Currently legal standpoint on window tints

BrokenArrows

Anyone have any idea of the legality of windows tints.

I have back and 4 side windows tinted. Front one is clear.

Friend told me it was illegal to have the two forward side windows tinted.
Any ideas?

Seth Brundle

I don't believe that there is specific legislation governing their use but it could be deemed as an obstruction.

ChristyCent

Since I got mine done in may I havent been stopped once by police and as far as I know the UK has laws against passenger driver and front windows but theres nothing over here

bbability

Law in UK is max of 30% visible light transmission in front side windows.
Cops carry meter to measure amount of light in certain constabulary's.

Sorry just found it on the VOSA webiste

For a legal window tint in the UK the specifications are:
a) Motor Vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1985
b) The light transmitted through the windscreen must be at least 75%.
c) The front side windows (to either side of the drivers’ head) must allow at least 70% of light to be transmitted through them.

Seth Brundle

but we're not in the UK!

Caoimhín

I never understood the problem with tinted windows. Your car is private property, therefore a Guard complaining that he cant see in the window is akin to him complaining that you keep pulling the curtains in your house and he cant see in.
And i wouldnt mind the UK, it became a police state long ago.

Would never happen in the US.

Seth Brundle

Caoimhín wrote: »

I never understood the problem with tinted windows. Your car is private property, therefore a Guard complaining that he cant see in the window is akin to him complaining that you keep pulling the curtains in your house and he cant see in.
And i wouldnt mind the UK, it became a police state long ago.

Would never happen in the US.

If he can't see in then its possible the the driver cannot see all around them!

Caoimhín

kbannon wrote: »

If he can't see in then its possible the the driver cannot see all around them!

My dog puts his paws over his eyes if he wants to hide from me. He must think that if he cant see me then I cant see him.

Graham_B18C

Caoimhín wrote: »

My dog puts his paws over his eyes if he wants to hide from me. He must think that if he cant see me then I cant see him.

But...thats not what people are saying, if the tints are very dark then there's a possibility that the driver cannot see out clearly, so the guards have a tint checker thingy! I have lightly tinted windows and I can notice a difference in the dark. Wouldn't be anything major but I know if they were darker, i'd struggle to see.

Someone posted on on the Mod Car Forum on Boards a few months back a tender the guards sent out to a few places for 8 or 10 of the light checker machines

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055622263

Victor

Caoimhín, if you want to do "private" stuff, do it at home.

Endangering other road users because they can't communicate with you visually is unacceptable.

Grahamo999 wrote: »

But...thats not what people are saying, if the tints are very dark then there's a possibility that the driver cannot see out clearly, so the guards have a tint checker thingy!

And then you have some idiots people who wear sunglasses with tinted windows.

stevenmu

Victor wrote: »

And then you have some idiots people who wear sunglasses with tinted windows.

I do this regularly, mostly because my windscreen isn't tinted and sunglasses are safer than a tinted windscreen. In daylight it doesn't affect my ability to see through tinted sides/rear, but I wouldn't do it at night naturally.

crocro

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Anyone have any idea of the legality of windows tints.

I have back and 4 side windows tinted. Front one is clear.

Friend told me it was illegal to have the two forward side windows tinted.
Any ideas?

Tinted windscreens and windows to the side of the driver are illegal in new vehicles. The revised NCT test in January next year will test for opacity of these windows. I think the windows will have to be 65% transparent to pass.

Seth Brundle

Have you a source on the illegality of them?

Graham_B18C

stevenmu wrote: »

I do this regularly, mostly because my windscreen isn't tinted and sunglasses are safer than a tinted windscreen. In daylight it doesn't affect my ability to see through tinted sides/rear, but I wouldn't do it at night naturally.

I do exactly the same

crocro

kbannon wrote: »

Have you a source on the illegality of them?

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1963/en/si/0190.html
S.I. No. 190/1963 — Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963.

23. Every vehicle shall be so constructed that the driver, while controlling the vehicle in motion, can at all times have such a view of the road and of other traffic on the road in front and to the sides of the vehicle as is necessary to enable him to drive safely.

24. (1) Where a windscreen is fitted to a vehicle, it shall be of a stable substance, fully transparent so that objects are not seen distorted through it, and not likely if fractured to produce fragments capable of causing severe cuts.

The new EU vehicle type approval regulations were enacted in I think April of this year
http://www.rsa.ie/SERVICES/upload/File/ECWVTA/European%20Communities%20(Road%20Vehicles%20Type-Approval)%20Regulations%202009.pdf

The EU standards about window tinting are referenced in the forward vision sections of these regulations.

