What to Do When Your Windshield Cracks While On Vacation

Vacation is meant to be a stress-free and care-free time, but sometimes, the inevitable happens, including a broken windshield. If you are away on a road trip and the glass on your vehicle is broken, do not just put off the matter until you get home. You need to take a closer look to ensure you handle the matter appropriately. 

Assess the Damage

If you notice the damage while you are driving, you need to pull over as soon as possible to assess the damage. Damage to a windshield can occur in several different ways, and it is important for you to know what type of damage it is in order to understand whether or not it is safe to continue to drive. For example, if the chip is small and on the passenger side of the vehicle, you may be able to continue to drive until you have auto glass replacement repairs made. However, if during your assessment you see that the chip or crack is deep, is long, or has splinter cracks around it, you cannot put off repairs until you get home. 

Contact Your Insurance Company

All auto insurance policies have a state for which the policy is issued, but make sure you understand that it does not mean that you can only use your insurance in that state. If you are out of town in your vehicle and your windshield is cracked and you cannot wait on a repair, your insurance company will be able to coordinate with a local repair shop to have your window repaired. A quick call to your insurance company will point you in the right direction. 

Visit a Local Repair Shop

If you know that you need to have the glass repaired right away or you are unsure, you should visit a local repair shop. If you are a distance from home, there is a high probability that the drive home will put stress on the crack and cause it to get worse before you arrive. For example, traveling at high speeds on the highway could cause a crack to increase. The last thing you want to do is to find yourself on the side of the road with a cracked windshield. It is better to visit a repair shop now.

The most important thing to remember in this type of scenario is that you do not want to put off the issue. Have the damage assessed so that you know what to do.