The front window of a car is universally called the windshield in the United States. It's a critical safety component, not just a piece of glass. Modern windshields are made from laminated glass, which consists of two layers of glass bonded to a middle layer of plastic. This design is intentional: upon impact, the glass may crack, but the plastic layer holds the shards together, preventing them from scattering inside the vehicle and protecting occupants. This construction also provides structural integrity to the car's roof and is the mounting surface for the rearview mirror and, in many modern vehicles, sensors for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) like automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist.
Beyond safety, the windshield houses the vehicle's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) plate at the bottom corner on the driver's side. When a windshield is damaged, especially with cracks longer than a dollar bill or damage in the driver's direct line of sight, it should be repaired or replaced promptly by a certified technician to maintain the integrity of the ADAS systems, which often require precise recalibration after glass replacement.
| Windshield Component/Feature | Function & Key Data |
|---|
| Laminated Glass | Two 2.1mm glass layers with a 0.76mm plastic interlayer. |
| Structural Role | Contributes up to 30% of the vehicle's cabin structural rigidity. |
| ADAS Sensor Mount | Houses cameras and sensors requiring calibration to within 0.5 degrees. |
| Windshield Wipers | Clear a typical area of over 2,200 square inches during operation. |
| Solar Coating | Some windshields reject up to 45% of solar energy to reduce interior heat. |
| Acoustic Interlayer | Reduces interior noise by up to 5 decibels compared to standard glass. |
| Heated Windshield | Uses embedded micro-thin wires to defrost ice 3x faster than air vents alone. |
