Your car has several features that are designed to keep you safe. They include things like your seat belts, your air bags, and the way that the frame of your car is designed. Your car's frame has crumple zones that take the energy of the accident so that it is diminished by the time it gets to you. That can help you from getting injured as badly, or at all. But one thing you might not think of as part of your car's safety features is the windshield. There are actually several ways that your windshield helps to keep you safe.
Laminated Glass
Your windshield is made up of something called laminated glass. This means that the glass is made like a sandwich. Instead of being just one pane of glass, the windshield is made up of two panes with an adhesive resin in between. Then the glass is compressed so that everything is securely stuck together. There are several reasons to do this. One is that it makes the glass stronger. Another is that it keeps the glass from shattering into sharp little pieces in case it breaks. Generally, the windshield will crack and bow, but not completely break.
Airbags
You know that your car's airbags keep you from hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, or the sides of the car in an accident. What you may not know is that those airbags need your windshield to work. Part of this is because your windshield gives the airbags something to bounce off of when they are deployed, reinforcing the airbags.
Frame
One very important part of your windshield's job is that it ties your car's frame all together. Without it, there is a major structural flaw in the car. The windshield helps keep your car from twisting when it is hit. It also helps keep the roof from crushing in if your car rolls over.
The fact that your windshield is such an important part of your car's safety system is why it is important to make sure that your windshield is all in one piece. A crack will weaken your windshield. The bigger the crack, the weaker your windshield is. A chip has the possibility of becoming a crack. If you have a chip or crack, you need to contact a windshield repair company as soon as possible so that they can come out and fix that for you.
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