Three days into a police campaign against tinted windows, Prince George Mounties have already issued 37 tickets for this violation.
This is not about being style police, said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. The tinted window is clearly defined in law due to its safety hazards both for other drivers and pedestrians.
"The decrease in visibility can mean no direct eye contact can be made to determine if the driver has seen you," said RCMP Sgt. Al Steinhauser, commander of the city detachment's traffic section. "Whether you are a pedestrian crossing the roadway, a driver of another vehicle or a rider of a motorcycle, making eye contact with other road users is of critical importance. Tinted windows may prevent road users from determining the actions of drivers."
The tinting issue goes even further, said Steinhauser.
"Visibility is a major safety concern, but there is another safety concern with window tint film," he said. "Side windows in a vehicle are designed to shatter upon impact, reducing the risk of injury to the driver or occupants. In a collision, tint film holds the broken glass together, which can cause the broken window to act like a knife."
The Motor Vehicle Act spells out the law in Section 7.05(8). Steinhauser said many of the people who tint their windows are made aware of the law by the auto glass technicians asked to do the work. Some will do the work but only if the customer signs a document admitting they knew the law but insisted on the service anyway.
Anyone who has tinting on unlawful areas (it is allowed on windows behind the driver's seat and the top three inches of the front windshield) can be issued a fine of $109 and an order to remove the tinting. Failing to comply with a removal order is an additional fine of almost $600.
