Under the new standards, the size of damage and where it is located on the windscreen will now be assessed differently. The result is that some types of damage that previously required a windscreen replacement will now be repairable.
National Windscreens state they look to repair windscreens rather than replace, as long as it is safe to do so. This change in BSI Standards will the company to increase repair rates further, reducing cost and waste whilst providing more clarity for policyholders.
The new BSI standard (BS AU 242b:2022) will replace the previous standard (BS AU 242a:1998), after the years grace period that started in March 2022. The new standard provides a clear framework for repairing damaged vehicle glass in the modern era.
The increasing use of ADAS with applications such as Heads Up Display (HUD) created the need for the update. The correct functionality of windscreen mounted technologies is dependent on the integrity of the glass fitted in the vehicles.
The standard contains changes to the repair zones now available for windscreens. The repair areas have been simplified into Zone A and Zone B with exclusion zones focused on areas supporting any aspect of ADAS technology.
Sam Clements, technical manager at National Windscreens, comments: "As a business, we have implemented the new standards over the last year, bringing the updates into all our training literature. We have everything in place ready for March 31st.
"The standards provide clear guidance on what is expected from our technicians. Repairing windscreens is an essential part of our job and we operate a 'repair first' policy which dictates that we repair every piece of glass that we possibly can," said Sam.