I have a 2005 car. One of the windows shattered recently when a stone hit it. I was asked by a workshop to replace it with a safety glass for better protection. Is it necessary and how does "safety glass" work?

There are two basic types of safety glass. Plastic laminated glass is used for windshields, while tempered glass is used for the side and rear windows.

Plastic laminated glass either has a thin film of plastic sandwiched between two panes of glass or a layer of plastic on the inside of a single pane of glass.

The plastic keeps the glass from flying in all directions when it is shattered and it helps to keep unsecured occupants from going through the windscreen in a minor collision.

On cars which have the plastic inner coating on the inside of the windshield, care must be used when cleaning or wiping the glass to prevent scratching the relatively soft plastic.

Tempered glass, on the other hand, has no plastic in or on it. The glass is heat-treated to make it stronger.

It breaks into small rounded pieces when shattered. This prevents glass injuries in an accident.

Automobile Association of Singapore

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