What's with all the cracked windshields here? (Denver, Brighton: home, buying)

[hamster21]

I don't know if it's Colorado, or Denver, but I go out and see at least 5 to 25 cracked windshields every day here. Is it the dryness allowing rocks and sand to be kicked up a lot? Is it because a car inspection here basically entails an emissions check only and nobody really cares enough to replace their cracked windshields? Is it some cosmic force at play? It's amazing!

[bluescreen73]

The biggest culprit is road sanding during the winter.

[Mach50]

Yup cracked windshields are mostly from the "sand" used to improve traction on snowy roads. You can be stopped and ticketed in Colorado for an equipment defect as a primary cause for the ticket, but the police are fairly lenient.

[The Homogenizer]

Originally Posted by hamster21

I don't know if it's Colorado, or Denver, but I go out and see at least 5 to 25 cracked windshields every day here. Is it the dryness allowing rocks and sand to be kicked up a lot? Is it because a car inspection here basically entails an emissions check only and nobody really cares enough to replace their cracked windshields? Is it some cosmic force at play? It's amazing!

That's one of the things I've learned to appreciate about Colorado: unlike back East, law enforcement here isn't used (to the same extreme) as a revenue generator. It took a while to get used to not having a police officer take my minor complaints as seriously as they did in the East, but the benefit is that I've grown to appreciate being free of the sense that police officers are setting traps and writing tickets for petty issues.

It's strange that people from the East, myself included, will call the West socialistic when the governments of the East are so paternalistic and they infuse themselves into everything. If you're here for a while, you'll see. You'll start to relax, and when you notice that sensation, then you'll understand why it is the way it is.

I'm no cheerleader for the West, but I think you're wrong on this one.

[DOUBLE H]

There are also a couple factors involved here and from a guy who has had to replace two windshields in the last six months, I believe I can qualify to reply here.

The truck traffic regarding the energy companies has cut back quite a bit, but are still a sizable presence on the road, particularly I-70. It doesn't take much for a rock to pop loose from the tires of those trucks, particularly tandem dumps and belly dumps. They are around rock and sand all the time. I don't know how many times I've seen small rocks come off the back rear tandem truck tires and go bouncing off the road and go boing boing boing crraack!!-- right on my windshield. And I give those trucks a wide berth too. That was in the Buick last November on I-70 between Silt and Rifle.

Another sure fire way to get dinged is traveling mountain passes, in my case Red Mountain Pass. Small rocks, hell how about big rocks can and do come off the mountainside and will ding up your windshield toot sweet, particularly from mid-July to nearly Labor Day weekend which is the monsoon season. That's where my Jeep Cherokee got popped last August. But I don't complain about it. That's the elements and I'm the one who chooses to take that road. And when you're on that pass you are absolutely in no position to look and see if any are tumbling down, marble size or basketball size.

It happens. Frequently. And my experience is for the most part the Colorado State Patrol is somewhat lenient but it also depends on the crack, if you've been pulled over and previously warned, etc. They ought to know about instances like that because I've seen a few of their windshields with a ding or two in them! On the other hand, if you have been stopped previously and the windshield has a spider web look to it, well.......

[jazzlover]

Cracked windshields are a fact of life in Colorado. One of the main reasons is that CDOT "cheaped out" a number of years ago and started buying road sand spec'd to less rigorous standards for screening. If even a few bigger pieces of gravel are allowed in the sand, those will often find there way to somebody's windshield.

Way back when--like 40 years ago--Colorado had a twice-annual vehicle inspection requirement, including a provision requiring replacement of cracked windshields. I can only remember a very few times back in those years when one of our family vehicles would need a windshield replacement. Later, the inspection frequency went to one year, then was eventually abolished altogether. One of the reasons that it was abolished was that the inspections were performed by private garages, gas stations, etc. A few of those were unscrupulous--fraudulently failing vehicles for non-existent safety violations, then charging to "fix" them. After the inspection requirements were ended, several studies indicated that there was no statistically significant increase in accidents due to mechanically defective vehicles on the road. But, few people replace cracked windshields in Colorado unless they get bad enough to be really distracting. I, and people I know have driven vehicles literally for years with cracked windshields. It's to the point that it's a local joke: "How can you tell a Colorado car without seeing the license plate?" "It has a cracked windshield." Unless, of course, it's a New Mexico vehicle. Then, it has a cracked windshield AND "New Mexico pinstriping"--scratches on the side from driving backroads through the brush. The latter looks real good on some Texan's spit-polished Superwhamodyne-metallic-sparkle-painted crew-cab dually pickup when he finds out, after the fact, that Rocky Mountain backcountry roads and trails are just a little bit narrower and full of brush than the "slab" in Texas.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Then, it has a cracked windshield AND "New Mexico pinstriping"--scratches on the side from driving backroads through the brush.

