3.1 Windscreen, Critical Vision Area & Damage Limits

Inspect vision before measuring damage

The glazing page protects the driver’s required field of view and the integrity of safety glazing. Identify the pane, determine whether the damage lies in the critical vision area (CVA), then classify the damage using the VIRM illustrations. A chip, crater, star, horseshoe, bullseye, crack, scratching, and surface pitting are not interchangeable terms.

Critical vision area

Establish the CVA using the VIRM definition and diagram for the vehicle; do not substitute a workshop rectangle or an overseas AS-1 marking rule. Within the CVA, reject damage that affects the driver’s vision. The page recognises limited exceptions such as scratching, surface pitting, small stone marks, and certified visible repairs where they do not affect vision. The practical question is whether the allowed condition still lets the driver see adequately under real lighting, not whether it can be ignored because it is small.

Wiper sweep helps expose damage but does not by itself define the entire legal test. Examine from the driver’s normal position and from outside with clean glass. Change the light angle so that haze, lamination clouding, cracks, and repair distortion become visible.

Damage outside the CVA

The current VIRM sets maximum image sizes outside the CVA:

Use the VIRM image definitions. A condition larger than its limit is rejected. For combinations or multiple legs, use the smallest circle or circles that contain the damage as shown in the manual; do not measure only the central impact point while ignoring radiating cracks.

Also reject damage, deterioration, or repair where it compromises visibility, glazing security, or required safety-glass performance. Delamination, severe scratching, insecure glazing, and sharp broken edges may create different reasons for rejection even when a named chip measurement is not exceeded.

Repaired damage and evidence

A visible certified repair can pass if it meets the specified repair standard and does not affect vision. When glazing was previously rejected and then repaired, the VIRM requires the prescribed receipt or evidence showing that the repair was completed to the required standard. There is no universal rule that every repair under 25 mm automatically passes inside the CVA.

Check safety markings and material requirements applicable to the pane. Plastic glazing or non-standard replacements require the evidence allowed by the VIRM; visual clarity alone does not prove compliant safety glazing.

Inspection sequence

1. Clean enough glass to avoid confusing dirt with damage.
2. Sit at the normal driver position and establish the CVA from the VIRM.
3. Scan for obstruction, optical distortion, scratching, pitting, delamination, and repairs.
4. Classify and measure damage outside the CVA with an appropriate gauge.
5. Use the combination diagrams for clustered damage.
6. Verify repair evidence where a prior rejection was repaired.
7. Record the location, damage type, measurement, and applicable reason precisely.

Scenario

A 22 mm bullseye outside the CVA has no radiating crack. It exceeds the current 20 mm bullseye maximum and is rejected. Calling it a “chip under 25 mm” would use the wrong damage category. A 22 mm horseshoe is assessed against a different limit.

Classify before using the gauge

A crater is the small surface cavity left by material loss; a bullseye has a circular cone-like image; a star has radiating legs; and a horseshoe has a partial circular form. Use the current VIRM illustrations when the shape is ambiguous. If one impact contains several forms, apply the combination method instead of selecting whichever limit would pass.

Location can be more important than nominal size. A small allowed mark may still affect vision through light scatter, while a larger-looking mark outside the CVA must be measured under its correct category. Record a useful description such as “22 mm bullseye, lower left outside CVA,” including whether a certified repair and evidence were examined.

Final vision checkpoint

Reassess from the driver’s normal eye position after measurement. Sun angle, wetness and oncoming-light scatter can reveal an effect that a ruler cannot. A compliant numeric image outside the CVA does not excuse another reason such as insecure glazing, prohibited material, sharp broken edges or unacceptable optical distortion. Keep each decision tied to the page’s actual wording and document why it applies.