Is it legal/safe to drive with a cracked windcreen?

pookienoodle

While driving today something hit my windscreen and caused it to crack,my insurance company put me in touch with Autoglass who cannot replace my windscreen until sometime on Thursday.
When I moaned this was a long time as I need the car to take my disabled husband to a hospital appointment tomorrow I was told it was safe and legal to drive a car with a cracked windscreen passenger side.
this seems to be different to what Autoglass have on their website.
quote
"A windscreen provides 30% of a car’s structural strength and if damaged by a crack, it requires a complete and immediate replacement"
So can anyone please tell me is it safe and legal?

DaveF327

It is safe providing you don't roll the car over or a tree or similar doesn't fall on it. The structural strength referred to only comes into play if you flip the car over (or something heavy falls on the roof) and the windscreen prevents the roof caving in and squashing you.

It is legal providing the driver has a clear and unobscured view of the road. MOT experts will confirm how big the crack has to be to fail the MOT test, based on which 'zone' the crack is in. If it's on the passenger side, it will be in the zone where a larger crack is allowed.

Websites will always exaggerate the worst case scenario as part of a sales pitch.

Chippy_Minton_2

pookienoodle wrote: »

So can anyone please tell me is it safe and legal?

Without seeing it who can say if it's safe.

Legal? Well you could face a £30-00 ticket if stopped or have to attend court. It an offence despite what Dave says.

DaveF327

Chippy_Minton wrote: »

you could face a £30-00 ticket if stopped or have to attend court. It an offence despite what Dave says.

Like I said, it depends on the size of the crack. I was quoting from reg.104 of the 1986 Construction and Use regulations. Care to quote your source?

Chippy_Minton_2

Regulation 104 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 makes
it an offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle if he or she cannot have proper
control of the vehicle. Anyone "causing or permitting" a driver not to have proper
control, such as an employer requiring an employee to drive a vehicle which they
cannot properly control, is also liable for prosecution. It is reportedly the intention of
the police, in the event of a serious, or fatal, road traffic accident to seize any mobile
phone found in the vehicle, or in the drivers possession, for purposes of checking to

see if the device was ‘in use’ at the time of the accident.

Care to expand on yours?

DaveF327

Chippy_Minton wrote: »

Regulation 104 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 makes
it an offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle if he or she cannot have proper
control of the vehicle...

remainder_of_regulation_104 wrote:

...or have a full view of the road and traffic ahead.

You need the whole regulation for it to make sense in the context of this thread. I presume you pulled that from a police website or similar which quoted part of the regulation to expand on some other topic.

Chippy_Minton_2

OK, well I stated the OP may be liable for a ticket. The offence would be worded as "Glass not as perscribed". Can you tell me where the con and use regs perscribe the fitting of a cracked windscreen?

Nilrem

IIRC if it's cracked badly enough to fail an MOT, it's bad enough for the police to potentially do something about it (ranging from failure to maintain glass, to dangerous condition), with the penalties ranging from a defect notice to potentially the magistrates if it's really bad/you're in an accident where the condition of the glass might be a contributing factor.

Personally, it's not something i'd be happy about driving with (a badly cracked windscreen)

jeannieblue

Pop into your local garage/MOT station and ask them to take a look. And ignore the 'friendly banter' of previous posters.........

Thursday is only a couple of days away - and the crack is on nearside - probably ok but to put your mind at rest, get it checked. It is hard for anyone on here to advise as we cannot see the windscreen - and some tend to get dramatic...........

pookienoodle

Thanks for all your advice,I am more concerned about the safety of my husband and child than getting a ticket.
I think it is wrong of Autoglass to say its legal without seeing the windscreen.

Chippy_Minton_2

OP, beware the crack COULD spread!