Window Tinting

[gearshifter]

What is the rule regarding window tinting?

Suppose you drive a roadster, are we allowed to tint any of the windows at all?

[mpr]

you can not tint the front at all.

[stevo911_]

seriously?
you cant even tint the front windows if you have some sort of super sensitive eye medical condition

[zulutango]

IF you have a genuine medical condition then you can APPLY to the Supt. MV Branch for a clear UV tinting variance ....BUT they do not want to issue the variances because the clear film disables the federally required shatter properties in the glass. If it is that bad, wear a hat, long sleeves, sunglasses and gloves and apply some sort of heavy sun block...all legal.

[TOS'd]

To add to the above post, the c-lai mask is a favourable option too.

[Soundy]

^

Specifically, the law states that you can't have any tint forward of the driver's shoulder... and if you tint the back, you MUST have both side mirrors.

[skidmark]

ICBC advises that no exemptions will be issued for any reason anymore.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by Soundy

^

Specifically, the law states that you can't have any tint forward of the driver's shoulder... and if you tint the back, you MUST have both side mirrors.

that would explain the MR2 I saw with this odd L shaped tint on it before.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by zulutango

BUT they do not want to issue the variances because the clear film disables the federally required shatter properties in the glass.

Unfortunately those shatter properties do not go far enough to actually provide adequate safety to the occupant from flying glass debris, which is why we are starting to see more cars using laminated side glass rather than the more conventional tempered safety glass. Tempered glass still shatters with film applied.

Page 10 of this document reports an incident where the driver of a vehicle which was rear-ended lost his vision after his eye came in contact with glass fragments which remained around the outer edge of the rear window. Looking at the photo it would seem plausible that had window tint been applied to the glass, it may have caused more glass to pull away from the frame leaving less glass hanging down right above his eye.

Source http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv.../07-0101-W.pdf

Page 9:

When tempered glass shatters in collisions, it is
usually stressed under the conditions of bending or
shock loading, and can shower fragments into the
occupant space. Laminated glazing spalls and creates
small, even dust-like, fragments. However, the
quantity of laminated glass fragments detaching from
the polymer laminate is, in general, less than 1% of
that from tempered glazing. In one side collision with
fractured tempered glazing, a woman complained to
her physician of persistent eye irritation. This lead to
an X-ray examination that indicated that a fragment
was lodged behind the eyeball itself and rested
against the optic nerve.

....
Page 11:
Thus, for each of the three stated FMVSS205 purposes,
laminated safety glazing has been shown to be the
superior material for side window applications when
compared to tempered safety glazing.

Now, while I realize that tint film does not provide the same protection as laminated glass, it does help to reduce the amount of airborne fragments and dust released from tempered glass that has been known to cause many more injuries than laminated glass fragments.

From Page 9 of the same document:

Severy and Snowden [54] conducted glazing tests
and reported that, “Subsequent examination of high
speed movies of these experiments revealed that
tempered glass fragments may move as clusters, an
inch or two across the long axis, so that the comment
concerning hazard arising from tempered glass
weight should be modified. It was also observed in
collecting the fragments that while many particles are
cube-like, as described by other investigators, most
were by no means free of sharp points or edges,
making them very difficult to handle without cutting
one's hands.” Yudenfriend and Clark [57] found in
door impact testing that 20-40% of the glass
fragments flew inward toward the occupant survival
space, and that they entered that space at velocities as
high as 23 km/hr (14 mph). The speed, size, shape,
and sharpness of tempered glass fragments explain
why some shards have been found to penetrate skin
and skull and even enter the brain [57]. Citations
regarding skull penetration of glazing fragments refer
exclusively to tempered fragments, rather than to the
annealed fragments produced by laminated glass
[50;24].

I fail to see how tinted glass presents a significant danger to the driver.

[underscore]

I think the main thing is that it's more of a danger to everyone else. Personally I hate when I can't see a drivers head to see which direction they are looking if one of us is turning or stopping or something.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by underscore

I think the main thing is that it's more of a danger to everyone else. Personally I hate when I can't see a drivers head to see which direction they are looking if one of us is turning or stopping or something.

Me too, but that's rarely a problem if the tint is light enough. I in no way support the use of dark tint that prevents other drivers from seeing in. In fact, I would like to see laws preventing dark tint on rear windows to allow better visibility through cars in front.

Heck, I have had my view of other drivers 100% obstructed by the sun shining through trees onto their side window.

[underscore]

yeah but thats the thing, the people that tend to do it go full black and you can't see crap all. sure glare can block a person from view, but thats a temp thing, dark tint you are never gonna see that guy.

