You are cruising along the interstate, highway or frontage road following behind a semi-truck when suddenly a rock torpedoes towards your car going the speed of light. You hear that all too familiar thunk and know that your windshield has a new rock chip. Rock chips turn into cracks and before you know it, your car has a 12 inch crack straight across the windshield. It won’t pass a safety inspection now so you have to replace the windshield. What a waste of money. There are Oklahoma City auto glass companies that will come to your office or home to save you valuable time.
Rock Chips and Windshields
Travelers in the early 1900 would have been thrilled to have had a rock chip. That would mean that they had a windshield, which they didn’t. Original motorist wore goggles to keep rain, rocks and debris from flying into their eyes. Henry Ford quickly recognized a need for safety and protection and created the modern day windshield in 1919. Before Ford’s creation, some crude windshields were used but they were produced of plate glass which would break into big pieces in the case of an accident. Incidents of stabbings and serious injuries were reported. Replacement of this glass was also near impossible as it was installed in the production of the car. While there were no semis to flick rocks at your, glass repairs were a more serious and costly problem then the modern day rock chip.
Horses don’t need Windshield
Ford developed a solution using laminated glass. This was innovative technology for its time. He used two layers of glass that were held together by a cellulose inner layer. Right after the windshield problem was solved, the next problem was how to keep rain and debris off the glass. All of these were new problems. The horse drawn carriage didn’t need a windshield, it didn’t need wipers, and the driver didn’t have to see exactly where he was going as the horse knew where he was going. Cars don’t think, they can’t see, they don’t stop at rivers, streams, rocks, and other obstacles. It quickly became apparent that driver needed to see and see well.
Mary Anderson and the Windshield Wiper
The only options for driving through rain and snow storms were to stick your head out the side window or stop the car occasionally and clear the glass. You know how well that works. Enter Mary Anderson. Mary watched a trolley car driver in 1902 struggle to keep his windshield clear during a rain and sleet storm. She came up with the idea to have swinging arms that hold rubber blades connected to an interior handle. The driver or passenger could turn the knob and clear the window. Necessity is certainly the mother of invention. By 1916 all American made vehicles had the handy handle. Don’t forget drivers had to shift while they drive and operate manually the windshield wipers. It looks like driver were distracted long before cd’s and cell phones.
Be Grateful for Rock Chips
Next time you get a rock chip on your window simply call an Oklahoma City auto glass company and get it fixed. Just be grateful you have a windshield and that rock didn’t hit your googles.