SEATTLE—
Tinted windows can be great during a summer heatwave, but they also might land you a big ticket.Washington's Most Wanted's Myrle Carner helps explain in this safety alert how dangerous it is when drivers go a tint too far.
Myrle talked with Deputy Scott Wilson from the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, who says "the Washington administration code defines window tinting as the a permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary product that is applied to the glass of the window to reduce the adverse affects of the sun."
According to the deputy, drivers need to be able to see the exterior clearly, and even more so, law enforcement officers need to be able to see inside cars at what the occupants are doing, especially if they are engaged, in criminal activity, or they are trying to get that vehicle stopped.
"Mirror products, the kind that show a glassy appearance are prohibited," says Deputy Wilson, "as are brush on or painted on applications to a window that prevent outsiders from seeing in."
If you're windows are tinted, you must have exterior mirrors on both driver and passenger side that allow the driver to view 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle, for safety reasons.
If you require an exception to the Washington Administrative Code, for tinting purposes, physician orders from your doctor, or other outlying conditions that you require, is allowable by the Department of Licensing for excessive extra tinting on your windows.
Deputy Wilson warns that law enforcement officers do carry tinting cards to measure the degree of tinting on windows.
If you are found in violation of tinting laws, you will get a ticket for $124.
