Auto Glass Safety

When safety matters, call Star Glass Company

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration* (NHTSA), there were 296,000 vehicles involved in rollover crashes in the United States in 2000. Of these crashes, 10,400 resulted in fatalities and 185,000 in injuries to the driver or passengers. Over 36,000 people were involved in crashes where they were partially or fully ejected from their vehicle. More than a quarter of these did not survive. Over 1,500 lives were saved by airbags in 2000. It is important to remember that airbags are designed to deploy in moderate to severe frontal crashes.

Properly installed windshields do a lot more than just keep out the elements. They are a vital part of a vehicle's structural strength and safety systems.


Airbag Performance - Airbag Timing
As a part of vehicle structure, the windshield is a critical determinant of proper airbag timing. In a crash, an improperly installed windshield may cause an airbag to deploy too early or too late. In either case, the safety of the occupants may be greatly compromised.

Airbag Retention
On impact the windshield acts as a brace to support the passenger side airbag. If the windshield separates, the airbag does not have a constrained space, and it is not effective in protecting the occupant.

Vehicle Strength - Structural Integrity
The windshield is an important part of a vehicle's energy management system, which directs crash energy around the occupant compartment. If the windshield is improperly installed, the vehicle may crumple differently than the manufacturer intended, jeopardizing its occupants.

Rollover Strength
In a rollover accident, the windshield provides strength, keeping the roof from crushing in on the occupants. In some model designs, the windshield supplies up to 50% of the vehicle's rollover strength.

Occupant Retention
The windshield is intended to keep unrestrained occupants inside the vehicle. During a crash, a person is 25 times more likely to survive if he/she is contained inside the passenger compartment.

Object Penetration
Many people think a windshield is there to keep out the elements. While this task is very important, the windshield does so much more. That's why it is so important that replacement windshields be installed to the same standards that the manufacturer intended.


*2000 U.S. DOT Motor Vehicle Crash Data from FARS & GES and Traffic Safety Facts 2000


Article: Windshields, A Family Health Decision...Right In Front of You!