Insurance recommended suppliers who provide repair, replacement and recalibration currently follow standards set by the British Standards Institute (BSI) who produce technical standards, certification, and standards-related services to businesses.

The BSI released a new set of regulations and recommendations for the code of practice in automotive windscreen repair, under the standards BS AU 242b:2022. These changes were initially announced in March 2022 and will replace the previous standards, that will be fully withdrawn in March 2023.  

This new set of standards will change the way in which windscreen damage is assessed and repaired, including where the damage is located on the windscreen and how big it is. This new assessment could mean that damage that previously would need to be replaced, could now be repaired, saving drivers time, money and reducing environmental impact through waste reduction.

The new regulations include changes to:

a) the type and size of damage that can be repaired

b) the area on the windscreen in which repairs of types and size can be made

c) procedures for the repairer

d) steps to assess the quality of finished repairs

e) reports and records for completion and retention by the repairer

Areas that cannot be repaired according to the new regulations:

1. Areas that are included in the camera zone
2. Areas that include part of any Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors
   

The repair zones for windscreens will now be split into two zones: Zone A and Zone B. Zone A is situated directly in front of the driver and Zone B makes up the rest of the windscreen.

The diagrams below show the new zones on the windscreen and relative camera zones for various vehicles:

These further diagrams show the degree of damage which may be able to be repaired within each of these zones:

Following a repair it must be ensured that any damage does not interfere with the driver’s vision. This means that the repairs must be ‘invisible’ or barely detectable, be less than 10mm in size and finish flush with the surrounding glass.

All technicians at Autoglass® will be trained in how to properly assess the damage in line with the new regulations and recommendations and will undertake the subsequent repair or replacement accordingly.