Tint Laws and enforcement

['97ventureowner]

I started this thread to add some information to a closed thread on this subject. The original thread can be found here:http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=613495
New York has started to crack down on enforcement of their "tint Laws". In NY the legal limit is 30%. When something starts in NY it usually ends up spreading across the country as other states fall in line and enact their own laws which may or may not mirror NY's. (For example, the seatbelt law and no talking on a hand held cell phone law were first enacted in NY.) Police agencies all over the state are receiving grants to help them purchase devices where an officer can test the tint on a vehicle's windows to determine legality. It is a small hand held device and can be easily transported . What the police do here is set up unannounced road blocks. They check for expired registration or inspection stickers, seat belt usage and cell phone usage, ( they also use "spotters" which are other police officers stationed out of sight a short distance away to watch the cars approaching the roadblock to see who is not following the law, 'either talking on their phone or attempting to put on their belts in a hurry'. They then radio ahead to the front of the roadblock as to which vehicles they witnessed were breaking the law.) Now they have added the "tint check" to the road block where a vehicle suspected of having illegal tint is checked by one of the new portable machines. The number of tickets written for this infraction has greatly increased recently, in part to these new machines. A news story in one of our papers mentioned that other states are looking into beefing up their tint laws and having their police agencies apply for grants to be used to purchase these portable tint checkers. Another debate brewing in our state is why stores and aftermarket installers are still allowed to install tint that is over the legal limit on vehicles in NY. A news report on our local tv station showed police visiting these stores to "notify" the owners and employees of the law and possible consequences. I'm sure it won't be long before many of you in other states will start seeing new or beefed up laws aimed at limiting vehicle window tinting, and more and more police departments having access to machines to check on the tint percentage.

[sickcallawayc12]

Arizona is pretty chill with their laws, i plan to move there after the summer. Colorado is generally cool with it. They only do it if they got absolutely nothing else to do, my town is like that sometimes cuz it's pretty small. Either way, i understand they gotta see in there, but come on. Does it really need to be this strict? I can live with "be prepared to be pulled over if you got it" cuz i got nothing to hide, plus i drive with my windows down most of the time regardless of weather. That's just me though.

['97ventureowner]

It boils down to the cops saying they can't see into the car so it poses a threat to them . They don't know how many occupants are in the vehicle or if there are any visible weapons. Just last week a police officer was shot and killed in a neighboring town after he pulled over a car for a traffic infraction, the news story said that they are still looking for the car and driver, and it will be interesting to see if and when they find it, if the windows were tinted. I can understand the cop's point of view. Just because you have nothing to hide doesn't mean others do. It is the others who have made the situation worse for us all by committing crimes like shooting an officer who pulls them over.

[sickcallawayc12]

First, here is a cool link for tint allowance in the U.S.
http://www.tintlaws.com/laws/AZ/
Can't really argue with that. Tinted windows has proven to be beneficial, but the fact that darker tint doesn't necessarily mean it's more effective doesn't help unfortunately. This, along with most other "vehicle custom" regulations, are set out for safety, period. It's all state regulated, though, so it would be interesting to see a state keep lessened restrictions or not follow with the majority if that majority happens to toughen up on the laws, just to "experiment" the effects of safety and darker tint in other areas (possibly areas where there isn't a very high crime rate or something). This could happen in western states as a few seem to be pretty lenient on their tint laws compared to others.

['97ventureowner]

Wow, I didn't realize, after looking at that link, that NY does not allow reflective type tint on any side windows. I guess that means there are quite a bit of people breaking the law in my area . I agree that tint does have positive benefits, such as keeping the interior cool, keep interior from fading, cut excessive light for those who have problems with too much exposure, etc., but unfortunately, it only takes a few "bad apples" to ruin it for the rest of us by creating situations that put police officers in jeopardy by using the tint to their advantage in an illegal way.