Let me back up Dennis here, In NJ (and I would assume many other states) if you stop your vehicle in a lane of traffic with your flashers on, and waived someone around you that has come up from behind. Now they get into an accident or run someone over, you are indeed responsible.

Here is another one. I was headed down E 53rd ST. (a one way with cars parked on either side effectively lining both sides of the street making it one vehicles width) As I drove towards 3rd Ave some guy pushes the driver side door open and guess what? That door was driven into the fender of his car so deep you could not tell it was ever a door.

Police show up and ask what happened. We both tell our stories and the guy gets a ticket for exiting his vehicle into a lane of traffic and a huge repair bill for the damage.

So be careful,
Mick

 

As a former motorcycle rider, I'd have to say... Whenever I approached an intersection, with a car on the other road stopped at a two way stop sign or a red light, I always looked at the driver to see if he saw me or not. If I couldn't see the driver through the tint, or if he didn't look my way, then I would automatically slow down. In a relatively short period of time I had my bike (about 3 years), that saved my *** at least 3 times. Sure, I must have "unnecessarily" slowed down a thousand times, but that was cheap compared to what could've been. Even now, whenever I come across a situation where I can't see the driver, or if I see the driver yapping on the phone or eating or reading maps, what have you, there's that definite pucker factor, even if I'm driving a 5000 lbs truck, and not a 300 lbs crotch rocket.

Note that I am not saying that drivers with heavy tints are bad drivers, or they should get tickets. I'm not even saying in those instances where I almost got my *** ran over, heavy tints were the cause. I have no way of knowing that, to be honest. But what I'm saying that keeping alert to other drivers on the road is (if I may say so myself) a smart, defensive way of driving.

I'll never be a cop. I won't ever appraoch a darkly tinted window with my gun drawn and hert pumping. But on a not infrequent basis, I will come across a situation where I won't be able to collect and assess all the information in order to drive in a safe and defensive way. And so, I will perhaps "unnecessarily" slow down, or take other corrective measures. It's no big pain. But it shouldn't be a pain at all.

 

WOW If I knew this was going to cause such a quarel then I wouldn't have posted!

But now that were all at each others throats, I want to say that what I want is a tint like 35% not to keep people from seeing me but to add the extra comfort of having a cooler cab, plus yes it looks nicer.

As far as the law I understand why it's there and as for saftey concern, I want to be just a safe as everyone else. And I will tell you now that I have driving cars (mainly convertables) that have a much worse problem with visiility than dark tinted windows. And as far as other drivers seing me. The only time I have every looked at someone for a signal is though there front windshield, and I have no intentions of puting any tint on that.

Also why where at it, anyone who has the wind deflectors around there windows, how do you like them and who makes them???

 

Yup... 35 percent seems to be a good all around compromise... does a good job of reducing glare and infared heat, while still permitting the driver to be seen. There are four types of window tints:

a) dye only - the cheapest - reduces glare, will do virtually nothing to reduce the amount of infared that enters the cab, and hence, doesn't do a whole lot to keep it cool. Also, dyes tend to fade. Most dyes look purplish when held against a white surface.

b) partial metallic with dye - better heat reduction, still some propensity to fade.

c) full metallic - all the color comes from tiny metal particles in the plastic - no fade ever, and a 35 percent tint will reduce infared 50 to 55 percent, and it really will keep the cab cooler... this is what I have. There is a slightly "shiny" look to this stuff when viewed at certain angles.

d) full metallic - as above - but doesn't look shiny at any angle. Needless to say, it is the most expensive.

 

This is a healthy sort of discussion. Both sides are being expressed which is good because it gives a person a chance to make an educated decision.

The only points myself and a few others were trying to make are that there are laws in most, if not all, states covering the tinting of windows and that there are safety concerns with tinting that goes beyond the factory.

 

I agree with all of you. I am not saying tint them black. just enough to make a difference. I put a tint that has 35% visibilty on my truck in the front windows. you can still see me. my daughter isn't getting smacked with the sun in her face and it looks cool. as long as my daughter isn't getting a tan in the winter I am happy. I drive defensively all the time. so I never worry about looking at the driver. i just wait.
Ironically my first accident I ever had I was 18 and a driver pulled into my lane( he was at a stop behind someone turning left, while I had a wide open lane) and I nailed him. totaled his nissan sentra. he pulled out when i was a car length away and I couldn't stop. he had black windows, no passenger side mirror and was wearing dark glasses. needless to say the ins. co. found me not to be at fault and paid for my my header panel to be repainted. I crushed that car and all that happened to my truck was just a scratch on my header panel. the good old days when trucks never crumbled at all. just thought i would add this .

by the way I have the window things and mine are made by ford. they are ok

 

Wow... I hope you all put this much energy and passion into all of your civic minded efforts. It would be a real shame to waste all this enthusiasm on a silly thing like the tint of a vehicle....

To clarify my position on this (disclaimer since we have so many drug store lawyers here). I fully retract my recommendation to go ahead and slightly tint you windows, for fear that one of you sue happy yahoo's would be assinine enough to take me to court over the fact you didn't have the ability to make a decision on your own and were completly convince that by reading a handful of words from an anonymous usenet contributor you were errantly swayed into making a bad decision. You had better turn the TV/radio off because your liable to try most of the midless things you see done in movies or hear in song lyrics.

BTW whats the legal limit on tint darkness for sunglasses? volume of radios, speed, advanced turn signal usage, following distance, wear of corrective lense, fuzzy dice hangin from the rear mirror....

Enjoy...

 

Fuzzy dice are legal but them dots better not be reflective, mister! You might get glare in them eyes in just the wrong time.

 

Just a clarification. The windows behind the driver's head can be blacked out in most states, if not all, so long as there are outside mirrors on both sides of the vehicle. If that wasn't allowed, then all the people driving delivery vans, busses, etc. would be breaking the law.

My only concern was with the windshield and windows to the immediate sides because of safety and legality issues.

 

On a truck there is no problem with the back window asuming of cource there are the 2 side mirrors. This I belive is true for ALL states as think about it. What if you have a large load in the back of your truck.

 

We are all free to express our opinions and experience last time I checked. The reason we are here is because we love our trucks. So we are on common ground, right?

Let`s debate without name calling,
Mick

 

I live in South Florida and have 20% on Front windows and 15% on the back. I also have a 50% on Front windshield...How do you like that BEASTRIDER! Ha ha...

Cops don't bother me...but I have only had them for a few months now.

 

50% on the front, hey... I wouldn't even dare try that here, you would look like your hiding something with that much tint. But whatever, hope you don't get busted for that...

 

i wouldnt put it on my windshield, that is ballsy if you ask me, hope you dont get in any trouble. i am not debating but i am not sure of that responsibility stuff. every american has a right to voice his/ her opinion. how that calculates into some responsibility i don't know. but for cya reasons i will retract my previous statements of saying to tint the windows. i will tell you that my preference is to tint the windows but you guys can decide for yourself



may no driver get tickets for tint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ya know, I had a cardboard suncreen a few years back. It had a message on it, right in front of the driver. It said, "Remove before driving." I always wondered who that message was for. Now, I know.