The tint police west yorkshire

[andyrr]

I know a guy who works alongside the police sometimes and is pretty knowledgeable on this topic. The law has not changed, it is just a clarification that has occurred of existing law.

The light emission into a car throgh the glass I believe (without checking - Im sure theres a DVLA website with info somewhere) refers to the windows that the driver uses for his vision and this COULD also include rear windows if the police want to be particularly picky : yes I know a van has no rear side windows but thats a van not a car, and a car can be seen as different in the laws eyes.

The light transmission through side glass must be IIRC > 72%, so your tint must be no greater than 28%.

1 common problem is that you go to your tint shop and get, say a 15% tint applied. Youre fine therefore. NO YOURE NOT ! You have ADDED a tint of 15% to your existing glass which on some cars come from the factory with a tint of up to 25%. You could therefore now have a tint of 40% = illegal.

All these big F**k off X5s etc that have some silly bint driving it safe inthe knowledge that when they use their mobile whilst driving are safe from the eyes of the law have probably had their dealer say to them " ... and madam would like to have some nice tinted windows fitted ..." and she says Yeah, go on then. Polie stop the X5 and bint says "but they must be legal, this is how BMW make them", Bollx they have been added after manufacturer and she and the dealer are both liable to prosecution.

Many of the window tint companys have been acting illegally and they knew what was legal and what was not - they should be measuring the existing light transmission level and then refusing to apply a tint that would rended the vehice illegal. Many owners would have still wanted the tint applied knowing its ilegal but there is a good reason for the law : as a cyclist and motorcyclist its worrying to approach a car sitting at a junction with dark tints not having a clue if the driver is able to see you or not - even worse when it is night-time.

I have heard of one guy being stopped with dark tints whilst driving with his side windows down. He said that if it was dark then he drove around with the window down so that he could see out properly : so if its pi$$ing with rain and dark and as he doesnt want to get wet he keeps his windows up ..... he isnt able to see a damn thing - plonker, dont risk killing someone just because you want to keep one aspect of your car looking cool, it aint worth it.

 

[1.6 16v]

new forum user eh. Welcome

Well normally i wouldnt want to start an arguement but id say if you cant see out of a window with 20% tint let alone upto 72% youd have to be blind. Is it illegal to wear sunglasses whilst driveing? Are the police setting up roadblocks to catch them? What about old people with poor vision? Is there roadblocks with machines to test eyes?

Cyclist motorcyclist arguement-im both and (well have been in the past) and ive never thought like this scared to pull up alongside a car with tints cos they may not see me-nah

 

[andyrr]

I didnt post post with the intention of raising hackles but to pass on some of my thoughts and knowledge : as I mentioned a mate of mine sometimes works alongside the police so has greater knowledge than the ordinary motorist of law relating to vehicles.

At least with sunglasses most people tend to wear them when its sunny (!) but not wear them when it gets dark - not such an easy effect to get with tinted windows.

I cant see a problem with 20% tint and neither does the law. The law has a set light transmission % which is IIRC 72% or v. close to that - whether it should be a bit more or less than that is not something that you or I can change but one of my points was that some people will be thinking that their tints are legal when they arent as theyve had a certain % tint (eg 15%) applied to their glass which is already tinted and they overlooked/didnt think about that fact. I agree that people with poor vision are a danger- quite likely to be more so than drivers with heavily tinted windows : they should also be dealt with but taking loads of old people off the roads would probably upset the public more : not right but thats the way it is !

Also the issue re rear side windows might be relevant but it still seems unclear to me as to whether or not they are liable to the same law or not : found this that I though tmight have helped but Im not sure of it does or not ! http://www.5ive-o.com/web/viewtopic.php?t=3630http://www.5ive-o.com/web/viewtopic.php?t=3630

I cycle almost every day and can tell you that on occasions when Ive approached a junction with a car waiting to pull out where I cant determine whether the driver has even looked in my direction cos the windows are so dark then until Im safely past them theres just that extra wariness that they are about to pull out on you so sometimes even though seeing out might be fine seeing in is also an issue. IMHO the dark tints, which can reduce light transmission well below 50% are taking the piss, 30% or so is not and if you get pulled and tested then having tints that are only a little too dark might not result in any action depending on the coppers grumpiness and the drivers attitude.

 

[1.6 16v]

i get you now you are reffering to eye contact which yes i guess makes a differences-still thinks a bit of a sh*tter

 

[andyrr]

Whether or not its a safe or not to have (additional to factory) tints what is likely is that with darkened windows youve got the added risk of getting pulled and will then need to get the tinted film removed. I think that if the light transmission is not much below the legal level then youd be allowed to drive away with a rectification notice and get it done within the time (21 days ?). If theyre dark (50 % ? maybe) then it might well be that the coppers can decide that the car is unsafe to drive and the car stays where you stopped ! Not exactly ideal for you and your beloved motor but it is a possibility. So not only have you paid to get the tints applied, have to catch the bus /walk/taxi the rest of your journey plus you might get fined and you might also need to pay to get the tint removed - tint companies should be wary of getting sued by car owners for installing a product that renders their vehicle illegal !

My guess is the law clarification/crackdown is due to a combination of a few things :

Negative image that some cruisers give enthusiast car owners

Requirement to be able to identify the driver of cars from photographs (speed cameras etc)

Mobile phone law : cant see the driver then cant see if theyre using a phone.

Increased numbers getting dark tints applied : I reckon well over 50% of the X5s that I see have mid to dark tints applied - very often a middle aged (pr older) driver. If younger guys are going to be pulled in their Saxos, Clios etc then I hope that these old gits also get done. I hate these big softroader pimp-mobiles !!

 

[os1so]

It made me laugh that the police could stop you, look at the tints ,from inside and out and then make a judgement that the tints are to dark, with out the use of a light meter.........!

This is a quote from Carkeys web-site

"In that particular case we understand that no light meter was used. This is covered by VOSA in the following statement: "If the equipment is not available, a subjective assessment can be carried out. This involves looking at the window outside in and inside out, and if it is obvious that insufficient light is getting through the tint, an immediate prohibition may be issued."

That set the alarm bells ringing. Looking for confirmation, we asked these questions:

"Does this mean that whoever is carrying out the assessment is legally assumed to be able to tell by eye alone, and without any measuring equipment, whether up to 30%, 30% to 45%, or 45% to 65% of available light is being transmitted through the windows? And could a prosecution and possible fine of up to £2000 result from this?

"If measuring equipment exists (presumably because it is required for the job to be done properly) but is not used for whatever reason, how can a serious case be made against the alleged offender? Is VOSA confident that it would win a case that was based on subjective assessment?"

Next thing you know we will be stopped for speeding if the police THINK by looking at us driving down the road, we are doing 36 in a 30 zone.........for f#uks sake...! if the equipment is available it must be used if not then the police should not and can not pass a judgement. Next thing you no, the police will become " law-enforcer" "judge" & "executioner"...........!