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(NewsUSA) - When consumers think of safety features in a new vehicle or truck, safety belts, air bags and anti-lock brakes may quickly come to mind. However, a relatively unknown fact is that the windshield also plays a pivotal role in overall automobile safety.
Windshields not only support the roof of your vehicle, when combined with the use of a safety belt they also protect motorists from being ejected during head-on collisions, rollovers and vehicle crashes.
"Driving with a damaged or cracked windshield can hinder a motorist's visibility and compromise the structural integrity of the automobile during a rollover incident," said John Nielsen, director of AAA's Approved Auto Repair program.
According to reports by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 40,000 Americans are killed every year in highway crashes, and 5 million more are injured. Thirty percent of the passenger vehicle occupant fatalities stem from an occupant being ejected or injured in a rollover.
"Many people just don't realize that their car's windshield contributes to the vehicle's structural integrity by supporting the roof during a rollover," says Leo Cyr, vice president of the National Glass Association.
AAA encourages drivers with cracked or damaged windshields to seek the advice of an auto glass technician who is certified by the National Glass Association. You can find an NGA-certified technician near you by visiting www.glass.org or www.myautoglass.org and typing your zip code into the certified technician locator service.
Visitors to www.AAA.com can also enroll in AAA AutoManager, an application that sends users regular e-mail reminders when their vehicles are due for recommended maintenance, and provides additional tools to help diagnose vehicle problems and locate nearby AAA-approved repair shops.