Law on tinted windows
Discussion
I was told recently that you won't (maybe already) be allowed to have any kind of tint on side windows. Somthing about side-impact crashes (not seeing cyclists, that kind of thing).
I don't know if thats just the driver and front passenger or all side windows. I believe rear is still ok.
I doubt you'd ever get stopped by the BiB (well, until the government start installing the "Window Tint Safety Cameras"TM. Guess the probelm would be if you were to have an accident, its quite possible you'd get battered for having the tint (if it was a provable factor in the cause).
I don't know if thats just the driver and front passenger or all side windows. I believe rear is still ok.
I doubt you'd ever get stopped by the BiB (well, until the government start installing the "Window Tint Safety Cameras"TM. Guess the probelm would be if you were to have an accident, its quite possible you'd get battered for having the tint (if it was a provable factor in the cause).
All you need to know.
Window Tinting - Amendments to Legislation
During the early part of 2004, Section 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations will be amended to include “Window Tint Films”, where such materials attached to the glass are capable of reducing the Visible Light Transmission of forward windows to below prescribed levels. These changes will be back-dated to become applicable from 1st January 2004.
This will effectively ban virtually all tinted films fitted to windows forward of the B-Post on any vehicle that is to be driven on UK roads.
The reason for these changes is the recent proliferation of vehicles that are excessively tinted. Some vehicles may be so heavily tinted that they present a real danger when used on public roads. The action being taken by the Government follows a fatality that occurred recently where a heavily tinted car was involved in a collision with a motorcycle and the window tints were held to blame due to the vision of the driver being impaired.
There is however, a recognised difference between “light window tints” which may be considered safe for road use (such as those supplied to you by Pentagon) and “excessively dark window tints” which are not.
There has also been a great deal of debate in recent years about the legitimacy of window tints that do not obscure the vision of the driver. A clear case has been argued that road-safe window tints do not actually conflict with existing regulations. The Department for Transport have argued however that Section 32 was always intended to cover materials attached to the glass, despite the fact that no mention of this is made in the Regulation itself.
The only solution remaining would be to amend the Legislation.
Consequently and in order to clarify the situation, the Government have finally decided to up-date the Regulations to specifically include Tinted Films since, in the view of the Police and the Department for Transport, this is the only way in which the problems of excessive tints can be remedied.
Unfortunately however, even tint films that may be considered to be safe for road use will now be viewed as in conflict with the Regulations, enabling the Police and Vehicle Inspectorate to take action against vehicle owners.
This has significant implications for the owners of vehicles that have window tints already fitted and also those that are responsible for installing or selling window tints.
Implications for the vehicle owner
After much discussion, a sympathetic Enforcement Policy has been agreed between the Department for Transport and The Glass and Glazing Federation to ensure that all vehicle owners that have had tints applied in the past may be dealt with fairly. This applies in particular where the infringement is with respect to tints that do not pose a significant threat to Road Safety, despite being in contravention with the amended Regulations.
In any event, after the date of the amendment to Section 32, the owner of a vehicle that has window tints applied forward of the B-Post could be challenged by either a Police Officer or by an Inspector from the Department for Transport’s Vehicle Inspectorate, where their vehicle is noticed being driven on Public Roads.
Where such a vehicle is stopped and the window tints applied are such that the Visible Light Transmission level, when measured using an approved device falls to below prescribed levels, the following enforcement guidelines have been agreed with, and recommended, by the Government.
Above 30% Visible Light Transmission (Less Severe Window Tints)
The owner or driver of such a vehicle would be required to have the tinted film removed from the windows under the direction of either a Rectification Notice or a Delayed Prohibition Notice. A period of grace will apply for a limited number of days (normally ten) during which time the vehicle may be driven whilst the rectification work is to be completed.
In either case, the vehicle will need to be inspected by either a Police Officer or Vehicle Inspectorate Officer to confirm that the glass has been restored to a compliant condition. Prosecution is unlikely in such circumstances provided the vehicle owner complies fully.
Action that needs to be taken
All Businesses that have supplied window tints forward of the B-Post are being encouraged by the Government and the Glass and Glazing Federation to contact all of their previous customers to inform them of the changes to Legislation and to offer them a chance to have their vehicle rectified by having the front tints removed.
Window Tinting - Amendments to Legislation
During the early part of 2004, Section 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations will be amended to include “Window Tint Films”, where such materials attached to the glass are capable of reducing the Visible Light Transmission of forward windows to below prescribed levels. These changes will be back-dated to become applicable from 1st January 2004.
