Can a Cracked Windshield Break while Driving?
A crack in a windshield can certainly lead to breakage and more damage while the car is in motion, but that's not always the case. A "crack" is technically any break or fracture in a windshield that spans more than one inch (two and a half centimeters), which means there are cracks of all different sizes out there. A small hairline crack may not progress to complete penetration; it might even stay at this stage for years without further spreading. Whether or not it gets worse depends on many factors such as:
- The type of stress put on - How stable the crack remains - Whether water enters and keeps the stress factor active - The temperature fluctuations around the break. As would be expected, cracking usually occurs during extremely cold or hot temperatures, but it can happen at any time.
"Untreated fractures grow about 5-7 inches (12 to 18 cm) a year." Most cracks do not worsen while the car is in motion and therefore will not lead to more damage. However, if there's a certain type of stress put on the glass that causes it to break into multiple pieces, then those pieces could fly out upon breakage and cause injury or death depending on where you are located in relation to the shards as they come through the windshield. Alternately, what many people don't realize is that even if broken glass doesn't end up directly hitting someone inside of a vehicle, they can be badly injured by being showered with tiny bits of shattered safety glass. These tiny, razor-sharp pieces of glass can cause all kinds of damage to the skin and eyes without penetrating deeply enough to require stitches or a trip to the doctor's office for treatment, but they can still lead to infections and other complications.
However, that's not always the case. If you're wondering, " Can a cracked windshield break while driving ?" it can certainly lead to breakage and more damage while the car is in motion. A hairline crack won't progress to complete penetration; it might even stay at this stage for years without further spreading. Whether or not it gets worse depends on many factors such as temperature fluctuations around the breaking point, time of year, location of crack, etc.
Even though most cracks do not worsen while the car is in motion, they can lead to more damage if what causes them puts a certain type of stress on them that makes them break into multiple pieces or get showered with tiny bits of shattered safety glass inside a moving vehicle.
If you are wondering if your windshield will break while driving, it can lead to breakage and dangerous flying shards depending on the type of stress put on the glass. It also depends on whether or not water enters the crack and keeps the stress factor active.
A hairline crack doesn't progress to complete penetration; it might even stay at this stage for years without further spreading. However, if there's a certain type of stress put on the glass that causes it to break into multiple pieces, then those pieces could fly out upon breakage and cause injury or death depending on where you are located in relation to them as they come through the windshield. If your windshield is cracked, have it repaired immediately by an auto glass service center near you . You don't want to take chances driving around with a damaged windshield.
Make certain there's no debris inside your car to bounce around and cause further damage. Clean the glass as well as you're able, and head straight to a quality shop like Quality 1 Auto Glass. They'll fix the crack right up for you.
Lastly, try to avoid putting stress on the glass by swerving or slamming on the brakes. Cracks need to be fixed right away, regardless of how big or small, they are and regardless of what you're doing with your car (such as driving). Even if the crack isn't causing any leakage into your vehicle, it could lead to breakage while in motion and cause injury or death depending on where you are located in relation to shards flying out upon breakage. It's easy for water to enter cracks over time, so usually, the condition only worsens exponentially once there's even a small leak formed. A tiny crack can easily turn into a large crack and a large crack can easily turn into shards of glass becoming detached from the windshield upon breakage.
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