Window Tinting Regulations
The
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)
are now stopping vehicles with tinted windows and checking them for opacity using
specialised equipment. If the windows are found to be over the legal tint limit
enforcement action may be taken. In the most serious cases the vehicle will be
taken off the road until the tint is removed.
Motorists who do not rectify
the problem will be prosecuted.
The crackdown follows concerns that have been
raised over the number of vehicles being driven with heavily tinted windscreens
and front side windows. Many drivers do not realise that excessively tinted glass
will restrict the drivers vision, especially in bad weather conditions and at
night. This may prevent drivers from seeing other motorists or pedestrians.
Legal tint limits-
The minimum percentage
of light that must filter through windows:
Windscreen
= 75%
Front side windows = 70%
What is excessively tinted
glass?
Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 as amended specify
the minimum levels of light that must pass through the windscreen and front side
windows. The limits are:
Motor Vehicles first used
before 1 April 1985:
The windscreen and front side windows must allow
at least 70% of light to be transmitted through them.
Motor
Vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1985:
The light transmitted
through the windscreen must be at least 75%. The front side windows must allow
at least 70% of light to be transmitted through them.
If the glass is tinted to a point whereby it lets through less light, then the vehicle does not meet legal requirements.
Which windows in the vehicle does
this apply to?
The windscreen and the front side windows to either side
of the drivers head.
How does excessively tinted glass
affect road safety?
It restricts the driver’s vision, especially
in dark conditions. This may prevent drivers from seeing other road users or pedestrians.
It also prevents other road users and pedestrians from confirming through eye
contact that they have been seen.
What is the purpose
of the law?
The purpose of the law is to ensure the drivers’ ability
to see the road is not excessively restricted by glass tint.
Legally,
where do I stand?
If you are the driver -
You must not drive a vehicle
on the road with the windscreen or front side windows excessively tinted. You
may also invalidate your insurance with this modification, particularly as the
vehicle is likely to be illegal.
