Windscreen damage remains a hazard and reality experienced by all South African motorists. Although windshield damage can result from a variety of causes, the most common is flying rocks and debris cast off from the loads of commercial trucks as well as debris projected from road surfaces under construction.
We have all experienced the small annoying chip on our windscreens. This might not trouble motorists much and can be easily fixed! It is however when the chip becomes a crack running across the windscreen that we need to consider whether it is indeed time to replace the windscreen.
In this section we would like to consider what the National Road Traffic Act stipulates about windscreen safety and why we need to look beyond the legal requirements and also focus on what is required for safety on the road!
(c) unless, in respect of a motor vehicle which, according to the registration certificate thereof, was registered for the first time after the year 1958, such transparent material is safety glass and every pane thereof is permanently marked with the name or trade mark of the manufacturer thereof or the trade name of the glass and is clearly identifiable as safety glass by a permanent mark indicating it as such.
(ii) was registered for the first time on or after 1 January 1987, consist of acrylic or polycarbonate plastic material.
(c) if, from 1 January 2000, any material or film, with a textured surface, displaying a picture or graphics is applied to the rear window that covers more than one-eight of such rear window, or windscreen or a side window.
(4) The provisions of subregulation (3) (a) (ii) shall not apply to an ambulance or a hearse or to windows complying with SABS ECE R43.
(e) which is a motor cycle, a motor tricycle or motor quadrucycle unless it is fitted with a rear-view mirror on the right side of the handlebars thereof, and such cycle shall also be fitted with a rear-view mirror on the left side of its handlebars.
(b) contemplated in subregulation (1)(d) shall be either flat or spherically convex and have an average radius or curvature of not less than one comma eight metres.
What is Legal is not necessarily what is Safe!
It is important to recognize that the National Road Traffic Act only stipulates what is required in terms of the quality of windscreen used and the need to ensure visibility for the driver. It does not make it illegal to drive where the crack is not in the view of the driver and does not obstruct his vision. Even though driving with a cracked windscreen might not be a ticketable offence it should not be construed that doing so is safe as well!
The Windshield/ Windscreen is an integral role in a car’s support structure. While during the course of normal driving an imbalance or imperfection in this structure might not be apparent, it can become deadly during a crash or collision.
In most vehicles the windshield is designed to transfer the impact of a front-end collision down through the front of the car into the chassis, helping to minimize the impact’s effect within the interior, protecting passengers. A cracked windshield can shatter under the pressure of a collision, allowing the impact of the collision to move horizontally through the car, significantly increasing the danger to passengers.
The windscreen also provides vertical support, preventing the car’s roof from crushing. During a rollover accident, a cracked or chipped windshield can allow the roof to cave in, causing potentially serious injury. Statistics overwhelmingly indicate the danger and increased risk to passengers in a rollover accident during which the roof crushes.
While seatbelts are the primary means for protecting passengers from ejection during a collision, the windshield also plays an important role. For unbelted passengers, or in situations where the seatbelt is faulty, broken, or severed in the course of the accident, the windshield can provide a final measure of protection ensuring that the passengers remain within the interior of the car. Even a minor chip in the windshield can cause the window to shatter on impact, allowing passengers to be ejected from the vehicle.
In addition to distributing the impact of a crash, the windshield provides support to the airbags, particularly those on the passenger side. When the airbag deploys during an accident, it expands outward and compresses against the windshield before pillowing out to support the passenger.
A faulty windshield cannot properly absorb the force of the inflating airbag, and can shatter, diminishing or negating the effectiveness of the airbag.
The windscreen needs to be recognized as an important component in vehicle safety. Given the dangers which can result from a damaged windshield, it is important that cracked or chipped windshields be repaired by a qualified technician as soon as possible.