Teran Marsell | Published on November 9th, 2013
An estimated 11 million windshields are replaced each year. Approximately 5 million are damaged and ignored. However, awareness about the AGRSS (Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard) is extremely low among American consumers and only an approximate 15% of auto glass shops around the country are AGRSS registered. This means there are potentially millions of people leaving themselves vulnerable to tragic injuries or fatalities annually.
What is AGRSS?
AGRSS, or The Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard, is the automotive glass industry’s list of best practices for repairing and replacing windshields as determined by the AGSC, or Auto Glass Safety Council, which is a non-profit standards development organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It was founded and is supported by auto glass companies and other organizations that make vehicle safety their primary goal. The AGCS’s mission is to make every windshield replacement a safe one.
AGRSS has established North America’s only standard to address installation procedures, installer and consumer education, and product quality and performance during the entire auto glass replacement process by:
• Developing and maintaining standards for the safe replacement of auto glass
• Providing an industry-wide registration and validation program
• Promoting awareness of the AGRSS standard to the insurance industry and driving public at large
Becoming registered with the AGSC requires a shop to voluntarily submit to a complex validation process to ensure that they adhere to the AGRSS standard. The conditions for registration include approved training and certification, installation practices, and polyurethane retention system.
How Your Windshield Keeps You Safe
Not all auto glass shops are equally diligent when it comes to meeting the AGRSS standard and many people remain unaware of how many ways their windshield contributes to their safety.
Most consumers trust the professionals they hire for repairs to do the job to the highest standard, but that’s not always the case. Only 15% of auto glass shops are AGRSS registered. However, if consumers knew just how important their auto glass is to their safety, they’d choose an AGRSS certified shop for every repair.
The windshield is critical to your safety, composing up to 60% of your vehicle’s structural strength. It works in tandem with the passenger side airbag, and seatbelts to minimize your injuries during an accident.
Your passenger side airbag relies on the windshield for support during deployment, but if the windshield isn’t installed properly, the airbag can actually force the windshield to separate from the vehicle, leaving the passenger vulnerable to the full impact of the crash and to ejection from the vehicle onto the roadway. Ejection causes 30% of fatalities in highway roll overs each year.
It is also possible for the windshield to detach during the accident by some other means, and once this support is lost, safety is compromised. Your windshield minimizes roof crush during a roll over, reinforces the structural integrity of the passenger compartment, and prevents ejection from the vehicle.
While seatbelt usage is at all time high, over 80%, which saves approximately 15,000 lives annually, awareness of the importance of auto glass has not kept up. Millions of people drive with badly damaged windshields that reduce their visibility and ability to avoid potentially dangerous situations. Damage directly in front of the driver is most dangerous, which is why it is so important to have your windshield evaluated by an AGRSS certified technician to determine whether you need to replace or simply repair your windshield.
While the AGRSS standard is something shops voluntarily uphold, efforts are being made to turn it into a federally upheld standard, like wearing your seatbelt. However, nothing is more important to us during an auto glass replacement than your safety, which is why Team Acme voluntarily complies with the AGRSS standard.
For more information about AGRSS, your auto glass, or the cost of a replacement or repair, give us a call at (702) 566-8326. You can also get a quote online or stop by our shop in Henderson.
If your windshield is so badly damaged that you can’t get your vehicle to us, we can dispatch our mobile service and come to you, so call or get a quote online today!
