October 20, 2006
Now I know Why Tinted Windows Are Illegal
Where I live, it is legal to tint your rear windows, but both driver and passenger windows can not be tinted. Yet, every day, I see people breaking the law. And usually, if they are going to bother tinting the front windows, it is not a mild tint, but a full on black that you can hardly see through. I am sure these people do it because they think it looks good. And I agree, tinted windows can be nice looking. That is primarily why I used to tint my windows. Although, the local shop I went to made it clear that front windows are off limits, and that in other locations, even the back ones can be illegal. Even when I flat out asked, they refused to do it. So those people who do get the front windows done, I am sure know it is against the law. But who are they hurting anyway? Why can’t they tint their front windows?
Yesterday I found out first hand why it is a bad idea to tint the front windows. Back when I had my rear window tinted, it was pretty dark. During the day it looked great. At night, I cringed every time I had to back up. You see, as long as something has lights on it (like the car driving behind you), you can see it, but without those lights, in the dark, it is near impossible to see out. This was only an issue reversing, as while on the road, I simply relied on my mirrors and shoulder checks.
But my front windows were clear, allowing me an un-obstructed view of my mirrors and the sides of my car.
Back to yesterday… There was a car waiting to turn left. It was rush hour, so he was having a slow time of it. The car behind him wanted to proceed straight, so, with what I assume was a shoulder check, he deemed it safe, and pulled out into the next lane. The thing of it was, a bus was in the process of passing him. I am certain that out of his dark, tinted side window, he did not see anything (busses do not have much for lights on their side, thus would be pretty easy to miss). He put the front of his car right into the side of the bus traveling at full speed. No one was hurt, but this car lost a side panel and the entire front bumper of his car.
All because he wanted to look good. I don’t think he thinks his car looks so good now. And I almost hope that when the police arrived, they wrote him a ticket for his illegally tinted windows.
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