Has a stray rock damaged your windshield? Did you have your vehicle parked outside when a hailstorm hit and now your windshield is a total loss? No matter how it happened, it's not uncommon for drivers to need to replace their windshields from time to time. Although it might not happen to you more than once or twice in your life, it's still something that can be frustrating to deal with if you don't know how to handle it. Fortunately, there are just a few things you need to keep in mind when dealing with this kind of thing. The most important of these include:

Contact insurance company: Depending on how the windshield was damaged, your insurance company may replace it at little to no cost to you. If your windshield was damaged as the result of the actions of someone else, such as if you were driving through a construction zone at the time and one of the construction vehicles kicked a stone into your windshield, the other party's insurance may fully cover the cost of the windshield replacement. As tempting as it might be to just get the replacement over and done with as quickly as possible, the reality is that it can be worth your time and energy to see if someone else will pay for the replacement.

Shop around: Although different shops can have fairly similar prices, don't just take your vehicle to the first place you find near you. A different location may have a slightly lower price, making it worth the drive. Or they could offer a mobile windshield replacement service for the same price, meaning that they'll come to you wherever you happen to be and replace the windshield for you there. If you're already stressing out about where you'll find the time to get your windshield replaced, finding a mobile service can make things easier.

Avoid driving: After thinking about it, you might be seriously considering just leaving the windshield as it is for now and not getting a windshield replacement just yet. But doing this is actually illegal in most municipalities. While you won't get arrested for having a damaged windshield, you could get an expensive ticket if a police officer sees the damage. You might be able to fight the ticket, depending on the jurisdiction, but it's generally easier and cheaper to just get the windshield fixed in the first place so that you don't even have to think about tickets.