SC could change how car insurance covers repairs when a rock cracks a driver's windshield

COLUMBIA — South Carolinians' cost for replacing cracked or broken windshields could change with legislation advancing in the Statehouse.

As long as they have comprehensive coverage, South Carolina drivers don't pay out of pocket for windshield replacements. Whether due to hail, a falling branch, or a rock flung from the tires of a passing vehicle, a broken windshield isn't considered the driver's fault.

Since at least 1989, state law has exempted "auto safety glass" from mandatory insurance deductibles for these no-fault hazards sometimes referred to as "acts of God." Insurers can't require a deductible when the driver has a comprehensive auto insurance policy.

Still, there is no "free" glass coverage in South Carolina. The insurer has to pay, so the new windshield is still tracked as a claim. The cost is instead calculated into the premiums that companies charge all customers, according to state insurance regulators.

A single sentence buried inside a massive bill aimed at reducing insurance costs would flip that mandate for insurers into a choice for drivers: They could choose to pay for auto coverage that keeps windshields deductible-free. Or they could opt for a different plan.

The lengthy bill largely focuses on cracking down and upping penalties for fraudulent claims on various types of insurance. But the one sentence on windshields has gotten the most attention.

A Senate insurance committee voted Wednesday to advance the legislation to the Senate floor. Only one legislator, Sen. Matt Leber, R-Johns Island, voted against it.

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The move followed the House's 96-17 approval of the bill earlier this month.

"This will bring people's insurance premiums down if they don't want to pay for the coverage of a windshield," Rep. Kathy Landing, R-Mount Pleasant, said during floor debate in that chamber. "If they want to pay for the coverage, they may end up paying the same as they are now."

But some legislators weren't convinced South Carolinians would actually see lower insurance bills. Or those savings might be nominal at best.

"I am also concerned about how this is going to affect the folks who don't have the money to replace the windshield," said Rep. Gil Gatch.

The Summerville Republican, who sits on the House committee that heard testimony on the proposal, said insurance professionals told the committee that even if the General Assembly enacted all proposed changes, there was no guarantee premiums would go down.

Leadership at the state Department of Insurance also has said it has no way of knowing how much premiums will go down — if they're reduced at all.

"Is it just a hope and a prayer that these billion-dollar companies, out of the kindness of their heart, are going to do us right?" Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, chimed in.

South Carolina is among fewer than five states that require no deductibles for windshield replacement.

Last year, these replacements and repairs amounted to $170 million worth of total claims last year, said the bill's lead sponsor, Rep. Gary Brewer.

When the Legislature first enacted the state law requiring the coverage, the cost of a new windshield was $39, the Charleston Republican said. Today it can cost $700 or $800 for glass on some vehicles.

"The reason we mandated this years ago was not about insurance premiums, it was about safety," Rep. Joe White countered. Rather than pay a deductible, drivers may keep driving with a windshield that becomes increasingly unsafe, he said.

"I also refuse to believe the insurance companies are going to lower their rates because we take away this windshield thing," the Prosperity Republican added.

The Senate committee Wednesday, in an effort to calm some of those fears, amended the bill.

Under the amendment, the default plan for auto insurers must keep repairs to windshields at that $0 deductible. Insurance companies can offer windshield policies that charge a deductible for replacement. But the deductible would be capped at $100.

Sen. Sean Bennett told the SC Daily Gazette this is to encourage drivers to repair windshields before larger cracks form. It also keeps drivers, who drop coverage and then find themselves unable to afford a massive repair bill on a damaged windshield, from driving an unsafe vehicle on the state's roads, he said.

Under the decades-old law, the Summerville Republican said, vehicle owners and glass companies may have been completely replacing windshields when a simple repair would have sufficed. The Senate committee's changes aim to stop that practice, potentially reducing claims, while also keeping prices affordable when a replacement is necessary.

If the Senate passes the amended bill, it would return to the House for members to decide whether or not to accept the changes.

Just six legislative days remain in the regular 2026 session.

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Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette