Since the announcement, there has been good cooperation. People volunteered across the island to remove the tints from their vehicles,” he said, noting that operators recognize that this action will also contribute to their own safety. 1. No tint on the rear windshield of cars or buses. “Individuals who engage in kidnapping and robbery — among other criminal activities — tend to travel in tinted vehicles,” he said. “So if the vehicles are tinted, they will attract the attention of the police.” In addition, under subsection 4(2), drivers who have scratches, defects or “bubbles” caused by window tints that impair their vision can be fined $1,000. SSP Allen said police found private motor vehicles with excessively dark hues in unusual parts of their motor vehicles. 5. In buses, the windows of the driver`s door, the driver`s door or the passenger door must not be tinted. “People don`t need to use dark tones as an excuse to protect themselves from the sun, because highlights block rays just as well.” New vehicles may be equipped with a bright window tint. To calculate a window tint, multiply the VLT of the existing window tint by the window film you want to apply. For example, a new vehicle with 80% VLT multiplied by a slide with 5% VLT would have a combined VLT of 4%. The police were still busy today removing the colors from the vehicles.
Deputy superintendent of the highways and transportation department, Errol Adams, said operations were conducted at Half Way Tree St. Andrew and downtown Kingston. The commander of the Jamaican Constabulary (JCF) Traffic and Highways Division, Chief Superintendent of Police (SSP) Calvin Allen pointed out that although there have been just over 4,500 prosecutions for paint offences, operators have largely complied. Apart from the issue of obstruction of visibility, DSP Cameron said that in his experience, vehicles with very dark hues were mainly those carrying people involved in illegal business. A slight tint of your car windows is not a problem, but if the hue is dark like “midnight”, it could mean problems with the law. Kingston, Jamaica (MCN) – Last Monday, police began carrying out government orders to enforce the removal of dark hues from public private cars as part of anti-crime measures implemented by Parliament. According to Kenute Hare, head of the island`s Traffic Authority (ITA), motorists may have fallen asleep on this issue, but the fact is that the use of tint by motorists is one of the issues that will ensure high priority when the regulations come into force. Police announced changes to anti-tint regulations for public cars after the outcry among transport companies. Police removed colours from some vehicles after Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced the rules would be strictly enforced as part of new crime-fighting measures. “The whole vehicle was tinted, rear window, side window, windshield. Tinted headlights, tinted brake lights, and we`re talking about order and public safety,” he said sadly.
The government passed a new Vehicle Window Tint Act in August 2020, which will monitor regulations for all vehicle window tints. He added that drivers should also be aware that if they are stopped on the road by a police officer who is in the presence of a traffic inspector and the windows are heavily tinted, the inspector is required to test the visibility of the vehicle. However, if there is no inspector on site, the enforcement officer may ask the driver to go directly to the nearest investigation depot where the vehicle will be examined. Chief Superintendent Calvin Allen, chief of the Roads and Traffic Division, warns that private motorists are not exempt from removing their colours. Last week, police stepped up the removal of dark hues from public cars as part of the Jamaican government`s anti-crime measures. However, callers at the RJR news centre complained that the police had removed the blinds from their private cars. SSP Allen responded, saying police can do this once an examiner determines that the hue interferes with the driver`s vision. “Section 159 of the Road Traffic Act talks about glass maintenance, and so the Island Traffic Authority inspectors, who are the experts, can do their inspection to determine whether or not that person is capable of properly driving that vehicle in terms of clear vision,” he said at a luncheon at the Kiwanis Club in downtown Kingston on Monday. This leads to “situations that amount to a collision because your vision is not clear.” In addition, SSP Allen said police encountered excessively dark-hued private motor vehicles in unusual locations. “The whole vehicle was tinted, rear window, side window, windshield. Tinted headlights, tinted brake lights, and we`re talking about order and public safety,” he complained.
In such cases, the police are authorized to act and will search for these vehicles. According to SSP Allen, police have removed hues from more than 2,700 vehicles since law enforcement began last week. On Monday morning alone, more than 170 vehicles were removed from colours. The head of the highway and traffic department said police would continue to enforce anti-tint regulations across the island. Motorists have three months to ensure that window tinting is legal 2. No tints on the windshield of cars or buses, except for a visor allowed at the top of the windshield. For cars and buses with 15 seats, the visor must not exceed six inches and for Toyota Coaster buses, the visor must not exceed 10 inches. It is also possible to apply for an exemption for medical reasons. Section 6 states that a person “to whom a certificate of exemption is issued for medical reasons” is not subject to any restrictions on window colour. The vehicles of certain civil servants and state agencies are exempt from window tinting restrictions, such as the licensing department, police, fire department, prison administration, defense forces, customs and excise duties, strategic services agency or protection service agency. Ambulances and hearses are also exempt.
“I would advise that if your vehicle comes with a factory tint, you use them,” he said. However, DSP Cameron said that if cars are without tinted windows, car owners should ensure that the added tint does not interfere with the visibility of the vehicle`s interior and exterior. The decision to adapt the anti-tint reader was made after a meeting with stakeholders.