Tips For Choosing The Right Glass For Your Needs

Winter is not a fun time of year to be out on the road in many parts of the country. There is snow to deal with as well as road salt that can mess up your car's paint job. You could also be more likely to suffer a crack on your windshield, like if a large piece of hail came down during an ice storm, or if the dump truck in front of you lost control and something fell out the back of the truck and popped up onto your glass. Either way, you now have a situation to deal with. Here are some tips to help you get through it.

Figure Out If You Need To Pull Over

The first thing you need to do is look at the point of impact and see if it is just small chip or the start of a crack. If the glass is actually cracking, the vehicle might not be safe to drive. Pull over to the side of the road, turn on your emergency blinkers, and take a closer look.

Can You Drive It To A Repair Shop?

Once on the side of the road, look more closely at the situation. If the crack is small enough, consider whether or not you want to risk driving to the local auto shop for windshield repair. If it is technically still safe to drive, then the first stop you might want to make would be to any nearby department store to get some tape. Place tape over both sides of the crack to keep air and dirt from getting inside of it. If anything else gets in the crack while you are driving, the windshield could crack or splinter further.

While you are driving to either the store or the repair shop, make sure you turn off your defroster. In fact, you might want to turn off the heat altogether inside the car. A change in temperature between the inside of your car and the weather outside could cause the glass to crack further.

Get A Tow If Needed

If, after inspection, you don't feel safe driving your car anywhere even while taking necessary precautions, then it's probably best to call for a tow truck. Get your car taken to the nearest windshield repair center or reach out to your insurance agency to see if they have a suggestion in the area.

Don't panic if your windshield suddenly cracks this winter. Be smart about getting the car repaired quickly and you'll be back on the road in no time.