Driver’s Primary Viewing Area – Tech Tip

Last month, there was a photo of a windshield repair in progress and asked Wise Crack readers to point out what was wrong with the photo. It was pleasing to get a number of immediate responses. Every technician who responded correctly identified at least one thing that was wrong with the photo. However, numerous technicians incorrectly identified that bridge placement as being in the Driver’s Primary Viewing Area or DPVA. Since there seems to be some confusion as to where the DPVA, is on a windshield, and perhaps more importantly, what the DPVA means to windshield repair technicians, we thought this subject might make for an interesting tech tip.

Driver’s Primary Viewing Area

If you are not familiar with the phrase Driver’s Primary Viewing Area, or the acronym DPVA, perhaps the phrase Acute Area rings a bell. The original meaning of an Acute Area of a windshield was the area directly above and centering on the steering wheel. Insurance claim forms often showed a rectangular box to indicate where that area is on a windshield, and glass repair technicians were told to hold up a letter size sheet of paper, 8.5″ x 11″, above the steering wheel to quickly and accurately identify the Acute Area. When the National Glass association, NGA, and National Windshield Repair Association, NWRA, got together to create a new ANSI standard called the Repair Of Laminated Auto Glass Standard, ROLAGS, for the windshield repair industry, the phrase Acute Area was replaced with DPVA. Is your head reeling from all the acronyms yet? I know mine is.

Sizes and Types of Windshield Chips

The ROLAGS committee more clearly defines the DPVA and adds what sizes and types of breaks are repairable in that area. Keep in mind that the ROLAGS is not a law, but a voluntary standard developed in an effort to promote safe practices and consistent quality workmanship throughout the windshield repair industry.

Well now that I have bored you to tears, let’s get to the heart of the matter. The graphic below shows the current DPVA and recommendations for repairing damage in that area as defined by the ROLAGS. Although the bridge in last month’s challenge question photo was close, it was not within the DPVA.

So if the ROLAGS is voluntary, why should you care about it? Well, this is the part where I insert my humble opinion. Millions of windshield repairs have been performed over the past 30 years. Our industry still has an impeccable safety record. So, for what it is worth, I don’t think we need laws to govern our business.

National Law

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me. Although not here yet, I there may come a day when the ROLAGS is the basis for a nationwide law. At the very least, the standard by which insurance companies create provisions for paying windshield repair claims. Therefore, I believe that it is in the best interest of windshield repair technicians to adhere to the ROLAGS. Now, that does not mean that you have to agree with everything in the standard. The standard is not changing any time soon. In fact, it almost certainly change as more technicians provide feedback for the ROLAGS committee to consider.

Delta Kits training and certification course attendees train to the ROLAGS.  Receiving a copy of the ROLAGS document was in the packet. Review this important document. A link to the ROLAGS website at the end of this article. I hope you will familiarize yourself with the ROLAGS document and submit your opinions to the ROLAGS committee for consideration. It’s a good standard, but it can be better thanks to professional windshield repair technicians like you.

Visit http://www.rolags.com/ to download a current copy of the ROLAGS document.