The Auto Glass Oath
by Abby Bowman
I don’t think I’ll ever complain about being stuck in traffic again. Not after last Thanksgiving.
On my way from Virginia to my parents’ house in Pennsylvania, I got stuck in the worst traffic of my adult life—worse than I expected, even for Thanksgiving Eve.
I waited with my foot on the brake at first, hoping whatever obstacle caused the backup would clear soon. I quickly realized that wouldn’t happen and shifted into park.
I sat on that country highway long enough that my phone battery almost drained, and I ran out of snacks. The line of cars did move, but only enough to clear the way for a fire truck and ambulance headed in the opposite direction.
They weren’t in a hurry, so I assumed there was a minor fender bender just around the corner, and any patients inside the emergency vehicles didn’t need immediate medical attention.
I felt like I’d counted every leaf on the neighboring tree twice when traffic began to crawl forward. When I saw the accident ahead, my heart sank.
It wasn’t “just” a fender bender. A tow truck pulled the wreckage of a new-model white sedan out of the road. Its roof was crushed. The windshield had detached from the chassis, and the airbags hung out the window.
That must have been why the emergency vehicles weren’t in a hurry. There was no way that the driver had survived.
I continued my journey in silence. I couldn’t think of anything but the fact that that person was probably also on their way home for Thanksgiving. Somewhere in the world, a parent, sibling, child or spouse was waiting for them, not yet knowing they’d never arrive.
My mind drifted down a path of morbid speculation. I couldn’t help wondering if the windshield was adhered properly. Maybe the driver died because there was nothing to hold the roof up or keep the airbags in place. Did the car have advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) capabilities? If so, why didn’t they help? Had they been calibrated properly?
I’ll never really know how the crash happened or if anything could have stopped the roof from caving in. But I still think about it, especially when watching ADAS crash test videos or seeing someone run a bead.
It reminds me just how vital auto glass is and how glad I am that so many in the industry take recalibration seriously. Many shop owners and technicians tell me that’s the exact reason they offer recalibration and stick to the Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard™ (AGRSS™). They want to ensure their customers get home safely and no one has to wait for a loved one who will never arrive.
Abby Bowman is the editor of AGRR magazine. Email her at abowman@glass.com and connect with her on LinkedIn.
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