Ban on front side window tints
Manufacturers claim 1,800 jobs will be lost and car owners say it will reduce their security, but police support move
TINTED front side car windows will be banned by 2016, the government has announced.
The windows prevent police from being able to see inside the car when carrying out vehicle stops.
Once a new decret is published, one is expected between now and January, anyone caught with tinted front side windows could be subject to a €135 fine and three points off their licence.
An estimated 160,000 vehicles are thought to be covered by the change in the law and manufacturers claim that 1,800 jobs could be lost as a result.
A spokesman for the Délégation interministérielle à la sécurité routière said: “To ensure the correct checks of certain dangerous habits like using a phone or not wearing a seatbelt, the police need to see the driver.”
“To avoid getting knocked down, cyclists and motorcyclists for their part have the habit of checking where drivers are looking to make sure that they are in their field of vision,” he added.
New vehicles which have an authorised 30% tint will still be allowed, but no adaptations to make them darker will be permitted.
Drivers who have tinted films on their windows will need to take them down.
One driver interviewed by Le Parisien said that he had got his windows tinted after the second time someone attempted to car-jack him.
“Tinted windows are a safety measure for me because it’s more difficult for robbers to know who is inside,” he said.
Photo: Flickr/FotoSleuth
