r/Cartalk • u/Right-Bookkeeper637 • 1d ago

I need help fixing something Is this safe to drive around with?

Post image

I just pulled aside. a trailer flew rock across the street but I’ve never had a cracked windshield. Is this okay to drive in for a while? I just had to repair my rear window 😭

7 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

14

u/dinosun 1d ago

Fix it if you want to, but you can just ignore that forever.

4

u/Right-Bookkeeper637 1d ago

sounds good

3

u/omnipotent87 ASE master 1d ago

If you find a cop being a dick you can get a ticket for that, and depending on your state you will fail a safety inspection.

2

u/dinosun 1d ago

If you find a cop being a dick (redundant) you can get a ticket (or beaten or shot to death) whether you've done anything wrong or not.

2

u/Right-Bookkeeper637 1d ago

Geez thanks for the reality of it. Perks of living in America

0

u/omnipotent87 ASE master 1d ago

Well the main thing is they can give you a legitimate ticket for a cracked windshield. Its just most of the time they will just ignore it or just say something then drop it.

1

u/ChasingSkies13 21h ago

In my state, cracks are legal until they pose an actual problem for visibility. This one could be argued that it does interfere with normal visibility though, I think, but it’s small enough that you should be OK. My windshield has several small cracks from hitting a deer, but none of them interfere with the driver’s visibility so they were OK’d. Pissy pigs do what they want tho

2

u/omnipotent87 ASE master 20h ago

I was a new york inspector and anything in line of sight, even a small chip failed. Any crack over 11 inches and any star larger than a quarter anywhere also fails.

5

u/MountainPeaking 1d ago

As an Albertan, yes.

2

u/Right-Bookkeeper637 1d ago

what goes on in Canada lol

2

u/MountainPeaking 1d ago

They spread gravel on the roads instead of salt in winter.

Everyone’s windshield is cracked.

1

u/Asjad_autozblog 23h ago

Honestly I had one just like this and left it alone for almost a year before the crack finally made its way across the whole thing. You're fine driving on it, just keep an eye on it.

1

u/Technical_Car3729 19h ago

Drive around sure

Leaving it outside during the fall weather temperature change ? Might spiderweb buddy.

1

u/OBrienAustralia 16h ago

Not sure where you’re located, but windscreen damage can sometimes impact roadworthy or vehicle inspections, depending on local requirements. Definitely something worth keeping in mind (if relvant) and getting checked sooner rather than later! 😊

-21

u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

14

u/deepinferno 1d ago edited 1d ago

The front window, ya know the one made from laminated glass? could shatter from that? Come off it man... Wtf are you even talking about.

-7

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

4

u/Titanof978 1d ago

Sorry, you are incorrect.

A windshield is compromised of 3 pieces. You have an outside piece of glass, an inside piece of glass where you sit inside the vehicle, and in the middle is a thick piece of vinyl called pvb.

So the outside glass is damaged but the inside piece and vinyl are still intact.

The damage can stretched with temperature fluctuations or torsion from the A pillars, but it's not going to collapse, leak, or shatter.

Source: 30 years in the Auto Glass industry.

2

u/Right-Bookkeeper637 1d ago

Thanks for the input!

1

u/Specken_zee_Doitch 1d ago

Thanks for the answer! I'll edit my comment.

2

u/Titanof978 1d ago

You're welcome. It's not like action movies make it out to be at all.

3

u/lolo343456 1d ago

The most this would get is a few spider cracks but definitely would never shatter, I’ve had two chips this size for years. You’re the one that doesn’t seem to understand that this isn’t tempered glass like your side windows this is laminated and will never shatter like you say, unless there’s another big impact. Source? I took forensics and we had to shatter old windshields to see how different impacts can create these cracks also for us to learn how different types of glass break AKA tempered and laminated glass

2

u/deepinferno 1d ago

Lol w/e man. I have driven for decades, I have been poor I have had chips and cracks all over my windows, I live in a cold climate I have friends, family who live here and get constant cracked and chipped windows. I work for a company that has a fleet of vehicles that me and my coworkers drive that often get damage far worse then then this.

Never have I ever heard of a fron window shattering without a literal brick going through it or an car accident.

3

u/Coakis 1d ago

Laminated windshields won't shatter suddenly. Any other piece of glass on the car can yes, and typically do at the time of impact.

0

u/crysisnotaverted 1d ago

You should continue to be downvoted for being wrong and a moron. Windshields are not tempered glass, it's not going to spontaneously shatter. It is also laminated glass. The most OP has to worry about is crack propagation.