Dark tinted Window panes in Cars - Unlawful

We all know dark tinted films used used in car windows are against the rule of law in India. According to law, 75% visibility is a must for front and rear screens and 50% for the side windows.

How many of you follow this?

The enforcement of this law is essential to prevent various anti-social activities like terrorist activities, robbery or the recent case like the Surat gangrape case in a moving car where, a car with dark window panes proved to be a boon for the 'wolves on prowl'.

Please share your views.

Hetal, You have raised a very important issue, which I believe is an issue beyond Gujarat..and applies to the whole of India. Since the recent incident in Surat, the administration in Ahmedabad too has geared up to take preventive measures for security in the city. I'll just like to share with you all an extract from the TOI report on Friday. I hope denizens should co-operate to ensure their own safety.

Offenders made to remove dark films from cars

AHMEDABAD: If you own a car which has tinted window panes to keep the heat out, it is time to start peeling the dark film off before you drive out. The other option is quite embarrassing: the city traffic police officials will stop you on the way, hand over a blade and have you do the task right there, as the traffic flows by.

While the police here does not have power to collect fines for wearing tints on windows, it launched a campaign to stop drivers and have them peel off the film on the spot, to avoid incidents like the Surat gangrape. At least 150 people have been made to go through this ordeal since Wednesday!

Delhi imposes a fine of Rs 100 for violating this law. Seventy per cent visibility is a must for front and rear screens and 50 per cent for the side windows in the Capital.

Apparently, the devilry inside the Opel Corsa where the 17-year-old was raped in Surat went unnoticed as its windows and even the rear windscreen were covered with dark films

MM Anarwala, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said the drive is meant to help the public at large. "The police and security agencies will definitely be benefited by the move as we will be able to check all the cars with objectionable goods. For a car owner too, it will be of help because if he is in any trouble, a passer-by might raise an alarm and come to his rescue," he said.

Then there is the issue of terrorism, too. Anarwala cited examples of how cars with tinted windows were used to smuggle LPG bombs into Ahmedabad at the time of serial bomb attacks in 2008. Metro cities, like Delhi, has reported incidents where people could not get timely help when their car caught fire due to a short-circuit.

I simply don't see the use of dark tinted windows in a car, other than just to show off their status. Many people think that they look high-class while coming out of a car with dark windows. What do they know? They actually look like smugglers or "bhais" from a B-grade movie.

I think these windows should be totally banned. But it will take a huge initiative from the government to ban them. And I don't think they have the time or intention to take so much of pain. After all, we are not their vote bank na!!

Hey! I'm being honest here. We did have dark tinted glasses in one of our cars, as most cars in Gujarat have (it has not been a strict rule here and is thought to be a necessity in the scorching heat). However, since the recent directive, our family have chosen to abide by the law, because we cannot point our fingers at others, if we do not follow them ourselves.

So I'm proud to say, we have removed the dark film and hence, do not have dark tinted window panels now. . After all, we must do it to ensure our own safety and not give anti-socials a chance to get away with a crime.

Has any of you removed dark films from your car window panels?

I am sorry, but I do have tainted glasses in my car too. These are very useful to protect yourself from the sunlight. Otherwise, its hard to drive it in this heat!!

It also keeps the car cooler from inside when parked out and eats up lesser AC power. I know some people misuse them, but people have tainted glasses in their car all over the world. I don't think by just banning them will bring down the crime rate.