Why are car windows & windshields glass and not a kind of plastic?
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Comments about melting are incorrect. Lexan is often used for windscreens on race cars to reduce weight and doesn’t melt. We have plenty of plastics that tolerate heat well. Plastics cannot have near the level of durability and scratch resistance of glass, maintaining clear vision. Glass is generally stronger, yet more brittle. Side and back glass are tempered which increases strength and, when broken, causes the glass to shatter into tiny, relatively harmless pieces. Lots of terrible injuries in auto and home accidents before tempered glass became common. We don’t want windshields to shatter like the rest, so it is standard glass with a layer of plastic in the middle, so if it breaks, the plastic still holds the glass together in one piece and you don’t have dangerous shards of glass around.
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