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Driver, police agencies take a dim view of tinted vehicle glass

By Charles E. Brown
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Q: Tinted windows are no longer just for the rich and famous. These days, darkened vehicle windows are about as common as, well, drivers with a steering wheel in one hand and a cellphone in the other.

Karlene Montgomery of Edmonds takes a dim view of cellphone use on the road, and of drivers who can barely be seen.

"It's very disturbing not to be able to see who or what is in the vehicle that I share the road with," she wrote. "One cannot make eye contact at a four-way stop or when merging into traffic."

Montgomery would like to know what the law says about tinted vehicle glass.

A: State law allows car windows — except front windshields — to be tinted. But the law specifies that the amount of light penetrating the front driver and passenger windows may not be reduced by more than 35 percent.

Mirrored window tinting and tinting that is red, yellow, gold or black material, or brushed or sprayed on material, is prohibited. The law also says windshields must be clear, though a tinted strip up to 6 inches wide is allowed across the top.

But state law allows back windows of trucks, vans and sport-utility vehicles to be darker as long as the front two windows are 35 percent or lighter.

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Trooper Jeff Merrill of the State Patrol says troopers in the field carry "tint meters" that can test and determine the amount of tinting on windows. Violations can result in correction notices or citations, and Merrill says he issues tickets quite frequently.

Tinted windows are meant to help reduce sun glare. But style plays a big part in their popularity. Some vehicle owners have gone so far as to have after-market tinting added to factory-tinted windows.

Laws governing tinting differ from state to state. States such as Arizona, with more sun and heat, allow more tinting.

Lots of drivers complain about the tint on others' vehicles. Local police agencies also have complained.

"Tinted windows not only obscure vision into a vehicle by other drivers, but police officers have trouble seeing inside vehicles on traffic stops," Merrill said. He said the Patrol has asked the Legislature to re-evaluate the state's window-tint law.

Q: When crosswalks were painted at Dexter Avenue North and Mercer Street, why were they painted crossing only Dexter and not Mercer, asked Robert Larroque of Seattle.

"There is not a day that goes by that southbound traffic on Dexter turning east onto Mercer [doesn't] narrowly miss people crossing the intersection," he noted. "As I am getting older, I do not think that my heart can stand much more of that 'dash and dive' method of crossing the street."

A: Seattle's Transportation Department says Larroque has caught a striping project midstream. There will be crosswalks in both directions, but the work is being done in two phases.

Crosswalks in the other direction should be painted by this weekend.

"When the city restripes crosswalks or repaints lane lines, we try to minimize the likelihood of paint ending up on vehicle tires or being tracked down the roadway," said Katherine Casseday, the department's director of traffic management.

The department tries to paint when traffic is relatively light, Casseday said. And the weather needs to be relatively warm and rain-free. So the restriping schedule at that intersection is intentional.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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