Hurricanes are scary enough, but the idea of broken glass flying through your living room at 155 mph is downright terrifying. Add to that the scary thought that hurricane winds coming in through broken windows can create dangerous pressures inside your home that can collapse your walls and roof.

Here are four ways to hurricane-proof your windows:

Tough, clear plastic hurricane film is popular because you cant really see it, and you can leave it in place year-round. If the glass breaks, hurricane film prevents glass shards from zipping around inside your home.

If youre an average DIYer, you can install peel-and-stick hurricane film on your windows for a mere 25 per linear foot. As a bonus, the film blocks ultraviolet light that can fade carpets and fabric.

The downside to hurricane film--and its a big one--is that the film isnt strong enough to stop hurricane winds from blowing in the entire window frame. Thats why most insurance companies dont offer discounts for hurricane film and why you should also shield your windows with plywood.

Good old plywood is one of the building industrys toughest materials, and is hard to beat for storm protection. Some tips for using plywood to shield your windows:

Because roll-up or accordion-type storm shutters are permanent, theyre a snap to deploy when a storm comes. All you have to do is pull the shutters into place before a hurricane to prevent damage and broken windows.

If youre skittish about being in the dark, look for shutters that have perforations or are made from tough translucent fiberglass that lets in light.

Expect to spend anywhere from 10 to 50 per square foot for professional installation of storm shutters, depending on style and material.

The great thing about windows with high-impact glass is that theyre always in place, ready to beat back anything hurled by hurricane-force winds. These brawny buddies are made up of two panes of tempered glass separated by a plastic film. They come in standard sizes and shapes so they wont make your home look like a Brinks truck.

Expect to pay three times as much for a window with high-impact glass as for a regular window of the same size and type.

To encourage you to take steps to minimize damage, your insurer might offer discounts for hurricane-mitigation improvements. In Floridas Miami-Dade County, for example, the annual insurance premium on an older home insured for 150,000 runs between 3,000 and 8,000, assuming no hurricane-mitigation improvements. With improvements, such as storm shutters or high-impact glass, the same home would cost between 1,000 and 3,500 to insure.