WHY WINTER IS THE WORST TIME TO LEAVE THAT CRACK IN YOUR WINDSHIELD

In the winter, we tend to procrastinate a lot and many people appear to be less motivated. The reason for this could simply be; it’s cold! I’m sure most of us would rather bundle up in bed as opposed to going outside and attending work, or running errands. Even the process of running into your car and waiting for it to heat up (if you don’t have a car starter) can be a drag. Toronto auto glass experts receive a lot of calls from people who unfortunately were struck by the “winter laziness” spell. These people waited a bit too long to repair their crack for many different reasons.

First of all, it’s important to understand the advantages of your windshield and exactly how unsafe you and your passengers are should you refrain from repairing it right on time. Your windshield doesn’t just block debris from flying in your face, it also protects your roof from caving onto your head during rollover accidents, holds up the structure of your car, allows your airbag to deploy and more! Now, in some situations, experts have noticed that most vehicle owners wait to repair their windshield because they don’t have the funds right away. Did you know that in some cases your insurance company can actually cover the costs for you? As soon as you see a crack or chip in your windshield – especially in the winter time, you should call your insurance company and see if you’re covered. The great thing about having them fix the issue for you is that your driving record is not affected. Windshield damage is not comparable to an at fault accident. Your monthly payments will remain the same! So, never hesitate to call your company and see what they can do for you. One of the main reasons as to why you should never leave a crack or chip in your windshield during the wintery months is, the extremely low temperatures has a huge effect on whether your chip or crack will grow – resulting in an expert having to replace your whole windshield are opposed to repairing it. The cost to repair a chip, on average, is $30. The cost to repair your entire windshield, on average, is around $200. If procrastination could save me $70 then I’d surely take action ASAP. But, it’s important to note that it’s not all about the money. Your safety is at risk too. As stated above, if your windshield is even the least bit damaged, it can fail to save you when you are involved in an accident and your air bag may actually fail to deploy. In the winter time, especially around the Christmas season, accidents in the Toronto area occur 5x as more as any other time in the year. This is mainly due to icy road, horrible weather and last minute Christmas shopping. Due to these statistics, you can see why it’s important for you to refrain from driving around with a damaged windshield in the winter time. Police officers in the Greater Toronto Area are also starting to hand out tickets and fines for drivers who are operating a vehicle with a damaged windshield. This has been a common practice for a while now and you can be fined up to $100 in some cases. Drive safely, and never leave that crack or chip in for too long!