Stone damage
Stone damage, or stone-chip, is the damage that gravel and small stones can make to a vehicle.
Stone damage is most common on roads on which the allowed speed exceeds 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph), since stones stuck in the tires come loose at that speed and fly away with such a speed that they can damage other vehicles.
Stone damage can be dangerous in many ways. Stone damage can cause small cracks in the windshield that can refract or reflect normally unharmful light such that it can distract or blind the driver. Stone damage can also cause large cracks in the windshield – this usually happens during the winter period because of the large temperature differences, but can also happen if the vehicle is exposed to vibrations or bumps.
A factor that contributes to stone damage on the windshield is the fact that modern cars normally use quite thin windshields to save weight. Modern tires also contribute to stone damage since they have more tracks in which stones can get stuck.
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