tinted car windows look almost black - of course?

[Oglomott]

@Leo_Bloom

Huh. I will never look at windshields the same way again.

Do all car owners “know”/are aware of these symbols and icons? That is, that they are a thing?

I only had heard of the AS1 line myself. It’s a small line on each side of the windshield about five or so inches down from the top. You are allowed to tint a small strip above it, but not below.

http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/glass-window-tinting/

[Alley_Dweller]

@Machine_Elf

I was under the impression that this was the entire reason for laws that limit car window tinting, i.e. to assure that officers can see into the car when approaching on foot during a traffic stop.

Anyone know otherwise?

I believe you are correct.

Suburban cops crack down on overly tinted windows

The state law regulating tint was intended as a precautionary measure for law enforcement after a police officer in LaGrange was shot in the face with a shotgun during a routine traffic stop, according to state Sen. Matt Murphy’s staff. Murphy, a Palatine Republican, was one of the sponsors of a 2009 update to the law that actually relaxed rules about the level of tint permissible on side windows next to the driver and front-seat passenger.

NYPD supports push to keep cars with excessively tinted windows off roads

“This legislation will go a long way toward providing police officers with the protection and security we deserve while conducting vehicle stops, especially at night,” Yan said.

Tinted car windows keep cops uneasy in NJ

“Unless you can look inside, you don’t know what you’re getting into with each stop,” explained Tim Franco, head of the New Jersey Police Traffic Officers Association.

[md2000]

According to one “social observer”… not sure how serious vs. funny he was being…

Police would pull over drivers for DWB - Driving While Black.
Drivers responded by tinting windows to avoid profiling.
Police responded by getting legislators to limit tinting.

I am not aware of any jurisdiction where it’s legal for the front window / windshield to be tinted. It would be a serious hazard at night when it’s difficult enough to see with a normal window.

I also wonder how the rules treat mirror finish. Mirror finish reinforces the lack of visibility by adding a reflection of the exterior to confound the view in from the outside. But then, mirror finish is so last century…

[Fubaya]

@Oglomott

I thought tinting a car windshield below the AS1 line is illegal in most (some?) places.

It’s illegal here but people still do it.

@Machine_Elf

I was under the impression that this was the entire reason for laws that limit car window tinting, i.e. to assure that officers can see into the car when approaching on foot during a traffic stop.

Anyone know otherwise?

I think that’s true, at least that’s what I’ve heard too, but it never made much sense. Most places allow the rear windows to be darker than the rest, meaning that as the cop approaches, he can’t see anything at all until he’s at the driver’s door which is supposed to be tinted less. I guess seeing in the driver’s door a little better is a good thing, but I can’t imagine it helps much overall.

@CC

I find that re Illinois law, tinted windows must let in at least 35% of the light. Ok. So, given average daylight illumination, how likely would it be that one could see into a car with tinted windows well enough to know that, say, a man or a woman is driving? Or to count the number of people traveling in the car?

It depends on the car, the angle of the sunlight and the angle you’re viewing from. Sometimes you can tell easily, sometimes you can’t see a thing.

Here is a thread at an Audi site where owners post their tint jobs. Scroll down to where a user named “ddun” posts his 35% tint job at different angles. You can see in it fairly well in most of the photos in the sunlight, but it’s harder to see in when it’s in the shade or at a bad angle.