LOL!

I (or I should say, the ole' 4X) resemble(s) that remark!

[Idunn]

My last cracked windshield occurred in New Mexico, on an asphalt road with no obvious rocks, and in driving a healthy (but not enough) distance behind a regular pickup truck.

Since it had only been a few months since I had replaced the last windshield, I was in no mood to repeat that expense so soon—as having always paid for these out of pocket—and so decided to let it go awhile. And did, a long while, all the way up and through moving to Colorado, and then some. I know the moment the small rock I didn't even see hit that the windshield had had it, with near instantly a small star in the glass to prove that. It shortly arced out in a line from there; but only once well across the windshield (as lower, horizontal and mainly out of direct vision), and maybe even a safety hazard, did I at last relent in a new windshield. In the meantime, even if trying to avoid it, still some relief and satisfaction when some errant rock hit that could have caused a problem, and knowing they were only marring what would be replaced anyway. So while I don't exactly recommend such a policy, I actually got the use of several windshields out of that one.

By the way, not all windshields are of the same quality. My understanding those of PPG are at times OEM, and of a good quality. But even if your vehicle first came with that, it doesn't necessarily mean a factory dealer will replace it with the same, even if the substitute their standard best quality. There may be some confusion on their part in this, as so few even ask. But that next cracked windshield might be a reminder of what one could have bought but did not. Although, that cracked windshield I lived with for some time was PPG (as specifically specified by me—for all the good it eventually did). Additionally, do not assume the professionals will necessarily install a new windshield correctly on the first, or even second try (in fact, inspect it closely and ask questions).

One place you do want to be careful is near the interchange towards Placitas, NM on I-25, as a gravel quarry near there, and a lot of nasty big trucks headed south from there towards Albuquerque. Any truck is bad news, even a car, but the biggest trucks are the worst, particularly those having been off road.

I do not know about CDOT and their sand, although suspecting that most rocks big enough to cause a problem come from elsewhere. But it remains that the best policy is to maintain a wide berth between one and all possible suspects—basically meaning all other vehicles—and even then, when your time is up it is up.

[julian17033]

I grew up from age 12 in Sterling, Co (northeast) and have lived in Denver on and off for the last 22 years. in the summer of 2009 I moved to eastern Pennsylvania for my job.

The laws concerning vehicle upkeep are amazingly stringent here.
PA has one of the toughest vehicle inspection laws in the country.

As a result you simply do not see the garbage that pretends to be a vehicle back here like you do on the roads of CO.

I had a cracked windshield for over a year on my car I moved to PA with.
My commute in the Denver area was Brighton to the I-25 and South Broadway exit near Griff's Burgers.

Not once did I get pulled over in the five years I worked this far away from home for anything vehicle equipment related.

Here in PA you would not be able to obtain license plates if you had a cracked windshield. I know this because I attempted it.

Besides the windshield I had to also buy two new tires because they were slightly below state allowances.

There is a trade off for not using sand and small rocks for traction in the winter and that is called rust from the salt solution used on most eastern US roads and highways.

Overall I'm pleased that PA has such stringent inspection requirements because it gives me peace of mind that I'm not driving with others who's vehicles are being held together with duct tape.

Originally Posted by The Homogenizer

That's one of the things I've learned to appreciate about Colorado: unlike back East, law enforcement here isn't used (to the same extreme) as a revenue generator. It took a while to get used to not having a police officer take my minor complaints as seriously as they did in the East, but the benefit is that I've grown to appreciate being free of the sense that police officers are setting traps and writing tickets for petty issues.

It's strange that people from the East, myself included, will call the West socialistic when the governments of the East are so paternalistic and they infuse themselves into everything. If you're here for a while, you'll see. You'll start to relax, and when you notice that sensation, then you'll understand why it is the way it is.

I'm no cheerleader for the West, but I think you're wrong on this one.

[ohazco]

Originally Posted by The Homogenizer

That's one of the things I've learned to appreciate about Colorado: unlike back East, law enforcement here isn't used (to the same extreme) as a revenue generator. It took a while to get used to not having a police officer take my minor complaints as seriously as they did in the East, but the benefit is that I've grown to appreciate being free of the sense that police officers are setting traps and writing tickets for petty issues.

Not really on topic... but not sure I agree here. Colorado is the only state I have ever been pulled over for going 5 over on the interstate. My wife and I each on I-70 between here and the city. I'm not complaining.. its still speeding, but not what I would call "lenient".