Air flow makes a huge difference, and we've not shortage of road bugs here in MT.  FYI, windshield glass in modern vehicles tends to crack and break worse than when I was younger.  Rocks that left chips, or cracks (which didn't always run) now spread across the windshield.  My last truck, I put 3 windshields in it before I broke down and added a bug deflector on the front of the hood.  I had that truck 10 years, lost the windshields at rate one per year until I added the bug shield. Still got chips, but not the ones that hit and there goes the windshield.  Still, it was an unreplicated experiment.  In 2007 I bought a new pickup.  Lost two windshields in first two years.  Added a bug shield, and it's been fine since.  Again, I get some chips, and usually have the bigger ones fixed, but at least they give me enough time to get them fixed.  The rocks seem to be more likely to skip like a rock on water with the bug screen, rather than head dead-on, instantly taking out the windshield.  Sample of two, still not statistically significant; but it seems to help.  Still get bugs on windshield though.  Maybe the splats are smaller?  Since I claim to be a scientist, guess I should take it off, compare bug counts with and without.  Still, I'm not collecting bugs, so I'll continue to just wash them off.

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