Animals Responsible for Nearly 18,000 Damaged Windscreens Every Year

KENT, ENGLAND -- August 5, 2014: Animals are the reason behind 17,820* cases of windscreen damage in the UK every year, according to nationwide vehicle glass repair company, Auto Windscreens.

Birds, which fly into cars, are the main culprits, but other wildlife and pets are also responsible for chipped or cracked glass. Deer, goats, monkeys, cows and dogs have all been cited by customers of the automotive glazing business.

Auto Windscreens' Customer Service Adviser, Kathryn Maloney, had one particularly unusual call about some rather 'frisky' seagulls. She explained: "One of the strangest calls I have had was from a man whose back windscreen had been shattered by seagulls pecking at it. They had seen their own reflections and were clearly trying to mate with themselves!"

While animal damage contributes to a small share of the glass repair market, Chris Thornton, Managing Director of Auto Windscreens, said: "The majority of reports we receive about broken vehicle glass relate to stone chips, but every so often we get a customer who says a freak animal-related incident is the cause. It's amazing how they manage to create such damage and end up in these 'hairy' situations!"

In an attempt to encourage people to talk about their windscreen damage, Auto Windscreens ran a 'Weird Windscreens' competition on Facebook last month in which those who entered could win a £60 magazine subscription. Auto Windscreens hoped to find the weirdest and wackiest causes for windscreen damage, whether animal related or otherwise. The stories, including one involving an owl, can be found at Facebook AutoWindscreens.