Can I Drive with a Cracked Windscreen? Repair Tips and MOT Advice

Car windscreens can often be damaged by chips, scratches and cracks that cannot be easily fixed by the car owner. In this article, we will explore how serious windscreen chips and cracks can be, whether it's safe to drive with a cracked windscreen, what you can do as a car owner to prevent a cracked windscreen and how it can affect your MOT result.

How Serious Are Windscreen Cracks?

If there is a crack in your windscreen, this is a very serious issue as it could distort or impede your vision and make it very difficult to see the road ahead and any approaching road hazards. Even small scratches and minor chips can cause big problems as they can make the glare or dazzle from headlights or sunlight far worse. For insurance and MOT purposes, you need to keep your windscreen in good condition, as clear vision is vital for road safety. Furthermore, the windscreen in your vehicle is an essential part of the structure of your car, and if it is not in perfect condition, it could even stop the passenger airbag from working properly.

Can You Drive With A Cracked Windscreen?

No, you should never drive with a cracked windscreen as it is classed as a motoring offence to use a car that is in a dangerous or damaged condition. The Highway Code states that the windscreen should be in a good condition, maintained and that drivers should have unimpeded vision of the road ahead. If you were stopped with a damaged windscreen that distorts the driver's view of the road, this could result in a fine and a fixed penalty of three points on your license. Also, if you were to have an accident while driving with a cracked windscreen, this could result in being charged with a serious driving offence, as the crack could have contributed to the accident.

How Do You fix broken windscreen?

A crack in your windscreen will often start as a small chip that can spread over time and become more serious. Chips will never go away on their own so it is much better, and cheaper, to get the chip repaired rather than waiting for it become a large crack. Large cracks require the whole windscreen to be replaced, which is a much more expensive job. Small chips can be repaired by having an acrylic or epoxy resin injected into the damaged area. This process will then seal the chip and stop any further spread or any moisture or dirt getting into the chip.

Is There Anything a Vehicle Owner Can Do to Prevent Cracks?

It is almost impossible to stop a stone flying up and hitting your windscreen as you are driving along, but there are a few things you can do to help prevent windscreen cracks:

• In freezing temperatures, do not pour boiling water straight onto the glass of your windscreen to defrost it, as this can cause a crack.

• Check your windscreen wipers regularly, as the buildup of dirt and debris can cause small scratches and scrapes.

• Regularly check your windscreen for any signs of damage and get a cracked windscreen repair for any chips before they get worse.

• If you are driving on a poor quality road, drive slowly and carefully to minimise the chances of stones flying up.

At Protyre, we also offer a wide range of tyres from brands such as Sumitomo and Falken.

Will A Crack In Your Windscreen Fail a MOT?

If there is a chip or a crack which measures more than 40 mm anywhere on your windscreen, your car will fail the cracked windscreen MOT check. However, windscreens are split into zones A and B, with zone A being the 290 mm wide section in front of the steering wheel. If there is a 10 mm or larger sized crack and it falls into zone A, this will also result in an MOT failure. If you know you have a crack or chip in your windscreen, you must get this repaired before the MOT. At Protyre, we offer MOTs at a local garage near you. Just use our find a garage service, enter your postcode and select one of our 184 garages.

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