Thursday, March 7, 2013

Windshield repair shops have been busy since the snow started melting and the rocks became apparent on roadways.

"We've had an influx of broken glass because of the sand and the rocks on the road," said Pam Harper, manager of The Windshield Shop. "They just fly up and hit the windshields and with the severe cold, they break because the cars are warm."

Since Feb. 20, more than 400 customers have gotten repairs on windshields at The Windshield Shop. Managers said this is as high as when a hail storm occurs.

"It's just sad that so many rocks [are] on the streets right now, but I don't think it can be helped," said Twilla Scheideman, who suffered a rock chip on her windshield.

Scheideman waited less than 24 hours to get the rock chip repaired. She said she did not want the chip to become a crack on her windshield.

"Most of the time people get hit down here below their wipers where they never see and it will crack up and that's when they realize they've got a cracked windshield, and then it's too late to fix," said Harper.

Harper recommends to repair rock chips as soon as they are detected.