You're driving down the highway and, bam, a rock hits your windshield. You may notice a chip right away, or you may only hear the impact of the rock on glass. Flying debris is an unfortunate fact of driving. The high speeds — and presence of 18-wheelers — on highways exacerbates the issue.

Many drivers ignore getting chips in their windshield repaired. However, they shouldn't. Find out why drivers procrastinate and why said procrastination is a bad idea.

Reasons Drivers Put Off Windshield Repair

Windshield chips almost always start small. They're just a little dent in the glass. They might not even see the chip, or they might think it's unimportant.  So some drivers think they can leave it be. Maybe the chip is not only small, but it's in an out-of-the-way spot. Sometimes even when the chip elongates into a small crack, drivers think repair is unnecessary because their vision isn't impaired.

Some drivers have to paste stickers to their windshields. These stickers might be related to emissions testing or the ability to park long-term on the street. Sometimes debris hits a spot that's concealed on the inside because of that sticker. So the driver might not even see the chip in the windshield.

Car repairs aren't fun, and many drivers put them off because of a lack of time. If the chip in the windshield seems insignificant, said drivers might see little motivation to take the car into the glass repair shop.

Reasons Drivers Shouldn't Put Off Windshield Repair

Small chips can turn into big cracks. As Reader's Digest points out, any pressure on your windshield can cause the chip to elongate into a crack. When that elongation happens, you're facing a host of new problems.

Drivers with windshield stickers should develop the habit of checking their windshield after each foray onto the highway, especially if they heard a rock impact the glass. If the chip elongates into a crack, glass repair shops can't fix it. The driver will be looking at a full windshield repair, which is much costlier.

Putting off a crack repair is inadvisable. Besides the chip turning into a long crack, the danger is in the compromised status of the windshield. The windshield is an important part of the car's structure. If that structure's integrity is compromised by a crack, the windshield can pop out or even implode in an accident.

Most auto insurance policies cover chip repair. What's more, some glass repair shops have a mobile component, so they can repair the chip in a parking lot without disturbing the car owner.

Have chips in your windshield repaired as soon as you notice them.