Generating about 7.5 million insurance claims per year, vehicle glass damage is the most frequent type of claim.Fortunately, the cost of repair is relatively low, and theopportunity to satisfy policyholders is high. For those reasons, itcan be seen as the best type of claim for an insurer toencounter.

It is important to understand how the vehicle glass andautomotive industries are evolving and impacting future claimshandling. Luckily, in this day and age, there is also growingresearch about glass breakage. This research can help insurancecarriers prepare for these changes.

Evolving Trends

The first key automotive industry trend is placing moreglass—and larger pieces of glass—in every car. According to glassmakers, the glazed area of a vehicle has increased by 15 percentduring the last decade. Some designs, such as panoramic roofs, areactually made of glass that blends right into the windshield.Obviously, the more glass in a vehicle, the greater the likelihoodof damage.

Secondly, with a recent focus on energy and gas efficiency, automanufacturers have made vehicles lighter in weight. As a result,vehicle glass is thinner than ever before—again, increasing thechance for breakage.

Finally, as the automotive industry introduces technologies, there is an increase of technically complexvehicle glass. For instance, more cars have sensors and heads-updisplays (HUD), which project vehicle data directly onto thewindshield. Some of the newest developments includedriving-assistance devices, including lane deviation systems, nightvision systems, collision avoidance, and smart cruise control,which may rely on sensors built into the vehicle's glass.

There has also been an evolution of more radical glass shapeswith extreme curves, all-glass tailgates, and double and triplecurvatures. As these enhancements work their way into moreautomobiles, they make vehicle glass more difficult to replace whendamaged.

All of these advances require the vehicle glass repair andreplacement industry to stay ahead of the game, and will requiremore specialized technicians, better training, and advancedinstallation tools and equipment. These changes may also result inhigher claims costs. Fortunately, most windshield damage beginsas a chip and, if repaired quickly, will prevent a more costlyreplacement. Repair systems have improved vastly during the pastdecade, making repair a prudent alternative to replacement when acrack is less than six inches long.

Avoiding Replacement

Belron Technical, the research and development arm of Belron, has learned through its research how chips occur andhow they spread. One statistic Safelite studies has revealed isthat the majority of stone damage is located in the bottom half ofthe windshield. Ironically, this area is most vulnerable to outsideforces, and a chip here can easily turn into a much largercrack. Swift temperature change is a frequentcause of a chip “running” and becoming a crack—actions such asusing the windshield defroster in cold weather or the airconditioner in hot weather contribute to this. Extreme temperaturesoutdoors can also cause chips to run.

Finally, everyday driving produces stress. Damaged glass isapproximately 60- to 70-percent weaker than glass that is stillintact, making driving over pot holes and speed bumps even morehazardous. All of these stresses are cumulative, so it is a surebet that your chipped windshield, if untreated, will crack outeventually.

Stronger Bonds

A two-day testing series of 60 windshields by Belron Technicalshowed that under high stresses, 90 percent of unrepaired chipscracked out within minutes, while repaired chips had a zero failurerate in the same series of tests. In addition, Belron Technicaltested more than 150 windshields in cold weather conditions over 18months, reporting that 80 percent of chips cracked while those thathad been repaired had a zero failure rate.

Why is this? A chip is different in today's thinner glass. Yearsago, a “bull's-eye” or “half-moon” chip was very common and rarelycracked out. However, with today's thinner glass, a “starburst”chip is the most common, containing hundreds of tiny cracks thatcan spread under stress. During a repair, resin fills thosemicro-cracks, creating a new bond and a structurally soundwindshield.

There are many different types of resin on the market—somebetter than others. Some will shrink, making the risk for furthercracking higher. Some will discolor, affecting the visibility ofthe driver. For this reason, it is unwise to opt for do-it-yourselfkits or companies that do not use top quality resins.

In addition to preventing further breakage and being a cheaperalternative to replacement, windshield repair is more environmentally friendly than windshield replacement. Interms of CO2 emissions, repair is nearly 10 times greener and alsosubstantially reduces waste. It is estimated that windshield repairsaves 18,000 tons of glass from being sent to the landfillannually.

Driving Customer Loyalty

Finally, a positive repair service has the potential to createpolicyholder loyalty. In 2010, J.D. Power and Associates releaseda study finding that the most satisfied auto insurance customeris not one who has never made a claim, but rather one who has madea small claim that was handled with excellence.

With the evolving science of vehicle glass and glass repair,claims management cannot remain static. Understanding the nuancesof glass damage and the importance of windshield repair can helpmitigate more severe damage while providing a positive policyholderexperience.

After all, claims handling really is a “moment of truth” in theP&C insurance industry.