1204 South Brundidge Street
Troy, Alabama 36081
(334) 566-4343
1-800-628-9799
Earles Glass
1204 South Brundidge Street
Troy, Alabama 36081
(334) 566-4343
1-800-628-9799
Jeanne Fransway was killed when her windshield "popped out "during a rollover accident allowing her to be ejected. She was found seventy feet from her car in a pasture lying on the windshield. Investigations revealed the windshield - which had been replaced eight months earlier had not been properly bonded to the car.
According to the Ford Motor Company, the windshield is 33 percent of the front strength of the energy management system. The windshield is up to 70 percent of the roof strength in a rollover in some SUV's and some other car models. The strongest part of a vehicle has become the bond of the windshield together with the top section of the dash.
Great Article by Dave Long - - Windshields Under Fire; Danger in Front of Your Eyes
Today, more than ever, vehicles depend on the glass windshield to add to its structure and strength as a whole. The windshield is a major part of the support system and energy management in a collision. Have you ever noticed why the windshield is much larger in size and more aerodynamically slanted? It's because of energy management and occupant protection in the cab of the vehicle.
In a 1982 General Motors concluded that a vehicle
lost about 1/3 of its roof strength if the windshield
bond came loose during a rollover accident.
Rusty Earles & Jeanne's
brother Jon Fransway
This windshield remained intact & performed properly. Amazing!
Photo by Dave Long
2004 Caravan and 1994 Caravan Notice the newer windshield's larger size.
From a high of 54,589 in 1972 - traffic accident fatalities have fallen by almost 12,000 people each year to 42,642 in 2006. During this same period however, rollover fatalities have risen by almost 10,000 each year from 745 deaths in 1972 to 10698 in 2006. Another 24,000 suffer catastrophic life altering injuries such as quadriplegia, paralysis or severe head injuries in rollovers each year.
US border agent Luis Pena was paralyzed when the roof of his F 250 crushed him in a rollover .
<---Note how the windshield transferred the force of the windshield upward causing the roof to peak over the driver
People would shudder if they realized the structural integrity of a vehicle's roof depends on a piece of glass,"said Ralph Hoar, a Virginia auto safety consultant
Only 3 of every 100 auto accidents are rollovers but they are the cause of 35 of every 100 deaths.
A Properly Bonded OEM windshield is designed to provide UP to 70% of the roof strength of some SUV's.
"There is no other issue in our country that involves as many deaths annually as the number of deaths in rollovers." Paula Lawlor, founder of People Safe in Rollovers Foundation,
Atty. Jere Beasley Report, Montgomery AL, November 2007
Has your windshield been replaced?- Will your car still pass crash tests?
"One of the easiest ways to improve roof strength is by keeping the front windshield and the rear back-lite glass from breaking out or popping out. June 27, 1984 General Motors - Ivars Arums
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, killing between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers every year. No other kind of hazard comes close to claiming as many teenage lives, including homicides (13 percent) and suicides (11 percent). (2002 figures) Teenage drivers account for 12.6 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes. The fatal crash rates among 16- to 19-year-olds is four times that of older drivers. Risk is the highest at age 16, when the fatal crash rate is 40 percent higher than for 18 year-olds and 30 percent higher than for 19-year-olds. - - Allstate Insurance
Penny Shipler
vehicle she was riding in
If they don't think the roof matters, let them live a full day as a quad and
see what it entails," says Penny Shipler, with son Keenan. Shipler was paralyzed in a 1997 rollover.
ABC News VIDEO with Barbara Walters - click on picture
click on picture
Please click on here for excellent safety video -
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers,
No other kind of hazard comes close to claiming as many teenage lives, - - Allstate Ins
In a 1982 study by General Motors of rollover ejection, GM engineer Ivar Arums found the roof lost one-third of its strength when the bonded windshield broke. GM did not tell NHTSA about these results.
Insurers are illegally trying to control the cost of repairs by steering consumers to particular shops, while at the same time, trying to distance themselves from any liability associated with negligent repairs.
Keep This Job - by Chicago Attorney - Patrick J. McGuire - Body Shop Business Magazine
GM tests found that it's pickup lost 36% of roof strength with the glass removed. Ford tested a 1990 F-150. Without the glass the roof could support only 4700 lbs. With the front and rear glass installed the roof could support 6700 lbs - Peoplesafeinrollovers.