Plastics in Auto Glass

See this article here. It's quite revolutionary what the American Chemistry Council has proposed, and they proved it, Using plastics in auto “glass” can lightweight a vehicle and help prevent passenger injuries. This addresses our number one and number two concerns - light weight feasability for better fuel economy, AND even increases the safety rating on cars.

I learned a couple of interesting sell points about the wonder of plastics in the new system:

1.) Recently, a glazing technology has been developed for a virtually unbreakable polycarbonate plastic resin windshield, eliminating glass and achieving even more of a weight reduction— 40–50% compared to laminated glass.

2.) In addition to saving weight, laminated glass can bend slightly under impact and is less likely to shatter than normal safety glass, reducing the risk of passenger injury.

And a couple frightening things about our current system:

1.) About 7,800 vehicle occupants are killed after being ejected through side windows of thin tempered glass that easily shatters, primarily in rollover and side impact accidents.5

2.) In the U.S, over 250,000 lacerations occur each year due to broken tempered glass in vehicles.

If safety is the number one selling point on this new material, then so be it, but the economics are a no brainer!