Can You Drive With a Cracked Windshield?

California and Illinois: the test is the driver's view.

California makes it unlawful to operate a vehicle on a highway when the windshield or rear window is “in such a defective condition as to impair the driver’s vision either to the front or rear.” Illinois bars driving when the windshield, side or rear windows are in such defective condition or repair “as to materially impair the driver's view.” Neither provision uses the word crack.

In California, when a windshield or rear window fails to comply, the officer directs the driver to make it conform within 48 hours, and may also arrest the driver, give a notice to appear and require the driver or the owner to produce in court satisfactory evidence that the glass was made to conform.

SourcesCalifornia Legislative Information (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) — California Vehicle Code § 26710 (defective windshields and rear windows) ↗ (opens an external site)Illinois General Assembly (ilga.gov) — 625 ILCS 5/12-503 Windshields must be unobstructed and equipped with wipers ↗ (opens an external site)

New York and Pennsylvania: when a crack fails inspection.

New York's safety inspection fails a windshield with a crack more than 11 inches long when any part of it extends into the path of the wipers, or with a “star” (a bruise from which multiple cracks extend, such as a stone bruise) larger than three inches anywhere on the windshield. A windshield or other window that is broken or has exposed sharp or jagged edges also fails.

Pennsylvania's inspection rejects defects in an area 8 1/2 inches wide and 5 1/2 inches high directly in the driver's normal line of vision, hazardous cracks to the front, right, left or rear of the driver that would interfere with the driver's vision, and glass that is shattered or broken or has exposed sharp edges.

SourcesNew York Department of State, Division of Administrative Rules (NYCRR online, hosted by Westlaw) — 15 NYCRR 79.21 Inspection of motor vehicles — (f) Windshield and other glass ↗ (opens an external site)New York State Department of Motor Vehicles — New York State Vehicle Safety/Emissions Inspection Program ↗ (opens an external site)Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin (Legislative Reference Bureau) — 67 Pa. Code § 175.80 Inspection procedure — (a)(2) Check glazing ↗ (opens an external site)

Texas and Florida: general safety rules.

Since January 2025, non-commercial vehicles in Texas no longer need a safety inspection before registration; commercial vehicles still do, and vehicles registered in emissions counties still need emissions tests. The Texas Transportation Code sections we read do not mention cracks: one targets a vehicle that “is unsafe so as to endanger a person,” another an object or material placed on or attached to the windshield that obstructs or reduces the driver's clear view.

Florida requires a windshield with safety glazing on motor vehicles driven on public roads (motorcycles, implements of husbandry and a few other cases are exempt), and makes it a violation to drive a vehicle “in such unsafe condition as to endanger any person or property.” Neither section mentions cracks.

A Florida officer with reasonable cause to believe a vehicle is unsafe or not equipped as required can stop it and require an inspection. If continued operation would probably be unduly hazardous, the officer may require immediate repair or removal from use; for defects that are not, such as windshield wipers or marginally worn tires, the officer gives written notice to repair within 48 hours, excluding Sunday.

SourcesTexas Department of Public Safety — Vehicle Safety Inspection Changes Take Effect January 2025 (news release, Dec. 4, 2024) ↗ (opens an external site)Texas Legislative Council (statutes.capitol.texas.gov file server tcss.legis.texas.gov) — Texas Transportation Code Chapter 547 — §§ 547.004, 547.608, 547.613 ↗ (opens an external site)The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine) — Florida Statutes § 316.2952 Windshields; requirements; restrictions ↗ (opens an external site)The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine) — Florida Statutes § 316.610 Safety of vehicle; inspection ↗ (opens an external site)

The federal rule is for commercial motor vehicles.

The federal windshield rule, 49 CFR 393.60, is part of the federal standards for commercial motor vehicles. Only vehicles that meet the federal definition of a commercial motor vehicle are subject to it; one of the tests in that definition is a weight or weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more for a vehicle used in interstate commerce.

In the area above the top of the steering wheel, excluding a 2-inch border at the top and a 1-inch border at each side, the windshield must be free of discoloration or damage, with three exceptions: coloring or tinting that meets the rule's tint requirements, any crack that is not intersected by any other crack, and any damaged area that a disc three-quarters of an inch in diameter can cover, if it is not closer than 3 inches to any other similarly damaged area.

