The Legal Ins and Outs of a Cracked Windshield

Windshields can get cracked and chipped through no fault of the car’s driver. Bits of rock or other road debris can be kicked up, tree branches can fall and other minor mishaps can occur that leave your windshield in less than perfect condition. Because of the expense involved with this kind of repair, many drivers wonder, how long can they drive with a chipped or cracked windshield before getting a ticket? The answer is it depends.

What State Do You Live in?

The specific legal requirements of motor vehicles vary by state.  Most states agree that a vehicle must have a windshield and it must be made of safety glass or have a safety glazing material applied to it. Many states also have laws in place that require a windshield not be obstructed. That means you can’t put stickers on your windshield except those required by law. It also means that if a crack or chip interferes with the driver’s ability to see, then it must be repaired before the vehicle can be legally driven. In most states it’s up to the police officer whether the crack or chip is a safety hazard.

How Serious Is the Damage?

That means in most cases it comes down to how serious the damage is to the windshield. A small chip in the corner of the windshield probably wouldn’t get ticketed in most states, but a crack that extends across the driver’s field of view almost certainly would. This can make it tempting to let smaller cracks go unrepaired, but the law shouldn’t be your only consideration.

A small chip or crack can be repaired for much less than a complete windshield replacement. If small cracks are ignored, they can quickly propagate through the glass to become a major crack, leaving you no choice but to replace the windshield. While it’s important to obey the law, it’s also cheaper and safer to take care of cracks long before they become illegal.