What Causes Most of the Windshield Damage You See Around Orting and Puyallup?

Summary:

According to Mike, the most common source of windshield damage is rocks carried onto the road by other vehicles. Cars and trucks coming off gravel roads pick up rocks in their tires, drop them on the pavement, and other drivers then pick them up and fling them at the vehicles around them. Construction zones are another frequent cause, and highway driving raises the odds considerably since there is far more chance to catch a rock at speed than in a quiet residential area. Temperature also plays a role. A cold morning combined with the defroster can cause an existing chip to crack as the glass expands, and high heat makes the glass more fragile and prone to cracking out from the flex of driving.

Answer:

A lot of the causes of rock chips are your typical vehicles coming off of gravel roads, picking up rocks in their tires and leaving them on the road for other people to pick up and fling at new cars. Construction zones are pretty common for creating rock chips too. And a lot of highway driving. There is a lot more of a chance to catch a rock when you are flying down the highway versus rural or residential areas. As far as temperature goes with rock chips, it goes both ways. When it is really cold in the morning and you throw your defrost on, it can cause that rock chip to crack. What happens is the glass expands, and the next thing you know, your small rock chip turns into a cracked windshield. It is the same thing with it being really hot outside. The hotter your glass gets, the more fragile it is, and with the flex that happens from driving, you can get your rock chip to crack out that way as well.