Many South Africans have been the victims of smash and grab attacks on their motor vehicles. Smash and grab crimes are just that – thieves literally smash windows and grab whatever valuables they can get their hands on inside your vehicle. In some cases the criminals will go further and hold up the occupants with a weapon of some type. The crime then moves straight from a smash and grab incident into other area, nearer to a hijacking. There are some various ways to stop a smash and grab attempt, one being the installation of security protection film.
Normal window tinting varies in thickness from 25 micron (micrometers) to 50 micron. Safety film designed to keep the window intact in the event of an attack on your motor vehicle varies in thickness from 100 micron up to 400 micron. The most used thickness is 100 micron, although some dealerships insist on using 150 micron-thick film.
Most safety film is made of either polyester or PET and is described as shatter safe or shatter resistant – not shatter proof. The adhesive coated film adheres to the glass and has a high visual clarity so that light can come in and out of the window.
A favorite weapon of choice by criminals is the ceramic from a broken spark plug which is extremely hard and sharp. They throw it at the window and because motor manufacturers toughen the side windows, they are brittle and shatter easily. These projectiles are known as ‘ninja rocks’.
This tempered glass, which is used for vehicle side windows, is made with a high surface compressive stress and high internal tensile stress, making it strong and durable, but this also mean that it will shatter into thousands of pieces when broken.
The installation of window film on your motor vehicle windows helps to prevent this glass bursting into your car and also acts as a barrier preventing the thief from putting his arms into the vehicle.
At SFF We offer a range of automotive window film from Tints to Smash & Grab. We have a network of professional installers to ensure you film is fitted perfectly. We also sell window film for DIY. So give us a call or drop us an email and start enjoying the benefits of Automotive Window Film.
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