Tinted windows
I’ve long wondered why states permit cars to have tinted windows. Here, in CT, a minimum of only 35% of light must filter through the tint. Some states set the bar even lower (FL and TX, for example).
Is there any real value to tinted windows in cars other than privacy? Is that enough of a concern to permit such dark tints? More often than not, I will drive by a car with tinted windows and I will be unable to see a damn thing inside.
I also ponder this from a law enforcement perspective. Traffic stops, after all, are what cops do the most. Is there a safety concern here?
Also, practically speaking, can you see anything out those windows, especially the side windows? Are the side mirrors visible?
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about 2 years ago
There’s a reason Texas and Florida allow darker windows than Connecticut, and it’s not because our legislators want us to be able to hide our keys. Window tint actually works to keep the car cooler. (You see the darkest tint on the windows of K9 police cars.) Maybe not a concern in Grand Fenwick, but daytime highs here have already spiked over 90 a couple of times this year.
You can see out of a darkly-tinted car just fine under most circumstances. Sure, it’s a safety concern for the police.
about 2 years ago
Mark Bennett beat me to it. Yes it keeps the car cooler. Usually the film isn’t as dark from the inside out as the outside in. It’s similar to a one way mirror in that respect.
about 2 years ago
It’s always interesting to see how the states pass certain laws. It seems law enforcement wants to know exactly what’s going on in a car, simply be peaking in. Unless heavily tinted windows can cause accidents, I don’t know if it’s just for states to govern how tinted an individual’s windows can or should be. This simply makes an officer’s job easier when he/she is looking for someone to pull over and/or arrest, and could violate a citizen’s right to privacy.
about 2 years ago
You bet there’s a safety concern for law enforcement! I’ve talked to a number of officers on this matter and, to a person, they’re terrified when approaching cars with tints so dark that the occupants the front, back, or both cannot be seen.
Heavily darkened windows provide a very efficient means of carrying-out an ambush or execution of an officer.
JT. Think on whether you would like to go home and see your family tonight. Think about what it would be like to be lying on the shoulder of a highway with a gunshot wound, then put yourself in an officer’s shoes as he or she approaches a vehicle where the windows are so dark that the occupants and their demeanor cannot be ascertained.
about 2 years ago
Life is dangerous (in fact, invariably fatal). I don’t want to live in a world that is entirely safe for anyone (including police officers) because we can buy safety only with our freedom.
about 2 years ago
As someone who grew up in Vegas and also lived in Texas, I came to appreciate the cooling properties of tinted windows. I understand the concern for law enforcement safety, but there’s a simple solution: Cops can simply use the loudspeaker to ask people to roll down their windows.