California applies this standard to the vehicles described in its Vehicle Code section 34500: operating one of them on a highway with a windshield in any other condition is unlawful.

SourcesOffice of the Federal Register / GPO (eCFR); rule issued by FMCSA — 49 CFR 393.60 Glazing in specified openings ↗ (opens an external site)Office of the Federal Register / GPO (eCFR); rule issued by FMCSA — 49 CFR 393.1 Scope of the rules in this part ↗ (opens an external site)Office of the Federal Register / GPO (eCFR); rule issued by FMCSA — 49 CFR 390.5 Definitions (commercial motor vehicle) ↗ (opens an external site)California Legislative Information (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) — California Vehicle Code § 26710 (defective windshields and rear windows) ↗ (opens an external site)

Can you get a ticket or be pulled over?

In California, driving on a highway with a windshield so defective that it impairs the driver's vision is unlawful; the officer requires it to be fixed within 48 hours and may also arrest the driver and give a notice to appear. In Illinois, driving with a windshield so defective that it materially impairs the driver's view is prohibited.

In Florida, an officer with reasonable cause to believe a vehicle is unsafe or not equipped as required can stop it for an inspection. Florida's windshield section does not mention cracks; its violations are noncriminal traffic infractions, punishable as nonmoving violations.

Apart from inspection rules, among the texts we read only the federal standard, which California applies to the vehicles described in its section 34500, sets crack limits. The others set a test, such as an impaired view or an unsafe vehicle.

SourcesCalifornia Legislative Information (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) — California Vehicle Code § 26710 (defective windshields and rear windows) ↗ (opens an external site)Illinois General Assembly (ilga.gov) — 625 ILCS 5/12-503 Windshields must be unobstructed and equipped with wipers ↗ (opens an external site)The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine) — Florida Statutes § 316.610 Safety of vehicle; inspection ↗ (opens an external site)The Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine) — Florida Statutes § 316.2952 Windshields; requirements; restrictions ↗ (opens an external site)

Insurance: where the deductible does not apply.

In Florida, the deductible of a motor vehicle policy delivered or issued in the state by an authorized insurer with comprehensive coverage, or combined additional coverage, does not apply to damage to the windshield.

In Kentucky, a policy that provides comprehensive or other-than-collision coverage must, when the claim is for motor vehicle glass only, cover repair or replacement without regard to any deductible, and the insured cannot be required to use a particular glass repair shop.

In South Carolina, a physical damage or policy deductible does not apply to automobile safety glass; the state's Department of Insurance notes that you must have comprehensive coverage for the insurer to replace the windshield. A 2025-2026 bill, H. 4817, would amend this section; its last action on the legislature's page is a Senate committee report of April 30, 2026.

We read the insurance laws of these three states only: elsewhere, check what your policy says about glass.

SourcesFlorida Legislature (Online Sunshine) — Florida Statutes § 627.7288 Comprehensive coverage; deductible not to apply to motor vehicle glass ↗ (opens an external site)Kentucky Legislature — KRS 304.20-060 Coverage for motor vehicle glass ↗ (opens an external site)South Carolina Legislature — S.C. Code § 38-77-280 Collision coverage; comprehensive coverage ↗ (opens an external site)South Carolina Department of Insurance — FAQ: Aren't all insurance companies required to cover windshield damage for free in South Carolina by law? ↗ (opens an external site)South Carolina Legislature (scstatehouse.gov) — H. 4817 (2025-2026) Insurance Rate Reduction and Policyholder Protection Act — status page ↗ (opens an external site)

If you replace the windshield.

New York and Texas law require replacement glass in a windshield to be safety glass (in Texas, safety glazing material). Ask for the glass to be named on the written quote; the windshield replacement quote checker linked below lists what a complete quote should state.

SourcesNew York State Senate (Open Legislation) — New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 375 Equipment (subdivisions 11-14) ↗ (opens an external site)Texas Legislative Council (statutes.capitol.texas.gov file server tcss.legis.texas.gov) — Texas Transportation Code Chapter 547 — §§ 547.004, 547.608, 547.613 ↗ (opens an external site)