Taping windows before a hurricane: Why experts say you shouldn't do it

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - As Floridians prepare for Hurricane Ian's impact, there is one go-to "safety" measure many people do: taping their windows. However, experts say it's a bad, and potentially dangerous, idea. 

Many people are under the illusion that taping their windows in a big X will somehow stop the window from shattering if a strong hurricane blows through, creating a false sense of security. In fact, seven out of 10 people surveyed believed that taping windows was an effective way to keep them from shattering during the storm.

FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brittany Lockley says this is simply not true. 

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"Taping windows has proven not to work," she said. "It was a theory that if you were to tape your window, that the glass would not shatter and break into bigger chucks."

(DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president and CEO of Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, taping windows can actually create larger and deadlier shards of glass when winds blow through a home.

"The shards can become bigger because they're being held together," Chapman-Henderson said. "You're wasting your time. You're wasting your money and you're potentially increasing the danger to your home."

Instead, experts suggest spending that time putting plywood over your windows or installing impact-resistant windows or shutters.