Don't Let Your Windscreen Break You: Two Types of Windscreen Breaks That You Need to Deal With Fast
At some point, most people experience windscreen damage today. Whether it's a flying rock, a collision, or something else that causes the damage, breaks in the windscreen can interfere with your vision or even make it impossible to drive safely. There are several different types of windscreen breaks, so how do you know when it's really a serious problem requiring replacement? Read on to find out about two of the most serious windscreen breaks today.
Star Breaks: They Start Small But Finish Big
Star breaks are the cracks that begin when a rock hits your windscreen. At the point of impact, the rock creates a pit, but the pit's not really the problem. The lines radiating outwards, however, can become quite a serious issue. A star break usually has multiple lines fanning outwards from the centre pit, much like the rays of a star.
A star break can spread quite rapidly, and the lines sometimes intersect to make it even worse. Any type of pressure or impact could cause the whole windscreen to shatter. Whilst it's sometimes possible to repair a star crack, you must act quickly -- usually when the crack's still just a few centimetres long. If the crack's already started to spread, a windscreen replacement is usually the best choice.
The Horizontal Break: A Sign of Trouble on the Horizon
A horizontal line in the windscreen might seem like a minor issue—at least in the beginning. Unfortunately, horizontal lines can spread like wildfire. Even if the line is just a few centimetres long, it will almost inevitably start to move along the windscreen quite quickly. Depending upon where the line is, this can cause enough vision problems to be a safety risk.
The other major problem with a horizontal windscreen break is that these breaks can compromise the strength of the glass. With a line running across nearly the entirety of the windscreen's glass, there's a chance that any type of impact at all could cause a complete cave in. Whilst it's usually best to replace the windscreen in the case of a horizontal break, your windscreen repair and replacement provider might be able to perform an effective repair if you see them straight away.
If you're dealing with either of these types of windscreen breaks, don't wait for disaster to strike. See a windscreen replacement provider now to make sure that you can stay safe whilst on the motorways.
