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Today's windscreens are made from laminated glass.
- Layers of glass are placed on top of each other with a plastic sheet between them.
- When the windscreen breaks the glass sticks to the plastic sheet and this prevents the broken pieces from flying around inside the car.
- Windscreens don’t always break completely and some cracks and damage can be repaired within certain limitations.
- There is an Australian/New Zealand standard for windscreen repairs (AS/NZ 2366:1999).
- The standard allows repairs depending on where the damage is.
- One area of the windscreen is called the Critical Vision Area (CVA) and repairs are limited in this area.
- The CVA starts 65mm from the bottom of the windscreen in line with the centre of the driver’s headrest.
- It extends 150mm on either side of that centre line and continues to 90mm from the top of the windscreen.
- Repairs can be carried out if the damage is no larger than:
| Type of damage | Inside CVA area | Outside CVA area |
| Crack | 25mm | 350mm |
| Star | 15mm | 30mm |
| Horseshoe | 10mm | 25mm |
| Bullseye | 10mm | 20mm |
| Crater | 2mm | 5mm |
- A crack starts and finishes at the edge of the windscreen.
- The damage affects more than the outer layer of glass.
- The windscreen bonding layer has deteriorated.
- There are eight or more repairs on the windscreen.
- There is a previous repaired crack over 100mm.
- Two or more previous repairs are in the Critical Vision Area and the new damage is in the CVA.
- An adjacent previous repair is in the overlay area (the overlay is a tool used to assess damage to windscreens) and the new damage or previous repair is in the CVA.
Tinting
Window tinting will protect the interior of your car from harmful UV rays and keep the interior temperature down on very hot days.
- The front windscreen may have a tinted band at the top providing it does not exceed more than 10% of the windscreen depth and is above the sweep of the wipers.
- As a general rule the tint should not be darker than 35% visible light transmission (VLT).
- This means that 35% of available light passes through the window.
- Tinting must not be mirror like, as this can be a hazard to other road users.
Side window sun shields
Side window sun shields can protect your car's interior and pasengers from the sun.
- There are many types available; some stick to the window and others fit like a sock.
- Make sure that they do not block your visibility, as anything that impedes the driver's vision would be illegal.
