Springing Into Standards
By Linda Rollinson
It’s a beautiful spring day outside as I write this in Charlottesville, Va. From the looks of it, the dogwood is in full bloom, and Virginia’s state bird, the cardinal, is everywhere. I say, “from the looks of it,” because I actually haven’t gotten outside for a few days. I am sequestered away with 55-60 AGRR leaders who are here for something entirely different than the scenery.
It’s been an intense few days as members of the National Windshield Repair Division (NWRD) and its parent organization, the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC), meet for their Spring meetings.
Meeting Highlights
We visited the Insurance Institutefor Highway Safety (IIHS), where we met with officials to discuss the repair of vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on safety. In addition to the enlightening discussion, we spent time with some very cool crash test dummies and saw the crash test of a brand-new Rivian. The test was a live-action reminder of how much of what we do is changing in response to ADAS.
Our time at IIHS was a highlight of our week in Virginia. Most of our time, though, was spent updating the industry standards we are stewards of to reflect the impact of ADAS. During this past year, for example, the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS) was updated to take into account ADAS and the resulting necessity of recalibration. The new ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS 005-2022 debuted late last year and now includes updated procedures for dealing with cars with ADAS. The AGRSS Committee is here considering additional amendments and updates. The Repair of Laminated Auto Glass (ROLAGS)2 committee also met and drafted major changes to the ROLAGS2 Standard. These changes will be balloted before the committee members and then, once through all ANSI procedures, submitted for final publication.
Safety Standards
One of the things I most appreciate about our industry standards—both AGRSS and ROLAGS2—is that they are living documents. They can change and adapt to both technology and the times. They remain current because industry colleagues like those gathered in Charlottesville keep them current. They are so relevant that the State of Maryland recently adopted the AGRSS Standard as its law, and legislation is also underway in other states.
Approximately 12 committees focused on different aspects of our industry met during the week.. The feedback from committee members is invaluable. I hope you will consider becoming part of AGSC and/or its division NWRD. It’s time to be in those rooms where it happens and contribute to the industry that gives us our livelihood.
Linda Rollinson is the chairperson of the National Windshield Repair Division Steering Committee of the Auto Glass Safety Council™ as well as owner of Superior Auto Glass of Tampa Bay Inc. in New Port Richey, Fla.
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