to one of their service centres this week rather than wait until the week after for them to come to me. But if they can't then I'll just continue making essential trips, and postpone everything else.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Why would they say two weeks?

Do they not have an immediate call out agreement with Autoglass like most insurers do?

 

[Ediswan]

Years ago I was helping a friend put a much older windscreen back into a VW T2. We carefully carried it out from the back of the garage where it had been stored and lowered it slowly down onto the ground next to the van but there must have been a tiny stone on the floor that we hadn’t noticed and the screen just popped and disintegrated, leaving both of us still in the same position but with just a tiny grain of glass in each of of our hands.

Hence the old style emergency replacment windscreen. Essentially, a roll of clear plastic held in place by shutting it in the front doors. Then drive slowly.

Why would they say two weeks?

Do they not have an immediate call out agreement with Autoglass like most insurers do?

None in stock ?

 

[adc82140]

Why would they say two weeks?

Do they not have an immediate call out agreement with Autoglass like most insurers do?

Unfortunately it's the downside of cheapo insurance. Their contract is with Auto Windscreens. I've been told by someone elsewhere the insurance work goes to the bottom of the pile. Not sure how much truth there is in this, but I intend to push a bit next week. Might even try playing the NHS card.

 

[Gloster]

Back in about 1984 the windscreen on my Mini broke in rural Somerset: I had it repaired in less than one hour. I was driving past one of the quarries about two miles from home when a stone that had made its way out onto the road hit and broke the screen. An Autoglass van was driving in the opposite direction, saw it go, turned round and followed me home. I got out of the car on getting home to see the van and, being a fairly standard type, he had a new screen fitted in no time. (This really is a genuine story.)

 

[Cowley]

Back in about 1984 the windscreen on my Mini broke in rural Somerset: I had it repaired in less than one hour. I was driving past one of the quarries about two miles from home when a stone that had made its way out onto the road hit and broke the screen. An Autoglass van was driving in the opposite direction, saw it go, turned round and followed me home. I got out of the car on getting home to see the van and, being a fairly standard type, he had a new screen fitted in no time. (This really is a genuine story.)

Did he actually have a Mini windscreen onboard?

 

[Gloster]

Did he actually have a Mini windscreen onboard?

He must have done as it fitted and later went around Europe with me (and the car). A Mini was a fairly common type, so maybe they kept a few on board from popular models.

 

[Cowley]

He must have done as it fitted and later went around Europe with me (and the car). A Mini was a fairly common type, so maybe they kept a few on board from popular models.

What a great outcome that was!

 

[andypops]

I know of several ex-coppers who’ve moved to train driving, so it could be a good place to ask your question!

The law can be difficult to interpret and this leads to differing opinions. I would never believe everything online, and it’s a matter of personal responsibility to make sure you follow the law. However, the attached image may be of interest.

A serving traffic cop on Twitter @OffenceCode has been producing aide memoir sheets of specific offences for other police to use during traffic stops. The info should be taken with normal consideration for provenance (it’s unverified and should be independently checked - I make no recommendation) but the attachment seems to indicate what punitive action could be taken if damage is of a given size in a specific area of the windscreen.

FWIW personally I would absolutely choose not to drive with the damage shown in the pictures, and would pay for a new windscreen out of my own pocket before driving anywhere, even to the shops. If I could reclaim from insurance great, if not then I’d see it as a cost of motoring, same as a burst tyre.

This might seem like an over-abundance of caution, but we should always consider the wider impact of the actions. If it suddenly goes at 70mph (or 60…or 50…etc) it will be a massive sudden shock & obviously a distraction. What would you do on a motorway - could you suddenly pull over? What if it’s on a “smart” motorway (with no hard shoulder), or what if it means you cut in front of a minibus full of children that then crashes, resulting in multiple fatalities?

IMO it’s never worth the risk.

 

[adc82140]

Trouble is it's 750 quid for a replacement if I pay myself. I just can't afford that, nor can I afford not to work for the next two weeks. Others on here are of the opinion that a modern laminated windscreen does not "go". Who should I believe?

 

[MotCO]

Which side of the screen is it? I once saw on a police tv show a traffic cop saying that you should not have an obstruction in the sweep area of your windscreen wipers (this was in regard to a badly positioned sat nav stuck on the windscreen.) Whether or not he was making this up I do not know, but it may be a guide.

On the other hand, I had a small chip on my windscreen, and over the next few days the crack started to spread across the windscreen. So if your crack is on the passenger side, it could soon spread to the driver side and become a distraction. At night, it may also defract on-coming headlights which would affect your night time vision.

 

[Cowley]

Which side of the screen is it? I once saw on a police tv show a traffic cop saying that you should not have an obstruction in the sweep area of your windscreen wipers (this was in regard to a badly positioned sat nav stuck on the windscreen.) Whether or not he was making this up I do not know, but it may be a guide.

On the other hand, I had a small chip on my windscreen, and over the next few days the crack started to spread across the windscreen. So if your crack is on the passenger side, it could soon spread to the driver side and become a distraction. At night, it may also defract on-coming headlights which would affect your night time vision.

Basically it needs to be not in the line of vision. So a stone chip at the bottom of the screen is usually ok for an MOT for instance. That’s how I’ve always understood it anyway.

Maybe someone like @DustyBin might know a bit more though?

 

[adc82140]

Plan today- call the insurer, tell them that the car is undriveable and give them some options- either provide a courtesy car as per my schedule, or authorise a repair with Autoglass who can do it on Wednesday.

If they don't bite, I'm off to the local dealerships to do the full Clarkson- offer to take some part exchange banger with a short MOT off their hands for 100 quid, insure it 3rd party and then sell it for scrap in a couple of weeks.

 

[DustyBin]

Basically it needs to be not in the line of vision. So a stone chip at the bottom of the screen is usually ok for an MOT for instance. That’s how I’ve always understood it anyway.

Maybe someone like @DustyBin might know a bit more though?

My knowledge is a bit out of date, however I don’t think much has changed. It’s difficult to tell from the photographs, but the top right hand extremity of the crack appears to be in the drivers line of vision. However, the extent of the damage is such that it’s an MOT fail regardless.

The crack will most likely spread but the windscreen shouldn’t shatter. In its current state, if you were to be pulled over and the crack had “just appeared” and you passed the attitude test, you’ll probably get told to sort it and to get the bus in the meantime. There’s room for common sense and discretion, but you never know for sure if it will be used!

 

[adc82140]

The crack is massive this morning, hence the renewed urgency. It's now right across the drivers side. I'm not going to take the car anywhere now until it's sorted.

 

[DustyBin]

The crack is massive this morning, hence the renewed urgency. It's now right across the drivers side. I'm not going to take the car anywhere now until it's sorted.

Unfortunately that’s what usually happens. I hope they sort it out for you quickly, you’re doing the right thing.

 

[dgl]

My sister had the annoyance of a chip turning into a crack in the couple of days between calling autoglass and them coming out, went from £10 to £100.

 

[Ediswan]

A serving traffic cop on Twitter @OffenceCode has been producing aide memoir sheets of specific offences for other police to use during traffic stops. The info should be taken with normal consideration for provenance (it’s unverified and should be independently checked - I make no recommendation) but the attachment seems to indicate what punitive action could be taken if damage is of a given size in a specific area of the windscreen.

The diagram shows the MOT rules. A useful guide for a moving traffic offense, but not definitive.

 

[adc82140]

Now booked in for Wednesday first thing. I can live with that. Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. Off to research bus times to get to a meeting in Poole.....