North of Fayetteville, I-95 has been a work zone for a long time. NCDOT is widening the interstate from four lanes to eight over 26 miles, from Murphy Road (Exit 55) in Cumberland County to the I-40 junction (Exit 81) in Johnston County, a project that began in 2019 with an estimated cost of $708,956,000. If you commute between Fayetteville, Wade, Godwin and Dunn, you have probably heard the crack of a stone on the glass at least once. Here is what to do next.
In the first few minutes
- Keep driving safely. Do not brake hard or pull onto a narrow work-zone shoulder to look. Check the glass at your next safe stop.
- Find the damage. A chip shows as a small pit, star or bullseye. Note whether any line runs out from it.
- Cover it if you can. A piece of clear tape over the chip keeps dirt and water out of it until it is looked at.
- Take a photo. With a coin beside it for scale. It helps when you ask about repair and when you talk to your insurer.
In the first few days
A chip is a weak point in the outer layer of the glass, and changes in temperature put it under stress. Running the defroster on full against a cold windshield, parking in full sun and then hitting the air conditioning, or a hard jolt from a pothole can all start a crack running from the chip. Until it is dealt with, warm the glass gradually and go easy on rough roads.
Can it be repaired?
Often, if you are quick. ROLAGS, the Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard, says stone breaks up to two inches in diameter and single line cracks up to 14 inches are repairable. Impex’s guide is that a chip or crack that is small, shallow and away from the edges may be repaired; a rule of thumb many shops use is a chip smaller than a quarter. Once a crack reaches the edge of the glass, sits right in front of the driver or crosses the area the forward camera looks through, a replacement is the safer job. The process is explained on windshield replacement in Dunn, NC.
Who pays for a stone from a truck?
North Carolina law requires loads to be secured. Under G.S. 20-116(g), no vehicle may be driven on a highway unless it is loaded to prevent any of its load from falling, blowing or otherwise escaping, and trucks over 7,500 pounds carrying rock, gravel or stone must keep the load below the walls and covered. In practice, though, it is rarely possible to say which truck threw a particular stone in a busy work zone.
So most drivers claim under their own comprehensive coverage. The NC Department of Insurance lists missiles or falling objects and breakage of glass among the losses comprehensive pays for, less any deductible. North Carolina has no zero-deductible glass law, but some policies include full glass coverage. You choose who repairs or replaces the glass under G.S. 58-3-180, and a comprehensive glass claim is not an at-fault accident, so it adds no Safe Driver Incentive Plan points. If your insurer is USAA, our USAA windshield replacement page goes through that claim.
If the glass has to be replaced
Impex says a windshield replacement takes about one hour, plus a short curing period, with most cars back on the road within two hours, and that it calibrates the forward camera on site after the replacement when the vehicle needs it. The work is done at your vehicle in Fayetteville, Wade, Godwin, Dunn or Erwin. The homepage covers auto glass replacement in Fayetteville from start to finish, and south of the city the same applies on windshield replacement in Lumberton, NC.
Get the chip or the windshield quoted
Three short steps: where the damage is, your vehicle and how to reach you. Impex comes back with a quote and a time to come to you.
Questions people ask
How long can I drive on a chipped windshield?
There is no set time, but the sooner it is looked at, the better the chance it can still be repaired. Heat, cold and rough roads can turn a chip into a crack.
Is the trucking company responsible for a chipped windshield in NC?
Only if you can show which truck threw the stone and that its load broke the rules, which is hard on a busy road. Most drivers claim on their own comprehensive coverage.
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