Why was front window tinting banned?
The expert explained why rear window tinting should not be prohibited
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region Vladimir Petrov sent a proposal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to completely ban tinting of cars. In his opinion, such a measure will increase the level of anti-terrorism security. Experts do not agree with this interpretation.
Tinted windows, behind which evil terrorists or at least bad people who have something to hide are certainly hiding, is an ancient stereotype that firmly lives in the minds of “particularly law-abiding” citizens. Alas, some people still don’t realize that tinting is a way to protect the body from the scorching rays of the sun, and personal belongings from prying eyes. Where are the boundaries of what is permitted at present and what do ordinary citizens and experts think about the initiative?
What is possible and what is not possible at present
Tinting is regulated by GOST, which allows any degree of darkening of the rear side and rear windows. Moreover, traffic police officers almost never check the hemisphere, since its opacity is not considered something illegal. Front window tinting options are a different story. They are strictly regulated, and the key in GOST is the light transmittance, which should not be lower than 70%. The requirements for light transmission of the windshield are higher - it should not be less than 75%.
Non-compliance with GOST tinting is punishable in accordance with Part 3.1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation: “Driving a vehicle on which glass is installed (including those covered with transparent colored films), the light transmission of which does not meet the requirements of the technical regulations on the safety of wheeled vehicles, entails the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount five hundred rubles."
Shutterstock/VOSTOCK Photo
It's time to ban ban
The high terrorist threat of tinted cars raises many questions. In fact, we have before us yet another prohibitive initiative that advocates for world peace, but at the same time excludes common sense and forgets about the mass of possible inconveniences for ordinary citizens who do not tint their windows in order to transport terrorists, hostages and explosives.
“The State Duma must finally learn to allow it because all of their bills lately have been prohibitive in nature. In a society of prohibitions and restrictions, even for the sake of some good intentions, there will be depression and a lack of growth in life satisfaction and well-being. In this life, there is not only a stick, but also a carrot, and regulation can be carried out not only through prohibitions, but also through permits and a wiser approach,” says Petr Shkumatov, coordinator of the Blue Buckets motorists movement.
In his opinion, tinting does not affect anti-terrorism security in any way. Terrorism itself contains more myths than numbers—there are orders of magnitude fewer casualties in terrorist attacks than in man-made disasters. “Tinting is a deterrent to thieves who can't see what's in the back seat. It protects from the sun and improperly adjusted headlights. If I didn't have tint on the back of my car, I could have gotten into an accident many times because there was a person in the back with spotlights burning out my eyes. In addition, our country is large and diverse. Try driving in the south without tinting now. There it is a means of driver safety, because without it the sun is so intense in the summer, the brains literally “melt”,” concluded Shkumatov.
Why is tinting of front windows prohibited in Russia?
Why is tinting front windows prohibited in Russia? What level of light transmission is acceptable for a windshield? Do tinted windows really reduce driver safety? Similar questions arise for every car owner who is thinking about tinting his car.
Why can't you tint your windshield?
The wording is not entirely correct: you can tint, but it is important to remember that, in accordance with current legislation, the light transmittance level must be at least 75%. Why does the state impose such strict requirements on car owners?
Firstly, this is a concern for the safety of the drivers themselves. It is believed that darkened windows impair visibility and even increase the risk of accidents.
The second reason for introducing restrictions on tinting is the safety of the traffic police officers themselves. Law enforcement officers want to be sure that no one is drinking alcoholic beverages behind tinted windows, transporting weapons, various prohibited substances, or committing other illegal actions.
However, despite government bans, many car owners continue to tint their windshields. If you like tinted windows, you are aware of the current fines, and they do not scare you, then why not get high-quality and beautiful tinting? Of course, you need to be prepared that a traffic police inspector may stop you and check the light transmittance of the glass.
Fines for incorrect tinting
When tint film first appeared in the Russian Federation in the 90s, it immediately became extremely popular. Moreover, the most favorite type of tinting was tinting in a circle, when absolutely all the windows of the car were sealed with a film, almost preventing sunlight from entering the cabin.
Although such tinting was subject to a fine of 500 rubles, this did not stop lovers of tinting film. Perhaps it is for this reason that in 2012, in addition to the fine for tinting, traffic police officers began to remove license plates. And those who did not want to then deal with the lengthy procedure of returning the license plates preferred to remove the tint themselves right at the traffic police post.
Today the sanctions are not so stringent, but the fine for incorrect tinting still remains and amounts to 500 rubles. The current requirements for glass are as follows (in accordance with current GOSTs and the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation):
- For the windshield, light transmittance must be at least 75%
- For front side – at least 70%
- The rear windshield and rear side windows can be tinted with only one limitation: do not use mirror film.
Professional tinting in Garage Style
In our Garage Style centers you can always do any type of tinting for your car. We work with materials from the world's best manufacturers, we thoroughly know the technology of car tinting and have been professionally tinting for many years. Call the numbers listed on the website and make an appointment to have your car tinted at Garage Style!
Why is it prohibited to tint front windows?
Question: Why is it prohibited to tint front windows?
Author: Sasha.
Answer from the traffic police: These are the rules.
