For this week’s blog, we thought we’d give our readers a bite sized introduction into windscreen  law and regulations. We notice that a lot of Strathclyde Windscreen customers have no knowledge about the issue at all.

For instance, did you know that a damaged windscreens can sometimes be a motoring offence? And potentially a driver can incur a fixed penalty (either a fine, three points on your licence or both). It all depends on how the visibility of your screen is affected. The Highway Code requires that drivers have a full, uninterrupted view of everything ahead of them. Technically even a very, very dirty windscreen could be a breach of the code, but in terms of a crack or chip, it would need to seriously impact on visibility to cause a code violation. Something to bear in mind huh?

Another factor to be aware of is your annual MOT. If you have a chip or crack on your windscreen that measures 40mm or more, this will be an automatic fail of your MOT and you’ll need a repair or replacement before your car can be re-tested for its MOT. But that isn’t the only instance your windscreen can let you down. Even an area of damage as small as 10mm can lead to a fail, if a particular area on your windscreen has been affected. The area is referred to as “Zone A” and will affect drivers direct visibility of the road ahead (please see illustration below).

Finally, in the event of an accident, if a crack or chip in your windscreen has reduced visibility to the extent that it can be proved to have actually contributed to an accident, then you could be held responsible. With the knock on effect of causing complications with your car insurance.

So stay safe out there on the road, and let us know if Strathclyde Windscreens can help!