It’s going to be a pleasant day for driving in Texas. Whether you’re heading up I-45 to Conroe, Corsicana, Ennis, or somewhere.
Or maybe you’ll drive up US 277 for a quick bite at that great Mexican restaurant in San Angelo. Today’s driving weather, with a sunny sky and low temps, will be ideal for hitting the open road.
Every day, drivers across Texas peer through a pane of glass at the road ahead of them. Hopefully, the windshield glass is clear and free of streaks that could block your view. Hopefully, you’re not trying to see through a crack or a star in your windshield, which can be equally perilous.
You’ve probably noticed one feature about your current car’s windshield. It seems to be “decorated”. You’ve undoubtedly noticed some dark trim along the borders of your windshield. In addition to those black edges, there appear to be a series of black dots that round the perimeter of your windshield.
Have You Ever Considered What Those “Black Dots” Are for?
To understand this, you need to know a little bit about how windshields are installed. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, manufacturers utilized adhesives to keep the glass in place. They reinforced the glue by encircling the windshield with a metal rim. Take a glance at an older car and you will notice the metal border.
Modern automobiles have windshields baked into them. Yes, baked, as in a cake. And this is when the small black dots come into play. Now, if you assumed the “dots” were intended to help defog the glass, you were wrong. However, if you assumed the “dots” had something to do with temperature control, you would be correct. However, you are unlikely to be “right” in the way you believe.
The Dots Provide Both an Aesthetic and Functional Purpose on Your Windshield
The “black dots” are not randomly distributed. If you look attentively, you’ll notice that they get smaller and smaller as you move away from the black edge of the windshield. This is for aesthetics. It makes the transition from black to clear glass easy on the eyes.
The “halftone pattern,” as it is called, also helps the windshield dissipate heat. Those little dots help to distribute the heat more evenly across the windshield. This keeps your windshield from distorting in the heat. Lord knows we have plenty of those in Texas.