Window Tint

[RickyTheStorm]

Originally Posted by TekkGuy

A cop can pull you over for any reason. What they cannot do is search your car without reason. Yes they can pull you over for illegal tint. Rolling down your windows and turning the dome light on, might actually annoy the cop because at that point, being that the cop is pulling you over for (suspected) illegal tint, he might think you are trying to be a smartass by hiding your windows. And I do understand what cops mean by it being a safety issue. The cop wants to know if you have a weapon as they approach your car. They have every right to mitigate their exposure to danger. Just because they have a high risk job, doesn't mean that they don't have the right to make it less dangerous. Don't forget, driving in-it-of-itself is not a right, it's a privilege given to citizens.

As for an inspection sticker, I think you are wrong, unless your state is very lenient. But in NY, let’s say there was a checkpoint on a road, and as you roll by (slowly of course) the cop notices you missing the sticker, he can pull you over and give you a ticket. He does not need any other infraction in order to ticket you for a missing sticker. Hell, you can get a ticket for honking in some areas.

Wow NY is strict. I guess PA cops just don't really care about the sticker unless you are an ass. I went through a check point in my camaro, it hasn't been inspected yet, and they just asked if I had been drinking, and didn't care that I had no sticker.

Of course I guess it also depends on the cop.

[TekkGuy]

Originally Posted by RickyTheStorm

Wow NY is strict. I guess PA cops just don't really care about the sticker unless you are an ass. I went through a check point in my camaro, it hasn't been inspected yet, and they just asked if I had been drinking, and didn't care that I had no sticker.

Of course I guess it also depends on the cop.

Yeah, I just learned about the honking one actually a couple of months ago. I live on Long Island, we don't have "honking" laws here, but I had to cross over the Whitestone Bridge to get to my folks house, and there was a "delay" at the toll booth. The guy 2 cars ahead of me went through an EZPASS lane without an EZPASS, then decided to "chat up" the cop while people were waiting behind him. The guy in front of me got impatient and honked. That was it, cop walked right up and gave him a ticket. I am just glad that he didn't realize I honked at the same time and ticket me. LOL

[PQ]

Well, they CAN pull you over for no seat belt correct? And if they can't see you due to dark tint, how can they make sure you are in compliance?

Not advocating the debate either way, just adding a theory.

[Yellojacket]

What makes NO SENSE at all is here in MD you can only have 35% on sides and rear window IF IT IS A CAR. If you have a club cab truck or minivan or SUV only the front side windows have to be 35% and the rear sides and back window can be anything you want. If it was truely for officer safety a SUV poses much more risk with 4-5 guys hiding in the back of a pimped out Escalade than the little 5 year kid I can comfortably fit in the rear seat of my camaro....

[PQ]

Originally Posted by Yellojacket

What makes NO SENSE at all is here in MD you can only have 35% on sides and rear window IF IT IS A CAR. If you have a club cab truck or minivan or SUV only the front side windows have to be 35% and the rear sides and back window can be anything you want. If it was truely for officer safety a SUV poses much more risk with 4-5 guys hiding in the back of a pimped out Escalade than the little 5 year kid I can comfortably fit in the rear seat of my camaro....

I think the real reason is because those vehicles sit up higher and it was argued that visibility is better making up for the loss of visibility on a low car with tint.

Again, I don't know, just adding.

[billmiller8]

Originally Posted by RickyTheStorm

Okay - thought I would just start a little conversation on this since there is controversy over the issue.

First off - this isn't a debate on legality - this is a debate on right to pull over.

So - the question is, does a police officer have the right to pull you over for window tint or must you have committed another infraction for them to get you on it? I know I know - police can manage to say anything, like hitting a line you must have been drinking, etc.

The point I am trying to make is some things they cannot pull you over for unless you do something else. For example, I am a PA resident, I must have an inspection every year. If I don't have a sticker on my window they cannot pull me over for that alone, they must get me for another infraction that is a moving violation.

The question is, do tinted windows fall in this category?

Let the debates begin!

Oh - as to my understanding, they cannot pull you over for tinted windows, you must commit another infraction - but that is why if I get pulled over both windows go all the way down and dome lights come on.