From the point of view of a cyclist or a motorcyclist approaching a junction, it's important to be able to see through the driver side window of a vehicle waiting to cross the junction to establish if the driver has seen you.

It seems that new cars can't legally have tinted windows >30%. 4 year old cars can't have tinted windows >35% to pass the NCT from January 2010. Anything in between can have tinted windows so long as it doesn't restrict the ability to drive safely or distort the view according to the 1963 legislation.

In practice, having heavily front side tinted windows or a heavily tinted windscreen marks you out as a twat and will attract the gardai like nothing else.

trad

Would the OP not just ring the Vehicle Standards section of the RSA and get their line on it and then post it with a link to the relevant legislation and then we'll all know.

Seth Brundle

crocro wrote: »

Tinted windscreens and windows to the side of the driver are illegal in new vehicles. The revised NCT test in January next year will test for opacity of these windows. I think the windows will have to be 65% transparent to pass.

crocro wrote: »

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1963/en/si/0190.html
S.I. No. 190/1963 — Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963.

23. Every vehicle shall be so constructed that the driver, while controlling the vehicle in motion, can at all times have such a view of the road and of other traffic on the road in front and to the sides of the vehicle as is necessary to enable him to drive safely.

24. (1) Where a windscreen is fitted to a vehicle, it shall be of a stable substance, fully transparent so that objects are not seen distorted through it, and not likely if fractured to produce fragments capable of causing severe cuts.

The new EU vehicle type approval regulations were enacted in I think April of this year
http://www.rsa.ie/SERVICES/upload/File/ECWVTA/European%20Communities%20(Road%20Vehicles%20Type-Approval)%20Regulations%202009.pdf

The EU standards about window tinting are referenced in the forward vision sections of these regulations.

From the point of view of a cyclist or a motorcyclist approaching a junction, it's important to be able to see through the driver side window of a vehicle waiting to cross the junction to establish if the driver has seen you.

It seems that new cars can't legally have tinted windows >30%. 4 year old cars can't have tinted windows >35% to pass the NCT from January 2010. Anything in between can have tinted windows so long as it doesn't restrict the ability to drive safely or distort the view according to the 1963 legislation.

In practice, having heavily front side tinted windows or a heavily tinted windscreen marks you out as a twat and will attract the gardai like nothing else.

I don't see a reference to the side windows in the SI - is it in the EU Regulation?

trad

kbannon wrote: »

I don't see a reference to the side windows in the SI - is it in the EU Regulation?

184 pages long, I'm not that curious to find out but if anyone else wants to trawl through it off you go.

crocro

kbannon wrote: »

I don't see a reference to the side windows in the SI - is it in the EU Regulation?

77/649/EEC
http://www.automotive-accessories.co.uk/docs/ForwardViewinfo.pdf
specifies 70% transparency required

Seth Brundle

searching www.irishstatutebook.ie for "77/649/EEC", no results are found - has it been adopted into Irish law?
also that link (which doesn't look very 'legalistic') doesn't work!

KamiKazi

Caoimhín wrote: »

I never understood the problem with tinted windows. Your car is private property, therefore a Guard complaining that he cant see in the window is akin to him complaining that you keep pulling the curtains in your house and he cant see in.
And i wouldnt mind the UK, it became a police state long ago.

Would never happen in the US.

Except that you're not driving your house around public roads.......

Tefral

crocro wrote: »

77/649/EEC
http://www.automotive-accessories.co.uk/docs/ForwardViewinfo.pdf
specifies 70% transparency required

Just to clarify this was transposed into irish law by
S.I. No. 197 of 2008 EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (PASSENGER CAR ENTRY INTO SERVICE) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2008.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2008/en/si/0197.html

busman

Caoimhín wrote: »

Would never happen in the US.

Yes it does! Varies from state to state.
http://www.iwfa.com/iwfa/Law_Chart/State%20Law%20Chart%207-19-07.pdf

If you happen to get stopped by Johnny Law and have a dark tint expect guns drawn on you!

crocro

kbannon wrote: »

searching www.irishstatutebook.ie for "77/649/EEC", no results are found - has it been adopted into Irish law?
also that link (which doesn't look very 'legalistic') doesn't work!

This is the official link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31977L0649:EN:HTML

Tefral

kbannon wrote: »

searching www.irishstatutebook.ie for "77/649/EEC", no results are found - has it been adopted into Irish law?
also that link (which doesn't look very 'legalistic') doesn't work!

See post 22

crocro

It's also referenced by S.I. No. 158 of 2009 which is not yet published on irishstatutebook.ie but is on the RSA web site.

Caoimhín

KamiKazi wrote: »

Except that you're not driving your house around public roads.......

I might have a camper van.