You may not think about your windscreen much, but it is important that you keep it clean and clear, to make sure that you maintain a good view of the road ahead. What’s more, your windscreen is much more than just a piece of glass; an intact windscreen adds to the structural integrity of your vehicle, giving it strength and giving you added protection.
If your windscreen affects your vision, you won’t pass your MOT test. This includes faulty or missing windscreen wipers, chips and cracks. So, how can you make sure it keeps you safe?
Maintaining Good Vision
It is important that you make sure your windscreen is clean on the inside and the outside. This can particularly help when the sun is low in the sky: the sun’s rays highlight smudges and smears, making it hard to see properly; they also reflect chips and scratches, which can dazzle you.
Make sure that you check your windscreen wipers annually, and replace them if they are damaged or worn away. Keep your screen-wash topped up (use stronger concentration in the winter) and make sure you clean the interior regularly, particularly if you notice marks on your windscreen.
Windscreen Chips and Cracks
Chips and cracks are an unfortunate consequence of driving – it is often impossible to avoid stones being thrown from the road and onto your windscreen, although driving slowly on uneven or recently gritted roads can help. If you do get a chip or crack in your windscreen, get it fixed immediately; if you leave it, it will grow beyond repair and you will have to replace your windscreen.
Chips and cracks can impair your vision so, depending on where they are and how big they are, you need to get it fixed. If the crack or chip is in front of you, it can’t be more than 1 cm in size; anything less than 1 cm can be repaired without impairing your vision too much. If the damage is outside of your main field of vision, it can be up to 4cm in size and still be repaired, rather than replacing your windscreen.
We know that fixing a minor issue like broken windscreen wipers or a chipped or cracked windscreen is inconvenient, but it will help to keep you safe and ensure that you are driving legally. If you are driving and your windscreen becomes cracked, our app could help you to find a windscreen repair specialist near you. The sooner you get your vehicle to a specialist, the more chance that it can be fixed, instead of needing to replace the windscreen.
Download our app on Android or Apple so that you know you can find a good garage when you need it.