Recent changes in European and UK law have changed which window tints and security films may legally be fitted to motor vehicles.

The original draft of the law does not, in theory, allow us to fit tinted film to glass either on the windscreen, or the two windows either side of the driver (forward of the B pillar), as it decreases the level of light transmission below 70%. This was worked around however, as the law didn't specifically state anything about the fitment of after-market films.

Moving forward, this ???work around??? was abused, and a number of people fitted low light transmission films to their front windows, the so called privacy or blackout films. The inevitable happened, a report o­n a fatal accident noted that the fitment of an after-market tint to the window, and consequential loss of vision, was contributory to the death of the motorcyclist. This, combined with European directives, leads us to the recent amendment.

This now closes the loop hole under which we have been working, and effectively bans tinting windows beyond the 70% light transmission level originally prescribed.

We are now in an interesting position, the statute has been written, but until someone is taken to court and found guilty, the issue is not law. So how do the Police and vehicle inspectors proceed? Their guidelines recognise the difference between ???light??? and ???dark??? window tints, but despite much debate on the safety the fitment of any film or substance will attract an enforcement policy.