Windshield Cracks and Weather: how one affects the other.

Whether you’re a born and raised “Arizonian”, a transplant from another state, or someone who’s never set foot in the beautiful Grand Canyon State, odds are one of the first things that come to mind when thinking of Arizona is HOT. If you live here, then you’ve most likely had the words “but it’s a dry heat!” come out of your mouth to justify the 110+ temps to an out-of-towner. But seriously, why are they visiting in the summer anyways? Amiright?!

You might be thinking: why does any of this matter when we are talking about windshields and windshield replacement?!

Let me explain. Not only is windshield repair the #1 insurance claim, but drivers in Arizona file more auto glass claims than any other state in the nation!

Why?! Although Arizona is vast, it is only the 6^th largest state in the US. And although there are almost 7.5 million people living in Arizona, it is only ranked #14 out of the 50 states as far as population goes. So how is this possible?

Well, the fact that Arizona is so darn HOT actually does directly impact our windshields and contributes to the statistics that demonstrate drivers here do in fact experience more damaged windshields.

Let’s take a deeper look into why our fellow Arizona drivers have to deal with more cracked and chipped windshields than our out-of-state friends.

First, let’s talk about the windshield and heat.

The National Weather Service published their data and records for the 2021 year. Although not quite as hot as 2020, Phoenix finished with 22 days of 110-degree weather and 104 days of 100-degree weather. Summers in Arizona can best be described as scorching hot, similar to what it must feel like to be in an oven. Windshields directly bear the heat of the sun which can result in windshield glass expansion, ultimately causing cracks and chips. Furthermore, what do drivers do as soon as they get into the car on a hot summer day? Crank that AC up of course! But this dual temperature that windshields face, along with the sudden and drastic change in temperature, also contribute to chipped and cracked windshields.

Next let’s talk about Phoenix Arizona’s freeway road system.

Arizona, and especially the Phoenix area and surrounding suburbs, has a vast expanse of freeways and roadways with bordering desert landscaping consisting of primarily gravel rock. These gravel-lined roads, along with our high speed limits, dry climate, and strong winds (if you haven’t heard of an Arizona haboob, google it!) all contribute to windshields getting hit with gravel and other debris with significantly higher impact, thus causing…you guessed it…chipped and cracked windshields!

Now let’s talk about Phoenix in general for automobiles.  

Phoenix is ranked the 4^th most populous city in the United States and people are still moving here in droves. There are approximately 5 million registered drivers and as people continue to make this beautiful state home, this number will continue to increase. With the rising population, construction is occurring at an unprecedented rate. And where there are active construction sites, there are also large vehicles as well as debris. This debris is often kicked up by these sites’ very own construction trucks and other large vehicles, causing…you guessed it AGAIN…chipped and cracked windshields!

And finally, I will leave you with a fun fact! Well maybe not fun, but certainly an interesting one. Several studies have found that Phoenix drivers are some of the more aggressive drivers in the country with more road rage incidents than most other places. Yikes! As we all know, aggressive driving can lead to motor vehicle accidents, causing…can you guess it one last time?!

Yup, right again! CHIPPED AND CRACKED WINDSHIELDS!

If you live in Arizona, call Auto Glass 2020 today at (480) 283-7751 or get a quote here! We can help keep your windshield in top-notch condition with either windshield repair or windshield replacement. Let’s keep your ride looking great.

Happy Travels!