Hi Guys

Just thought i would offer some advice about window tints, as a serving Traffic Officer i keep getting asked about window tints and the law, it can be confusing so i will set it out here as simple as i can

The Law

Section 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations deals with the law on tints, in 2003 a very nasty accident occoured in Greater Manchester between a car and a motorbike, on investigation the cause of the accident was directly atributed to the tints on the car, as a result in late 2003 an amendment to the as was current law was introduced this change came into effect on the 1st January 2004. It states that as of this date "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 (70% VLT for windows forward of the 'B' pillar)

In laymans terms this means that all glass forward of the b piller, (the rear edge of the drivers door) must let 70% of the natural light through.

What we have already

I have contacted Landrover and they have sent me an e-mail stating amoung other things that we currently have the following tints currently on the windows

Windscreen - 78% of light will pass through
Drivers door - 71%
Passenger door - 71%
Rear passenger doors - 71%
Rear Window - 71%

What we can do

With this information it is clear that the Front windows and the windscreen are already at the legal maximum, given the 1% leyway, as far as the rears and the back screen you can leagally tint these as dark as you like, remember though if you do get it done that the windows already have a 71% tint already so take this into account when ordering

Getting stopped

If you are unfortunate enough to get stopped by the Police, or VOSA they will use a light meter to gauge the amount of light coming through, if it is found that the fronts are to dark you WILL get asked to remove the tints at the side of the road, you do not have to comply instead ask for a rectification notice or a prohibition notice this will give you a grace of usually 10 days to get the tints removed proffesionally. In either case, the vehicle will need to be inspected by a Police Officer or Vehicle Inspectorate Office to confirm that the glass has been restored to a compliant condition.
If your tints are deamed Below 30% Visible Light Transmission (Excessively dark window tints) The driver or owner of such a vehicle may be issued with an immediate Prohibition Notice and immediately prevented from driving the vehicle on public roads until the tints have been removed and either a Police Officer or Vehicle Inspectorate Office confirms that the glass has been restored to a compliant condition

The maximum fine for having these tints is £2000, one thing to be aware of is that if you are having your tints measured as a result of a Road Traffic Accident and your tints fall below the 30% you may also be facing a charge of dangerous driving.

Some forces have been known to issue an on the spot £30 fine along with the rectification notices, this isnt common practice and you could fight the fine, but of course this will be at your expence.

Forces that are cracking down on tints

The following forces are cracking down on window tints this summer and WILL be setting up random stopchecks along with VOSA officers

North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Staffordshire, Northumberland, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, The MET, Devon and Cornwall, Essex

In Summary

70% maximum tint from B Piller forwards
Freelander 2's have 71% as standard
Rear Windows no legal limit
£2000 maximum fine if caught
Can ask you to remove tints at the side of the road

DISCLAIMER

I AM OFFERING THIS INFORMATION AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL AND I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPOSIBLE IF YOU ARE CAUGHT AND USE THIS INFORMATION IN A COURT CASE.

Cheers

Mad Dog "I havn't grown up, I just buy bigger toys"

Last edited by Mad-Dog on 26th Mar 2008 2:14 pm. Edited 1 time in total

Surprised that the fronts are already at the legal limit. They certainly don't look that dark. In my youth I had smoke tints which was meant to be 35% dark (ie 65% light passes through) but they looked a lot darker from the outside.

Little skeptical to how much this will be enforced though, there's certainly a lot of 'candidates' out there. Phil

phil_wkl wrote:

Surprised that the fronts are already at the legal limit. They certainly don't look that dark. In my youth I had smoke tints which was meant to be 35% dark (ie 65% light passes through) but they looked a lot darker from the outside.

Little skeptical to how much this will be enforced though, there's certainly a lot of 'candidates' out there.

all the windows have a slightly green tint in them i believe due to the toughening process, this must equate for the 29% loss of light. Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Hi Mad-Dog, I was not even contemplating tinting the windows, however, I just wish to say thanks for the straightfoward layout of the interesting info. In terms of your 'job', In the words of Hill Street Biues - Be careful out there!  Freelander 2 - SE
Sumatra Black - TD4 -4X4 Jack Russel in boot.

Hi Mad dog,

Thanks, you might have saved me some time and money. I was planning on getting a company out to tint my front windows to the legal limit and then match the rear windows so my Fl2 looked 'even' and not two tone. Seeing as the fronts are only 1% below the legal limit I wont bother.

NM Baltic blue XS - Alpaca Leather - 18" HSE wheels.

Good info Mad-dog

It's easier to avoid tints on the front windows full stop in the UK me thinks.

excellent straight forward info thank you very much A wise man once said...shop till you drop,get up and shop some more
Bluewater is my church