The windshield is a piece that often must be replaced because a stone breaks it on the road or suffers other damages that make a good vision impossible. Thus, it is common that the decision to replace the windshield of a car is accompanied more by statements about the cost that this implies and the search for who does it faster, than by the choice of who does it better.

However, the replacement and consequently the sticking of this “glass” is key to the safety of a car, and its role in an accident is often as important as an Antilock Braking System (ABS), Airbags or Control Stability (ESP).

In addition to allowing visibility and ensuring the protection of the occupants against external objects, the safety glass contributes to the structural safety of the car and is a fundamental element of the body.

According to a CESVI report, it contributes 33% of the structural safety of the vehicle. It can even represent up to 6 8% of the torsional rigidity and acts as a support base for the correct deployment of the passenger airbag.

Based on the experience of the entity in the reconstruction of traffic accidents, it was found that in most of the crashes in which injuries were produced by the detachment of the safety glass, the windshields had been placed with inadequate procedures or inputs. It is estimated that in our country 300,000 windshields are replaced per year.

A poor placement or the use of inappropriate products for installation can compromise the life of those who travel in that vehicle, as the safety glass can become detached in full circulation or even enter the interior of the passenger compartment causing situations with consequences serious.

In a certain type of collision or rollover, if the windshield falls off, the resistance it gives to the structure is lost and, consequently, the roof can be compressed, compromising the living space for the occupants and causing serious and permanent injuries.

The safety glass, in turn, is a fundamental element for the passenger airbag to provide the necessary protection when activated. The windshield must remain fixed to the structure at all times to provide the airbag with the necessary restraint to be properly deployed and in the exact position when it encounters the body of the person leaning forward due to inertia. If the safety glass is detached, the airbag will be in any other position and cannot guarantee the protection for which it was designed.

A correct installation must contemplate approved safety glass and sealants. In addition, the place where the work is performed must allow proper assembly and disassembly procedures to restore structural strength to the vehicle.