It is a disheartening thing for any driver to see: a crack in their vehicle's windshield. An important thing to note is that windshield cracks are not merely annoyances, they can pose traffic safety dangers.
For one, they could put a driver in a more vulnerable position than they have to be in the event of a car accident. This is because windshields play a role in the structural integrity of vehicles. Because of this, a compromised windshield, such as a cracked windshield, could have negative structural integrity impacts on a vehicle. In a car accident, the state of a vehicle's structural integrity can have significant impacts on what the results of the accident are, such as what sorts of injury risks an occupant is exposed to during the crash.
Having a cracked windshield could also up a driver's likelihood of getting into a crash. This is because such cracks can negatively impact a driver's visibility, particularly in low visibility conditions. Impaired visibility can cause a driver to take longer to react to things out on the road, which can lead to collisions.
Given the negative safety impacts of windshield cracks, it is very important for drivers to get cracks fixed promptly after spotting them.
This underscores the fact that one of the things that can impact how safe a driver and other motorists around them are out on the roads is how vigilant the driver is in keeping their vehicle in proper condition. Individuals who have been hurt in an accident that came about because a driver failed to keep their vehicle in proper repair and are wondering if they could pursue a personal injury claim in relation to the crash should speak with skilled traffic accident lawyer.
Source: WXIX, "Dan Wells: Cracked windshields and winter driving," Dan Wells, Feb. 16, 2016