A stone hit my windshield: the first hour, step by step

Keep driving until it is safe to stop

A windshield that has taken a stone is laminated glass: two layers with a plastic layer between them. A chip almost never makes the windshield fall in. Do not brake hard or pull onto a narrow shoulder on a busy road just to look. Carry on to the next exit, a gas station or a parking lot, and look there.

The exception is damage that blocks your view. If a crack has spread across your line of sight and you cannot see the road clearly, get off the road as soon as it is safe and do not drive on.

Look at the damage properly

Once you are parked, check four things. They are what a glass technician will ask about, and they decide whether the windshield can be saved.

• Size. Is it smaller than a quarter? Impex uses that as its picture of a small chip.
• Shape. A round bullseye, a star with legs, or a chip with a line already running from it.
• Position. How far from the edge of the glass, and is it in front of the driver or behind the mirror where a camera may sit?
• Depth. Run a finger over the inside of the glass at the same spot. If you can feel the break inside, both layers are damaged.

Then take two photos: one close up with a coin beside the chip for scale, and one from further back that shows where it sits on the glass. They help with the quote and with any insurance claim.

Cover it before it gets dirty

A fresh chip is clean. Within a day or two it collects road film, rain and wash soap, and a dirty break does not take repair resin as clearly. A strip of clear packing tape over the chip, pressed down gently, keeps it clean and dry until it is filled. Do not use anything that leaves glue or residue in the break, and do not press hard on the chip itself.

Go easy on the glass for a few days

A chip turns into a crack when stress gathers at its edges. Until it is repaired, keep that stress down:

• Do not point the defroster at the chip on full heat on a cold morning; warm the car gradually.
• Do not pour hot water on frosted glass.
• Skip the car wash, especially high-pressure washes.
• Close the doors gently rather than slamming them.
• Take speed bumps and driveway lips slowly.

Note where and when it happened

Write down the road, the direction and the time, and anything you noticed about the vehicle ahead. If a truck was carrying an uncovered load, the company name on the door is worth noting. North Carolina requires covered, secured loads on trucks carrying rock, gravel or stone, but proving a particular stone came from a particular truck is hard, so most drivers end up using their own comprehensive coverage. The notes still help if your insurer asks.

Decide whether to claim

In North Carolina, glass breakage falls under comprehensive coverage, less your deductible. There is no state law that sets a zero deductible for glass, so look up your comprehensive deductible and whether your policy has full glass coverage before you decide. A chip repair often costs less than a deductible. If you do claim, a comprehensive glass claim is not an at-fault accident, so it does not add Safe Driver Incentive Plan points, and under G.S. 58-3-180 you choose who does the work.

Get it looked at soon

The least costly outcome is a chip filled while it is still a chip. Our page on rock chip repair in Raleigh NC explains which chips can be filled and how the repair is done at your car. If a line is already running from it, read windshield repair vs replacement in Raleigh to see where the line between the two falls. Send the photos with the quote form or describe the damage on the phone, and Impex can usually tell you straight away which it is likely to be.

Questions drivers ask