Whether you're a car enthusiast or just a generally curious person, windscreens are the last feature anybody would look for in a car. The body, model, colour, and features are definitely what grab eyeballs and spark your interest. But what if I told you, the evolution of glass windscreens is laden with interesting facts.
In fact, did you know windscreens were an add-on accessory to earlier car models? So if you were the proud owner of a vehicle back in the day, in all likelihood, the windscreen wouldn't be a part of your vehicle's anatomy as is so commonly seen today.
And this is important because once you learn of these interesting facts about windscreens, you'll begin to prioritise repairing and regular maintenance checks at a reputed windscreen repair and replacement service, a lot more.
Without Further Ado, Let's Introduce You to the Facts One by One:
Did You Know Earlier Car Models did Not have Windscreens?
Yes, you read correctly. Even though you've never imagined a vehicle without a windscreen, this was exactly how things were earlier. And yes, it was highly inconvenient for the driver as well as passengers as they had to endure dust, debris, bad weather elements and even risky bits of gravel flying into their face and harming them.
Only once vehicles started getting mass-produced, did manufacturers start adding them, however, still not realising that it contributes to the safety.
Did You Know Windscreens were Previously Made of Regular Glass?
Today, people don't pay attention to the information on the type of glass used for the windscreen. However, earlier it did matter a big deal because the flaws of using regular glass became very evident. Manufacturers realised that using regular glass was an extremely bad idea because of the increasing crashes. This led to the development of hardened glass that was then used as a replacement.
But this too failed since it shattered with a single stone chip. It took a combination of French chemist Edouard Benedictus's discovery of laminated glass (i.e. glass coated with liquid plastic to help preserve its shape in the advent of a crash/fall) and later Henry Ford's usage of laminated glass for Ford cars for this to become a regular practice.
Did You Know It was a Real Estate Developer Who Discovered Wipers?
Around the same time, that glass lamination was discovered, a real estate developer came up with the idea of wipers. Her invention was based out of an observation of a trolley driver having difficulty seeing because of the snow.
Although she patented the first windscreen wiper design, it was rejected. It was only after her 17-year patent expired that manufacturers began to put the idea to use.
Did You Know Tints Protect the Windscreen from Damage?
For those who don't know, temperature is one of the biggest perils in the lifespan of a windscreen. This is especially true in the case of extremely high temperatures. The heat makes the windscreen brittle and all the more susceptible to getting chipped/cracked/broken.
Tint acts as a protective layer in keeping the UV rays out along with cutting out the heat to a significant extent. If you're looking to keep your windscreen and windows in healthy shape to prevent repair/replacement costs, do consider getting them tinted by a reputed service provider.
Did You Know the Smooth Functioning of Your Airbag is Dependent on the Windscreen?
We often think the windscreen and airbag are two independent elements/features of a vehicle. However, we do not account for the fact that the airbag requires the windscreen to be in perfect condition and not vulnerable to easy breakage in order to function correctly.
The reason being, airbags generally open upwards and the windscreen functions like a stopper for the passenger seat thereby allowing the airbag to open upwards and then deflect to prevent the passenger from flying headlong into the glass.
A weak windscreen will not be able to withstand the pressure and hence cannot assure the effective functioning of both the air bag or the safety of the passenger.
Let's conclude by saying that people do not know how important a windscreen is to their car as much as they should. They often take it for granted which is also why they procrastinate fixing any chips or cracks. On the other hand, experts strongly advise that owners get the damage seen to at the earliest by a skilled team of experts to come up with a solution.