This will effectively ban virtually all tinted films fitted to windows forward of the B-Post on any vehicle that is to be driven on UK roads.
The reason for these changes is the recent proliferation of vehicles that are excessively tinted. Some vehicles may be so heavily tinted that they present a real danger when used on public roads. The action being taken by the Government follows a fatality that occurred recently where a heavily tinted car was involved in a collision with a motorcycle and the window tints were held to blame due to the vision of the driver being impaired.
There is however, a recognised difference between “light window tints” which may be considered safe for road use (such as those supplied to you by Pentagon) and “excessively dark window tints” which are not.
There has also been a great deal of debate in recent years about the legitimacy of window tints that do not obscure the vision of the driver. A clear case has been argued that road-safe window tints do not actually conflict with existing regulations. The Department for Transport have argued however that Section 32 was always intended to cover materials attached to the glass, despite the fact that no mention of this is made in the Regulation itself.
The only solution remaining would be to amend the Legislation.
Consequently and in order to clarify the situation, the Government have finally decided to up-date the Regulations to specifically include Tinted Films since, in the view of the Police and the Department for Transport, this is the only way in which the problems of excessive tints can be remedied.
Unfortunately however, even tint films that may be considered to be safe for road use will now be viewed as in conflict with the Regulations, enabling the Police and Vehicle Inspectorate to take action against vehicle owners.
This has significant implications for the owners of vehicles that have window tints already fitted and also those that are responsible for installing or selling window tints.
Implications for the vehicle owner
After much discussion, a sympathetic Enforcement Policy has been agreed between the Department for Transport and The Glass and Glazing Federation to ensure that all vehicle owners that have had tints applied in the past may be dealt with fairly. This applies in particular where the infringement is with respect to tints that do not pose a significant threat to Road Safety, despite being in contravention with the amended Regulations.
In any event, after the date of the amendment to Section 32, the owner of a vehicle that has window tints applied forward of the B-Post could be challenged by either a Police Officer or by an Inspector from the Department for Transport’s Vehicle Inspectorate, where their vehicle is noticed being driven on Public Roads.
Where such a vehicle is stopped and the window tints applied are such that the Visible Light Transmission level, when measured using an approved device falls to below prescribed levels, the following enforcement guidelines have been agreed with, and recommended, by the Government.
Above 30% Visible Light Transmission (Less Severe Window Tints)
The owner or driver of such a vehicle would be required to have the tinted film removed from the windows under the direction of either a Rectification Notice or a Delayed Prohibition Notice. A period of grace will apply for a limited number of days (normally ten) during which time the vehicle may be driven whilst the rectification work is to be completed.
In either case, the vehicle will need to be inspected by either a Police Officer or Vehicle Inspectorate Officer to confirm that the glass has been restored to a compliant condition. Prosecution is unlikely in such circumstances provided the vehicle owner complies fully.
Action that needs to be taken
All Businesses that have supplied window tints forward of the B-Post are being encouraged by the Government and the Glass and Glazing Federation to contact all of their previous customers to inform them of the changes to Legislation and to offer them a chance to have their vehicle rectified by having the front tints removed.
On top of Plod being able to make drivers remove >30% light-blocking tints, I've heard that insurance companies are now (predictably) taking a dim view (no pun intended) and using this as yet another loophole for them to declare your vehicle "uninsured....Sir" I guess that's to be expected, as if it has illegal tints, then it's "not roadworthy", therefore, MoT fail point, etc, etc...
Saw on another bbs that somebody did get stopped, driver tried to challenge Plod about not having a suitable measuring device to ascertain legality of tint, to which Plod replied that practically any tint applied in addition to a manufacturers tinted glass, will tip the light transmission from legal to illegal.
Depressing, eh?
Saw on another bbs that somebody did get stopped, driver tried to challenge Plod about not having a suitable measuring device to ascertain legality of tint, to which Plod replied that practically any tint applied in addition to a manufacturers tinted glass, will tip the light transmission from legal to illegal.
Depressing, eh?
I was quite surpised when I used a Tintman recently to check the side windows of the traffic car, fitted with standard (very slightly greeny blue) windows.
The light transmission was down to 80% or so.
Not meant as a comment either way in relation to the actual thread, but just for info, really.
The light transmission was down to 80% or so.
