Vehicle windows and wipers — Iowa Permit Test

Replace windows that are damaged or broken; damaged glass breaks more easily and can block your view.

A cracked windshield can shatter in a small bump or when a stone hits it, and the crack itself can hide a hazard.

Damaged glass can break more easily in a minor collision or when something hits the windshield.

Keep washer fluid full, and use antifreeze wash when the temperature could fall below freezing.

Plain washer fluid can freeze on the glass or in the lines, and then you cannot clean your windshield.

Keep your windshield washer fluid full and use antifreeze wash when the temperature could fall below freezing.

Before you drive, clear snow, ice, or frost from all windows: the front, side, and back.

A small hole scraped in the frost leaves you blind to cars beside and behind you.

Clean the front, side, and back windows before you drive.

Keep the windshield clean; bright sun or headlights on a dirty windshield make it hard to see.

Glare spreads across dirt and smears on the glass, and the road ahead can wash out into a white blur.

Bright sun or headlights on a dirty windshield make it hard to see.

Windshield wipers are required and must be in good working condition; replace the blades if they are not keeping the windshield clean.

Worn blades smear rain across the glass, and in a storm you may not see the car stopped ahead.

If wiper blades aren’t keeping the windshield clean, replace them.

Iowa law requires the windshield and the windows right beside the driver to let at least 70 percent of the light through.

Dark tint makes it hard to see at night and hard for others to see your eyes and know you have seen them.

Iowa law requires tinted windshields and windows to the immediate right or left of the driver to allow at least 70 percent of the light through.

Iowa has no medical exemption for tinted windows.

A doctor's note does not change what you can see at night, so the tint limit is the same for everyone.

Iowa does not have a medical exemption for tinted windows.

Keep your view clear: do not hang things from the rearview mirror or clutter the windshield with decals.

Something swinging from the mirror can hide a person crossing the street or a car at a corner.

Do not hang things from your rearview mirrors or clutter up the windshield with decals.

Why should you replace a cracked or damaged windshield?

It can break more easily in a minor crash. A cracked windshield can shatter in a small bump or when a stone hits it, and the crack itself can hide a hazard. Iowa Driver's License Manual, p.24: “Damaged glass can break more easily in a minor collision or when something hits the windshield.”