Drivers in Taiwan appear to be oblivious to the existence of other road users at the best of times. The use of tinted film on driver and front passenger side windows and even the windscreen can hardly help to make the roads here any safer.
Having driven a car with all the windows tinted during a typhoon and at night I can only say that darkened windows are downright dangerous.
With the police planning to crack down on speeding and lane discipline perhaps they should consider doing something about this dangerous and, I suspect, illegal practice.
In the US, state law prohibits the use of such window film. For example, according to Virginian law, side rear and rear windows that allow less than 35 percent light transmittance are illegal. Tinting or sun shading films that produce a holographic or prism effect, or reflectance of light that is greater than 20 percent and prevents police from seeing inside is also illegal.
Generally, tinting that prevents police or emergency workers from seeing inside a vehicle is illegal. People who drive with tinted windows can be fined and ordered to remove the tinting.
Michael Keeley
Tainan
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