Window Tint Laws: A Tax on Freedom?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the recent law in a state requiring vehicle window tint testing during annual safety inspections, specifically focusing on the implications of the law on personal freedom and safety concerns. Participants express their views on the legality and enforcement of window tint regulations, as well as the impact on vehicle owners and tinting professionals.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant argues that the law requiring 70% VLT for front windows is an infringement on personal liberty, describing it as a "freedom tax" due to the inconvenience of removing and reapplying tint for inspections.
  • Another participant counters that while individuals can modify their cars, they must adhere to regulations when operating on public roads.
  • A different participant challenges the comparison of 70% VLT to saran wrap, stating that saran wrap would allow nearly all light through, while 70% VLT blocks a significant amount of light.
  • This participant also raises safety concerns, suggesting that excessive tinting could endanger pedestrians and other drivers by reducing visibility.
  • One participant dismisses the concerns raised by others, labeling the act of tinting beyond legal limits as "petty and illegal."

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the law's implications for personal freedom and public safety. There is no consensus on whether the law is justified or an infringement on rights, and the discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference the enforcement of the law and its implications for tinting businesses, highlighting the potential for inconsistent enforcement and the subjective nature of the law's impact on personal freedom.

gfd43tg
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This year, my state's governor signed into law requiring that windows are tested for tint in the annual vehicle safety inspection. The requirement for front windows in my state is 70% VLT. That is basically putting a layer of seran wrap on your window.

I am a tinter and put 5% VLT (limo tint) on my back windows (which is actually legal) and 20% on the front windows. I think it's an assault on my liberty to dictate how I can tint the windows on MY car! So now I have to play this game where I take it off at the tint shop, pass the inspection, then go right back and put it on. It's a hassle and the law is not strictly enforced since many police officers tint their own personal vehicles! But now the state is pushing the enforcement onto the shops that are licensed to do inspections. They are obliged to enforce it because they will lose their license if they are caught passing people who fail their window tint inspection. I call it my freedom tax when I pay the shop to take off and put back on.

Total tyranny!
 
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I agree however you have to look at it like this:
You CAN do whatever you want to your car. You can have 100% tint if you want. However, once you take it onto PUBLIC roads, you have to play by their rules.
 
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Maylis said:
This year, my state's governor signed into law requiring that windows are tested for tint in the annual vehicle safety inspection.
"... my state's governor signed into law..." -- this means that a majority of the state legislators, all of whom represent voters, passed the legislation, and the governor went along with it by signing it.
Maylis said:
The requirement for front windows in my state is 70% VLT. That is basically putting a layer of seran wrap on your window.
Hardly. Saran wrap would be close to 100% visible light tranmission (VLT -- I had to look up this acronym). So 70% VLT would be blocking 30% of the incoming light.
Maylis said:
I am a tinter and put 5% VLT (limo tint) on my back windows (which is actually legal) and 20% on the front windows. I think it's an assault on my liberty to dictate how I can tint the windows on MY car!
Why not just paint all of your windows black, thereby blocking all of the incoming light? What you don't seem to be recognizing is that there is a potential safety issue here: by blocking 80% of the light toward the front of your car, you could be putting pedestrians in danger at nighttime or other times of low-visibility. We have the right to raise our hands in indignation, but only up to the point at which the hand comes in contact with someone else's nose. Driving around in a car with very limited ability to see outside the car seems to me to increase the potential of striking another car or person
Maylis said:
So now I have to play this game where I take it off at the tint shop, pass the inspection, then go right back and put it on. It's a hassle and the law is not strictly enforced since many police officers tint their own personal vehicles! But now the state is pushing the enforcement onto the shops that are licensed to do inspections. They are obliged to enforce it because they will lose their license if they are caught passing people who fail their window tint inspection. I call it my freedom tax when I pay the shop to take off and put back on.

Total tyranny!
Meh...
 
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Maylis said:
I call it my freedom tax when I pay the shop to take off and put back on.

I call it a petty and illegal act.

Thread locked.
 
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