What glass are windshields made from?
As you drive, your windshield encounters harsh conditions. It has the important task of protecting you from:
- flying stones
- Bugs and dirt
- Torrential rain and snow
- Even the occasional exposure to birds
Your windshield is also a safety device. It provides the structural integrity of your vehicle and protects you from the impact of anything that impacts your windshield. In the event of an accident or rollover, a strong blow to the windshield can cause it to severely crack or shatter. If your windshield shatters, you can expect to be showered with glass shards, but this is not going to happen.
Windshields are made of safety glass
Modern windshields are made from safety glass. It is designed in such a way that if it breaks, it will shatter into small pieces. The small shards of broken glass are not as sharp as one would expect glass to be, hence the nickname safety glass. Your windshield is made up of two layers of glass with a plastic layer in between. In a situation where the safety glass breaks, the plastic layer of the laminated glass holds both layers together and all the small pieces of glass remain mostly attached. Thus, glass shards inside your car are practically non-existent.
Windshields are not easy to break. They require significant force, such as a severe head-on collision, a rollover, or a collision with a large object such as a deer or elk. If your windshield shatters, you will likely have much more to worry about immediately than a broken windshield. If your windshield is broken, it will need to be replaced so you can drive again.
