Why are car windows & windshields glass and not a kind of plastic?
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1. Plastic generally doesn’t last as long under sunlight, UV rays break it down, causing discoloration and weakening the structure.
2. Load, plastic isn’t as sturdy and rigid as glass, you’d almost certainly need reinforcing structures to support a clear windshield sized piece of plastic, which obviously becomes a vision problem. And/or it needs to be thicker which now becomes both a weight AND a vision problem as light passing through a thicker lens is going to be deflected.
3. Heat. Cars can get really hot. Plastic does not handle heat nearly as well as glass. If the plastic doesn’t outright melt it will probably deform and become weaker.
4. Cold. Plastic also doesn’t handle cold as well as glass. Brittle cold plastic getting impacted by small debris won’t fare as well as glass.
5. Speaking of small debris, plastic scratches more easily and all the small debris abrading the plastic impairs the visibility.
Glass is basically stronger, stays clearer, lasts longer, and is overall better for the needs of car windshields.
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