[zulutango]

I fail to see how tinted glass presents a significant danger to the driver.[/QUOTE]
Not even dealing with the lack of actual visibility of, and by, the driver who has tinted windows.....as neither of us ( I think) is an engineer or research scientist who has spent years researching and testing, spending hundreds of millions on research and actual doccumented testing to arrive at an internationally accepted and required standard for side glass properties,....whew!!...I`ll go with what the world requires at this point. I`m sure that when a better way comes along to make the glass safer, it will be developed, installed and required on vehicles, in a similar way the current glass is.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by zulutango

Not even dealing with the lack of actual visibility of, and by, the driver who has tinted windows.....as neither of us ( I think) is an engineer or research scientist who has spent years researching and testing, spending hundreds of millions on research and actual doccumented testing to arrive at an internationally accepted and required standard for side glass properties,....whew!!...I`ll go with what the world requires at this point. I`m sure that when a better way comes along to make the glass safer, it will be developed, installed and required on vehicles, in a similar way the current glass is.

Better glass already is making its way into side windows. They already know that glass that doesn't become pulverized into airborne dust and particles is safer than tempered glass.

I don't need to be an engineer to know that flying glass chunks and dust can injure me. Do you?

You require your rear passengers to wear a sealtbelt in the event they become projectiles in a collision. You secure loose objects for the same reason. Why not apply film to the glass to stop it from shattering into dangerous projectiles?

And again, regulating the tint's light transmission levels in the same way other equipment is regulated isn't hard to do. Legalizing 70% tint doesn't mean everyone will suddenly apply 20% tint.

Besides, if the internationally regulated shatter properties are in fact disabled by tint as you so strongly claim, why is it legal in the majority of US States, some Canadian provinces and many other countries and jurisdictions around the world?

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by underscore

yeah but thats the thing, the people that tend to do it go full black and you can't see crap all. sure glare can block a person from view, but thats a temp thing, dark tint you are never gonna see that guy.

They're doing it because they are trying to be cool, and not in the temperature sense. Light tint has health, comfort and safety benifits.

[Djiban]

edit: delete

[zulutango]

To compress the argument to its basic level......you are saying it is safer to have restricted vision for the driver and restricted vision of him/her AND that a sheet of scotch tape on the inside applied to whatever standard, is better than the tested safety glass setup currently internationally mandated...sorry but I cannot accept that concept.

[xpl0sive]

so do they not care about driver safety in other places where tint is allowed? In Washington state for example, you can have 5% tint all around. Are there more accidents there because other people could not see the driver because of the tint? I doubt it. The tint law is retarded and does not have any concrete evidence to support it.

[zulutango]

I'm sure the international engineering, safety, legislative and automotive industries agree with your succinct observations.

[wing_woo]

I don't know if it's any safer or not, but I personally would be opposed to allowing people 5% tint all around. I don't care if people tint as long as it's not too dark that I can't see the driver. At least that's my view of tinting. I actually got stopped for front tinted windows, but it was because it was at night and because my rears were 5%, it made the front look dark so he gave me a ticket for front tint even though I didn't have any. He was really nice about it after when I took it to him in the day. Still had to dispute in court, but the officer took care of everything for me at court.

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by zulutango

To compress the argument to its basic level......you are saying it is safer to have restricted vision for the driver and restricted vision of him/her AND that a sheet of scotch tape on the inside applied to whatever standard, is better than the tested safety glass setup currently internationally mandated...sorry but I cannot accept that concept.

The AS1 standard for front windshields requires at least 70% light transmission, so visibility is already "restricted" through what you are considering to be clear glass.

As I stated before, laminated front side windows are making their way into cars, primarily because the "scotch tape" as you put it between the glass limits the amount of debris that is propelled toward the driver.

Every car is required to have a laminated windshield and since many more are now coming with laminated side glass. It would seem that the general concensus in the automotive industry is that sacrificing some visibility (Comforming to AS1 specifications) is an acceptable trade off for the increased safety to the occupants from flying debris.

[Yagimax]

It depends where you live I guess. My friend got pulled over for too much tint in the back windows.
But what about limo drivers??? Thats almost black, why are they aloud to drive with huge tint but not other vehicles?

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Yagimax

It depends where you live I guess. My friend got pulled over for too much tint in the back windows.
But what about limo drivers??? Thats almost black, why are they aloud to drive with huge tint but not other vehicles?

Where was your friend pulled over? In BC there is no limit to the darkness of the rear window tint, which IMO is dangerous.

[sho_bc]

The only limit is that there must be 2 operational side rear-view mirrors if there is tint on the rear windows.

[Yagimax]

In victoria, he had limo tint installed. They told him its was a danger hazard (that he couldnt shouldercheck/mirror wasnt going to do any good for him) and he had to get it replaced.He did not recieve any fine.