Requirements for tinting are specified by GOST 5727-88 “Safety glass for land transport. General technical conditions" (this document is based on the "List of faults and conditions under which the operation of vehicles is prohibited"), according to which the light transmittance of: - windshields of vehicles and trams must be at least 75%;
— glass of the front doors and front side windows (if any) must be at least 70%;
- other glass, roof glazing of passenger cars, sunroofs, shading strips in the upper part of the windshield are not standardized.
Editor's response: the ban on tinting front windows is due to modern safety requirements. Firstly, for the driver of a tinted car, visibility in the side mirrors and windows is reduced (this is especially noticeable at night and when the side windows are heavily dirty). Secondly, the inspector who stopped the vehicle must see what is happening inside the car and who exactly is behind the wheel. In the case of heavily tinted windows, the inspector has no way to understand what is happening in the car and whether he is in danger. For example, the inspector will not be able to see that behind the wheel there is an armed criminal who is ready to encroach on the life of a traffic police officer, or an inadequate person who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The inspector will not be able to notice a crime that may be occurring in the car. An attack on a driver, for example. Also, in the event of an accident involving a car with tinted windows, even from the testimony of witnesses, it will be more difficult to determine who exactly was driving.
Why is it illegal to tint windows on cars?
Today, many people no longer even remember that there were times when the ban on tinting was perceived as a stupid formality. After all, drivers were ready to pay a 500 ruble fine for tinting. It’s hard to imagine how many cars there were on the roads whose windows were completely “black.” But 2012 came - a fatal year for motorists.
A law appears that makes it clear that the old times are coming to an end. After all, the driver now faced punishment not only in the form of 500 rubles, but also the deprivation of his license plate for a period of time until the violation was eliminated. Moreover, it is not always possible to simply remove the tint on the spot, get the license plates and move on calmly. You need to go to the traffic police department and deal with bureaucratic issues. But if you’re lucky, the employees simply ask you to remove the tint on the spot, don’t issue a fine, and let you go.
Naturally, we are not talking about rear windows. There are no prohibitions here. In the case of the front ones, everything is strict. There are even clear standards. The windshield must have at least 75% light transmission. In the case of side front ones, 5% less.
Such standards in any case eliminated tinting. Because with the help of an athermal film with such indicators you cannot hide anything in the cabin. The maximum it will give is that the interior will not get very hot (and that’s not a fact).
A common reason for banning tinting is the high likelihood of getting into an accident due to the film. After all, visibility from the inside is poor. But what really? Tinting the windshield is truly absurd. But tinting the front side windows in most cases does not interfere with the driver in any way. This can easily be confirmed by motorists who have driven tens of thousands of kilometers with such tinting.
The funny thing is that you will not find any confirmed statistics according to which tinting is truly an enemy and a great danger.
In fact, the ban on tinting is really an increase in safety, but not for drivers, but for traffic police officers...
So, the employee slows down the car. Because of the tinting, he cannot see anything at all what is happening in the cabin. And here we add night. Accordingly, what actions the driver performs in the car is unknown. But there are known cases when traffic police officers were wounded with firearms when they approached the side front window. After all, the inspector does not know until the very last moment that a weapon was pointed at him. It sounds like science fiction, but crime on the road is not uncommon. It is important for the traffic police officer to monitor the situation in such cases and be prepared to respond.
Is the ban logical? Really. Another thing is that it would also be logical to simplify the law a little. A slight darkening will not prevent traffic police officers from seeing the driver inside and monitoring his actions. Now such light darkening is allowed that you can’t even call it such.
In the Russian Federation they want to introduce a ban on tinting rear windows of cars
More recently, information has appeared that the State Duma is discussing a change in legislation related to the issue of a complete ban on car tinting.
The initiators of this law hope in this way to help the state in the fight against terrorism. Although previously it was planned only to increase the fine for excessive darkening of the windshield and front side windows. Now it is planned to introduce a complete restriction on tinting.
The final decision on this issue will be made by a commission consisting of members of the State Duma Committee on State Construction and Legislation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A letter with a proposal to hold a meeting was sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the beginning of spring last year. Its author is Vladimir Petrov, a deputy of the legislative assembly of the Leningrad region.
For those who have forgotten, the main goal of the initiators of a complete ban on tinting is to increase the effectiveness of the fight against terrorism in the country. This measure has already been introduced in the regions of the North Caucasus and some EU countries.
Currently, the current version of the technical regulations of the Customs Union specifies requirements according to which the windshield and side front windows of a car must have a light transmission level of at least 70%.
To record a violation of tinting standards, police inspectors use special equipment. With its help, they often carry out raids to check the level of light transmission of car windows. If a violation is detected, the driver can either correct it on the spot or pay a fine.
At the moment, you will have to pay 500 rubles for incorrect tinting. Until recently, inspectors had the right to remove license plates from a car, thereby limiting its use. However, now this action has become irrelevant, because anyone can order duplicates of state signs from a specialized company.
Just 4 years ago, the question arose about increasing the amount of the fine for the first violation from 500 to 1,500 rubles. If the driver repeatedly exceeded the tinting standards, the amount of punishment increased to 5,000 rubles. But this initiative did not find sufficient support in the State Duma and was rejected in the winter of 2018.
Thus, if the innovation regarding window tinting is introduced, most car owners will have to at least check their cars for compliance with light transmission standards, and at most completely remove the darkening film.
Do you have any questions or something to add about the article? Write in the comments, perhaps this will greatly help readers in the future. Also subscribe to our channel in ZEN.