Not meant as a comment either way in relation to the actual thread, but just for info, really.
So, theyre now having a larf by saying that side tints are illegal just to be able to help ID a driver via scamera...(has to be this) nothing else makes sense, as theyre about to get shafted by the EU and article 6.
Anyway, how is a tinted glass any different to wearing dark glasses????????
And, if i wanna REALLY be a pain in the arse to em, ill just insist that all drivers of my vehicle MUST wear a crash helmet...for safety reasons of course!
The fact that it renders the driver unidentifiable is purely co-incidental.......
Anyway, how is a tinted glass any different to wearing dark glasses????????
And, if i wanna REALLY be a pain in the arse to em, ill just insist that all drivers of my vehicle MUST wear a crash helmet...for safety reasons of course!
The fact that it renders the driver unidentifiable is purely co-incidental.......
deltaf said:
Anyway, how is a tinted glass any different to wearing dark glasses????????
tinted glass obstructs the view through a car so (for example) brake lights of vehicles ahead of a tinted car can unnecessarily be obscured. approaching traffic at a roundabout or junction can also be obscured by a car with tinted windows that pulls up next to you.
Tonyrec said:
Stopped a van the other day and the side windows were so dark that you couldnt see your hand on the other side of the glass.
Needless to say....he was suitabley advised and ive seen it since and the windows are now clear.
Sometimes a warning is better than prosecution.
this from inside to out, or vice versa.
if former
if latter,
kthnxcya FOAD
not BiB, but the Crats who made the law.
Well I have tinted windows on everything but front (so I can still be identified by the Scameras. I ain't moving em.
They are the minimum tint that I could get whilst still being tinted. And they have a dual purpose.
a. To partially hide what is inside the car at night (when parked)
b. To let the scrotes know that the windows are laminated - so don't bother trying to put a brick through the window.
In fact I have the thicker security laminate rather than just tinting.
They are the minimum tint that I could get whilst still being tinted. And they have a dual purpose.
a. To partially hide what is inside the car at night (when parked)
b. To let the scrotes know that the windows are laminated - so don't bother trying to put a brick through the window.
In fact I have the thicker security laminate rather than just tinting.
tom tom said:
Anyway, how is a tinted glass any different to wearing dark glasses????????
tinted glass obstructs the view through a car so (for example) brake lights of vehicles ahead of a tinted car can unnecessarily be obscured. approaching traffic at a roundabout or junction can also be obscured by a car with tinted windows that pulls up next to you.
And the difference between tinted glass and dark glasses is?.........
Its not the windscreen that gets tinted, its the side windows, so brake lights dont even figure in the argument.
I dont make a habit of trying to see if its clear by looking thru other peoples windows before i pull out, i wait till i can see directly......
1) This appears to refer to "tinted film", so I guess it doesn't refer to "tinted glass".
2) Does it therefore refer to "after-market" or also to OEM? From the quote, it may be inferred that it refers to after-market tints.
3) And it certainly doesn't appear to refer to eletrically-opaqued glass (where you can switch the opacity on and off and adjust it too) - often seen as partition glass in limos (so I'm told
).
4) Whatever, it does not appear to make any distinction between all-over tints and (typically) "sun-visor strip" tinted areas.
I note that the quote above was apparently extracted from a statement provided by a supplier of tinted films.
Now, what we need is a clear tint that instantly opaques when flashed by (e.g.) a Truvelo. Any "interference" with forward vision would be less than that occasioned by a blink (which lasts around 1/40th of a second).
Streaky
2) Does it therefore refer to "after-market" or also to OEM? From the quote, it may be inferred that it refers to after-market tints.
3) And it certainly doesn't appear to refer to eletrically-opaqued glass (where you can switch the opacity on and off and adjust it too) - often seen as partition glass in limos (so I'm told
). 4) Whatever, it does not appear to make any distinction between all-over tints and (typically) "sun-visor strip" tinted areas.
I note that the quote above was apparently extracted from a statement provided by a supplier of tinted films.
Now, what we need is a clear tint that instantly opaques when flashed by (e.g.) a Truvelo
. Any "interference" with forward vision would be less than that occasioned by a blink (which lasts around 1/40th of a second). Streaky
deltaf said:The legislation (as described above) refers to "windows forward of the B pillar" - I presume this does not exclude (careful choice of words here) the windscreen - Streaky
Its not the windscreen that gets tinted, its the side windows, so brake lights dont even figure in the argument.
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