Tinting car windows is very popular in the UAE among drivers who say it reduces the glare from the sun and stops their vehicles from heating up too much.
However, some car owners take things too far and break the rules on how much tinting is allowed.
As reported in Gulf News recently, police have pledged to get tough on motorists who tint their windows more than 30 per cent without permission.
Drivers will be slapped with a Dh500 fine and will face their car being confiscated for a week - or two weeks if the offence is repeated. And stiffer penalties will be imposed on drivers who apply mirroring tint.
Gulf News took to the streets to ask residents if tinting car windows should be allowed at all, given that it can reduce visibility and therefore compromise safety.
A tough line was taken by Tousif Raza, 31, a sales executive from Pakistan, who said tinting was dangerous.
“They should not be allowing any tinting at all because it’s not safe for the drivers,” he said.
Narayana K., a 39-year-old Indian sales executive, also said tinting should not be allowed for safety reasons.
“I’m totally against it -100 per cent. You have to be able to see the driver of a car so you can gauge by their eye language and body language what they are going to do next on the road,” he said.
Although some people prefer to have tinted windows for privacy, Narayana said privacy could be achieved instead by dressing modestly.
“It is very dangerous to tint, especially as the traffic is so busy here. It means that people turn without seeing the other cars,” he said.
Mary Ann, a Canadian in her late 40s, agreed that it was important to restrict tinting to try to prevent road accidents, but did not call for a complete ban.
“Car accidents are the number one cause of death here. I understand that some people want privacy when in their cars, but you can have privacy with a low level of tinting,” she said.
Akram Moghal, 42, said the 30 per cent level was reasonable since it was enough to protect the car’s occupants from ultra-violet rays but did not reduce visibility too much.
Heavier tinting than this, he said, was particularly dangerous at night.
“A lot of accidents happen in the evening. It is difficult to see during the day if it is 50 per cent so how can you drive safely at night?” he said.
Dutch housewife Marion van Es, 37, agreed that 30 per cent was a good maximum to impose on drivers.
“Having tinted windows should not be banned completely - you should be allowed to tint a little because of the sun - but people should be made to go along with what's been agreed upon.
“In Europe, 30 per cent is agreed upon and having windows that are 100 per cent tinted is not acceptable. If a driver knows he cannot be seen he will not drive as safely,” she said.
UAE national Abdullah Al Kamali, 24, a teacher, took the same view, saying that fines were a good idea for those who tinted above 30 per cent.
“Sometimes when there is a lot of tinting it is very dangerous. You cannot see right or left. You cannot see the cars coming.
“If it is 30 per cent, it is good. People should be allowed to tint up to that level but no further,” he told Gulf News.
According to Sara Kazim, 46, there should be stricter rules about tinting the front and rear windscreens than for the side windows.
“I don’t think the windscreens should be tinted for safety reasons, but for the side windows it should be up to the car owner how much they tint. It’s their choice.
“I personally don’t like having windows tinted because it interferes with my vision - I like to see clearly,” she said.
Toufic Halabi, 30, from Lebanon, said that tinted car windows should be allowed here given that they were common in many other countries.
“It’s something good in the hot weather although there are dangers when it is above 40 per cent. Some cars are 100 per cent tinted and I don’t know how they can see properly,” he said.
Nazarian Fadi, 30, a Syrian of Armenian origin, said heavy tinting of car windows should be allowed.
“If it’s 50 per cent or 70 per cent there’s no problem. The sunshine is very strong here and tinting makes it cold inside the car,” he said.
Howaida Ali, a 24-year-old from Yemen who works in an advertising company, also said that more than 30 per cent should be allowed.
“It’s really important to tint because it's too hot here. Even when it is 30 per cent it's not enough. Your car burns up a lot.
“I think 40 or 45 per cent is OK. It doesn’t make people drive badly if their windows are tinted - they drive the same whether their windows are tinted or not,” she said.
Andi Salim, 28, an administrator from Indonesia, thought 50 per cent was a good maximum level.
“With weather like this tinting is needed, it’s very much needed. If you don't have tinting it burns your skin because it’s too hot.
“The maximum should be 50 per cent - more than that is dangerous, especially at night,” he said.
Gulf News
