How does your locality view a cracked windshield?

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**helgrenze**

In a recent news story on the immigration laws in Arizona, this tidbit was offered as evidence of possible racial profiling...

Deputy Bob Dalton and volunteer Heath Kowacz spotted a driver with a cracked windshield in a poor Phoenix neighborhood near a busy freeway. Dalton triggered the red and blue police lights and pulled over 28-year-old Alfredo Salas, who was born in Mexico but has lived in Phoenix with a resident alien card since 1993.

Dalton gave him a warning after Salas produced his license and registration and told him to get the windshield fixed.

Salas, a married father of two who installs granite, told The Associated Press that he was treated well but he wondered whether he was pulled over because his truck is a Ford Lobo.

"It's a Mexican truck so I don't know if they saw that and said, 'I wonder if he has papers or not,'" Salas said. "If that's the case, it kind of gets me upset."

Now... I have lived and driven in 5 different states here in the US, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, and Oklahoma. In each, a cracked windshield WILL get you pulled over and a "fix-it" ticket is usually issued. Make, model, age, and such of the vehicle don't matter... A cracked windshield is a hazard to the driver and can become a hazard to other drivers if it breaks causing the driver to swerve.

So.. what about it.... is a cracked windshield cause to pull some-one over where you live?

**Stormrider**

Yup, Missouri is the same way.

**PukeNut**

Yep, I live in Arizona. If you have a cracked windsheild you will get pulled over and get a "fix it" ticket. Happened to me a while back, before the new laws took effect.

**Frazzled**

never heard of this before. It has to be a pretty bad crack no?

**Stormrider**

I would hope so Frazz, a little chip isn't much to complain about.

**PukeNut**

Yeah, the crack in the windshield of the truck I was driving was pretty big.

**helgrenze**

As it was explained to me...
"If an officer can see it with a casual glance at a distance of more than a car length."
So yeah, I would say it would probably have to be a significant crack.

**metallifan**

It's illegal here in BC as well, but the RCMP don't seem to do anything about it. Even the municipal police forces in Vancouver and area seem to look past it, as my cousin in abbotsford has two nice big ones right across the width, and he's never been ticketed for them.

**avantgarde**

Arizona's immigration law hasn't gone into full effect since a Federal judge blocked parts of it on wed.

So saying he was profiled is premature since the requirement to prove legal status was one those parts blocked.

**PukeNut**

avantgarde wrote:Arizona's immigration law hasn't gone into full effect since a Federal judge blocked parts of it on wed.

So saying he was profiled is premature since the requirement to prove legal status was one those parts blocked.

Huh, didn't realize that, I thought all the new laws went into effect yesterday.

**Soladrin**

I think i've been driving with a huge crack in the windshield for about.... 1,5 year. Nobody cares.

**Kilkrazy**

In the UK it depends on the length of crack and its location. If bad enough the car would fail its MOT test. The police might stop you and give you a fixed penalty notice.

**Pipboy101**

Kansas, if it is bigger than a dime = pulled over to see if you have warrents.

Missouri, if there is still clear glass not in the drivers view you are ok. Hell, in Missouri all you need is glass, brakes, lights, horn, tread on the tires and seat belts you have a vehicle that is passible for inspection.

**Jihadnik**

Same in Australia too, the cops usually do give you a ticket because now we have fifty billion speed camera's, they need something to do!

**SagesStone**

Well as it can impare your vision while your driving a few tons of metal along a road at roughly 50 miles per hour, I'd hope that they would do this almost globally.

Only need some special resin

**greenskin lynn**

based on the vehicles i see on the road, i don't think tennessee cares, they let people drive deathtraps with nary a unkind word or mean look

**Leigen_Zero**

yeah in the UK they don't take kindly to cracked winshield, although it won't necessarily get you a fine.

A friend of the family was driving down from sheffield to visit, and a small rock from truck with a load of rubble in the back decided to bail and cracked his windscreen mid-journey.

He got pulled over, and the cop asked about it and when he explained the story, he simply said "well if you can't get it fixed when you get to your friends house, get it fixed as soon as you get home!", which was very nice of him.

**JEB_Stuart**

That is a fairly standard reason to be pulled over by the police. The man was simply looking to place the blame on something other then himself. Happens in situations with police work all the time.

**Phryxis**

In Colorado I don't think it's an issue. I also have been told that in Colorado windshields are not covered by insurance, since they tend to break so much here. I'm further told that this is because the altitude leads to more broken windshields. They're actually made in layers, and small amounts of trapped air between the layers can cause more than the usual amount of cracking. Not sure if it's true, but it's certainly possible that Colorado simply views cracked windshields as being too common to get upset over.

**Khornholio**

In Alberta, if you didn't have a cracked windshield there was something wrong with your car. Here though, I haven't seen one cracked windshield. In fact the car I'm driving now is the first car I've ever had with a crackless windshield.