Can you drive with a cracked windshield in BC?

The rule that applies

There is no section of BC law that says a cracked windshield is illegal on its own. The offence is driving with a windshield that impairs your vision. It is section 7.05(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, B.C. Reg. 26/58.

“No person shall drive or operate on a highway a motor vehicle the windshield or any window of which is in such condition that the vision of the driver is impaired.”

The same regulation, in the Schedule to Division 7, then lists the specific defects that are considered to impair vision. That list is what an officer or an inspection facility works from, and it is the part most articles on the subject leave out.

Which cracks and chips count as impaired vision

Item 29 of the Schedule, headed Glazing and mirrors, says the windshield "shall not be cracked, broken, clouded or otherwise damaged or defective so as to impair the vision of the driver", and then lists the defects that "shall be considered as causing vision impairment." In plain terms, your windshield fails the standard if it has any of these.

1. 1A crack longer than 300 mm (about 12 inches) anywhere on the glass.
2. 2More than two cracks longer than 150 mm on one piece of glass.
3. 3A stone chip larger than 40 mm across.
4. 4Two or more stone chips larger than 20 mm across on one piece of glass.
5. 5Any defect in the driver's side zone, which the regulation defines as the area from the left edge extending 500 mm toward the centre, excluding a 75 mm strip at the top and bottom. Small stone injuries of 6 mm or less are excepted.
6. 6Anything cracked, broken or clouded forward of a line parallel with the driver's shoulder.
7. 7Clouding on the driver's side, more than 75 mm of clouding around the edge, or broken glass showing a sharp edge.

A single chip smaller than a 6 mm pea, sitting on the passenger side, does not meet any of those. A crack that has run across the driver's half of the glass meets several of them.

Item 29 also repeats the tint rule: material that reduces light through the glass cannot be placed on a windshield more than 75 mm below the top.

What the ticket costs

The amounts are set by the Violation Ticket Administration and Fines Regulation, B.C. Reg. 89/97, Schedule 3. Two rows apply to windshields.

1. 1Motor Vehicle Act Regulations s. 7.05(1), "Windshield or window that impairs driver vision": $81 ticketed amount, or $56 if paid within 30 days.
2. 2Motor Vehicle Act s. 195(1)(b), "Drive while view obstructed": $109 ticketed amount, or $84 if paid within 30 days.

Those figures are from the consolidation current to August 25, 2026. If you have seen a different number elsewhere, it did not come from the regulation.

The ticket is not the only power an officer has. Under section 25.30 of the regulations, a peace officer who believes a vehicle is unsafe for use on a highway can order it off the road until repairs listed in the order are done. That is rare for a windshield, but a crack across the driver's view is the kind of defect it is written for.

What an inspection facility rejects

If your vehicle needs a provincial inspection, for example an out-of-province vehicle, a rebuilt vehicle or a commercial vehicle, the inspector uses the 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual, which took effect September 2, 2025. Section 8, item 12 covers the windshield, and its note says a driver's vision is materially impaired if the damage meets item 29 of the Schedule above.

The manual's reject list includes any crack that goes through both layers of the glass, a crack over 300 mm, more than two cracks over 150 mm, chips over 40 mm, two or more chips over 20 mm, damage forward of the driver's shoulder line, and a windshield bonded with anything other than automotive urethane or the adhesive the manufacturer specifies. A missing windshield, or one damaged so that the driver's normal vision is materially impaired, is listed as a hazardous condition.

That last line about adhesive is why a cheap installation can fail an inspection even with perfect glass. Every windshield we install is bonded with automotive urethane.

Why the law cares about a windshield

The windshield is a structural part of the car. It is bonded to the body, it supports the roof in a rollover, and the passenger airbag deploys against it. A crack weakens the laminate, and a crack that reaches the edge of the glass weakens the bond. That is separate from the vision question, and it is the reason a long crack should be replaced rather than watched.

The regulations also require that any replacement glass is safety glass. Section 7.05(4) says no person shall replace windshield glass "except with safety glass", and that windshield glass "shall not be heat treated or case hardened glass." Laminated windshield glass is what meets that.

What to do with the crack you have

If it is a chip smaller than a loonie and not in your line of sight, it can usually be repaired, and under ICBC Comprehensive coverage the repair has no deductible. Get it done soon, because chips run in cold weather and in the sun, and a repaired chip never becomes a replacement.

If it is a crack, it is a replacement. ICBC's guideline for a free repair excludes "a long crack", and a crack cannot be stabilised in a way that satisfies item 29. We replace windshields at your address across Metro Vancouver, most in 60 to 90 minutes, and we bill ICBC directly so you pay only your deductible. If you are not sure which one you have, send us a photo and we tell you before you book anything.