That is not true about your sticker either. I lived in Pa for 5 yrs and the first year I forgot to renew my stickers and a cop pulled me over for invalid stickers. I believe it was a $90 fine.

[2010 SSRS]

Here in RI the police can pull you over for tint.

[Phoenix328]

Originally Posted by Wizzer

I feel most (not all) cops have better things to do that rag on people for window tint. Now since the economy is so poor and budgets are lower now for all the townships I can see this would be a bad time to expect a break. Typically your window tint would be an added ticket to another reason for being pulled over. That is such a judgement call it would be hard to answer this question for all the possible areas in the USA. Thank god GA lets us tint to a fairly dark level. The sun is killer out here.

As a police officer i could care less about the bad economy when deciding to write a ticket or not. I would write the ticket if the person deserved it or not.

[THE EVIL TW1N]

Originally Posted by mackvenom1

I was pulled over for only tinted windows in NYC. It's a great story:

I was home from college for a week, so I drove down to my high school to pay some old teachers a visit. Driving home near rush hour, there was heavy traffic on Madison Ave. Once I got to about 128th street or so (in Harlem), there was a cop standing literally right in the middle of the road, walking amongst the cars in traffic. When he got to my car he waved me over to the side of the road.

When he approached my car, I asked what I could do for him. He told me he was part of a special Harlem Task Force against crime/to improve police-community relations (giving out tickets is a greaaaaaaat start, btw, NYPD!). He said that my window tints were too dark, and took a meter out of his pocket to measure the tint. He asked if my tints were factory or aftermarket and I told him they were aftermarket. He said only factory tints like ::that one:: were allowed. He was pointing to a parked Benz, with literally ZERO tint. I said, "I'm sorry officer, that's not a tinted window. At all."

He explained that tints are illegal for police safety. I said that police are generally safe regardless of what color my windows are. Then he said that they are illegal for my safety. (I know about safety glass.) I told him that if they are conducting a traffic stop, they just want to be able to snoop around in the car. It's not for my safety, it's for them.

Being fairly pissed off and inconvenienced, I remembered that those livery cabs (not the trademark yellow cabs, but the tons of other Town Cars and Crown Vics that are all blacked out) always had near-limousine tints. So, I responded further, "Officer, THAT is what a tint is," and pointed at one of the blacked-out culprits. He said, "You know what, you're right," and ran over to the cab and told him to pull over.

I still got a ticket, but only for 1 window (he claimed he could give me a ticket for the four door windows). I did pay the $60 fine. I did not remove the tint. The cop and I were friendly the whole time despite the comments back and forth. I'm glad he saw I was just being honest and stating my opinion and he took no disrespect.

I'm just sick of cops saying they hate tinted windows because they want to see everything during a traffic stop... they want to be safe. If you want to feel safe, A) don't stop the car or B) become a gardner! It's a dangerous job. You'd spot a weapon on our person a lot faster if we all drove around naked, but that's not allowed is it?

[THE EVIL TW1N]

Originally Posted by Dire Wolf

Theory (in the books) : Police need a reason to pull people over....yeah yeah yeah

Reality (on the street): Police can and do pull people over whenever they want to and make up a phony reason.

We don't need to make up a phony reason. With tens of thousands of vehicle code laws, you're going to break one.

[LS3SSRS]

the only tickets i've had in the camaro so far are just for tint... and that's specifically why they pulled me over. i got 2 tint tickets in a span of a week. both different cops... so i know it's illegal but i dont care. i'll pay the tickets.

[two_wheel_mayhem]

Most of the cops around here have darker windows than I do.

I dare one of them to pull me over and start some crap.

But it will probably end up being the rookie hardnose, with the second rate car with no tint.

It's 30% here in Indiana but no one seems to follow it.

[TommyTSquared]

Originally Posted by two_wheel_mayhem

Most of the cops around here have darker windows than I do.

I dare one of them to pull me over and start some crap.

But it will probably end up being the rookie hardnose, with the second rate car with no tint.

It's 30% here in Indiana but no one seems to follow it.

... pretty sure that they're allowed to.

[SirBrad]

Not allowed to have any tint on front sides in NJ :(

One of only a handful of states.

I'm pretty much fed up with all NJ laws, from tint to not being allowed to pump your own gas.