A Rock Cracked My Windshield – Now What?

You’re driving home from your family beach vacation when all of a sudden you hear a loud “POP!” and instantly there’s a crack in the windshield. Great. So what do you do now?

• Remain Calm
• Pull over
• Seal it up
• Call your auto insurance company (if you have comprehensive coverage)
• Visit your local auto glass repair professional

For starters, take a few moments to calm down and be thankful that it wasn’t worse. Rocks hitting the windshield can be extremely dangerous and have contributed to a large number of car accidents. In these cases, the risk runs much higher than just the potential for costly property damage; serious injury is too often the case as well. Keep this in mind before getting too worked up over a minor crack in the windshield.

Time to take action

Now that you’ve settled down a bit, there are a number of things you should do, the first of which is to pull over and inspect your car in case there is damage elsewhere. If you’re unsure or need help for any reason, you might want to call a friend or a roadside assistance agency for help.

Your next step is to cover the crack with some type of clear tape, so if you don’t have anything like this in your car, go get some and put it in the glove box immediately. This step is primarily to keep dirt and water out of the crack. Be aware that extreme heat or cold will only make it worse, so if this occurs during a snowstorm or heat wave; take it in for repair as quickly as possible.

If your car insurance policy includes comprehensive coverage, call your auto insurance company. In many instances, if you have comprehensive coverage, insurers waive any deductible that might apply so you can have it repaired for free. If you want to replace the windshield, you could have to pay the deductible. For obvious safety reasons, don’t try to repair or replace your own windshield. Take it to a professional. Your provider might have a relationship with one; if that’s the case, the repairman often will come to you to repair the windshield.

A cracked windshield is a small thing that doesn’t have to develop into a large one if you’re prepared, keep your cool, handle it correctly and know whom to call.

Source: AutoInsurance