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uk Transport & mobility emergencies

What to do if…
your windshield or windscreen has cracked while you are driving

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

If the crack affects your view, is spreading, or makes you unsure you can drive safely, do not continue the journey. Move only to a nearer safer place if you can do that safely; otherwise get help and arrange recovery.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t carry on driving the full journey just to see if the crack gets worse.
  • Don’t inspect the windscreen from a live lane, or stand close to moving traffic.
  • Don’t attempt a repair while stopped on a motorway, hard shoulder, emergency area, or fast road.
  • Don’t place a warning triangle on a motorway.
  • Don’t slam doors, hit kerbs or potholes, or add avoidable vibration.
  • Don’t blast very hot air onto a cold windscreen.
  • Don’t put stickers, tape, paper, liquid, or any object where it reduces your view or creates glare.

What to do now

  1. Check that your stopping place is safe enough for the next few minutes. Keep hazard warning lights on. If you are on a motorway or other high-speed road and can safely leave at the next exit or reach a service area, do that. If not, use an emergency area, lay-by, or hard shoulder only as needed.
  2. If you are stopped on a motorway or fast road, follow breakdown safety first. If it is safe to leave the vehicle, get out on the side furthest from traffic and wait well away from the vehicle and moving traffic, behind a barrier if there is one. If you cannot leave safely, stay in the vehicle with seat belts and hazard lights on, and call 999 and ask for the police.
  3. Make the windscreen check from the driver’s seat. Sit normally and look through the windscreen as you would while driving. If the crack, chip, glare, whitening, branching lines, or distortion affects your normal view of the road, treat this as do not continue.
  4. Treat line-of-sight damage as a stop sign. If you are tempted to move your head to see around the crack, if low sun or headlights catch it, or if rain makes it harder to see through, do not continue the journey.
  5. Check whether the damage is likely to worsen before you reach safety. Choose recovery if the crack is spreading, spidering, heading towards the edge of the glass, or more than a small chip.
  6. Use MOT visibility criteria as a warning sign, not permission to drive. MOT checks include damage in Zone A, the driver’s main swept view, over 10mm in diameter, and damage in the rest of the swept area over 40mm in diameter. Damage is especially serious if it significantly affects the driver’s view of the road. If you are near those limits or unsure, do not continue.
  7. Get help if you are not continuing. Contact your breakdown provider or insurer and say the windscreen is cracked and you are unsure it is safe to drive. If you are stopped in an emergency area, lay-by, or on the hard shoulder, use the emergency telephone if there is one, or call National Highways on 0300 123 5000 for motorway advice and assistance.
  8. If you decide a short move is safe, make it only a relocation. Drive only to the nearest safer place off fast traffic, such as a service area, car park, or repairer. Drive smoothly, stay within the speed limit, leave extra space, avoid bumps where you can, and avoid strong heat aimed at the glass.
  9. Only once you are safely away from traffic, take simple records. Take photos from inside and outside if safe. Note the time, location, and likely cause, such as a stone strike, for your insurer or repair booking.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide at the roadside whether the windscreen needs repair or full replacement.
  • You do not need to start claim paperwork while stopped near traffic.
  • You do not need to find the cheapest repair option now.
  • You do not need to clean, tape, press, or test the cracked area.

Important reassurance

A sudden windscreen crack can make driving feel unsafe very quickly. Pulling over to reassess was a sensible step. If visibility is not clearly safe, choosing recovery is a normal safety-first decision.

Scope note

These are first steps only for immediate safety and the decision about whether to continue driving. Later repair choices, insurance questions, and disputes may need help from a repairer, insurer, breakdown provider, or another relevant specialist.

Important note

This is general safety information, not legal, insurance, or professional motoring advice. If you are unsure whether the crack affects your view or whether the vehicle is safe to move, choose the safer option and get professional help.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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