Starting on Feb. 28, newly registered vehicles would be required to meet new window tint standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
The ministry last year published guidelines governing the application of car window tint, which stipulate that the visible light transmittance (VLT) of the front windshield tint must be at least 70 percent, while the tint on front side windows must have a visible light transmittance of no less than 40 percent.
As for taxis and vehicles that are used to carry young children, the VLT of the car window tints should be at least 70 percent for the front windshield and 40 percent or higher for the back windshield and other car windows.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
The ministry began regulating car window tints last year, as low VLTs can hinder drivers’ field of vision and contribute to accidents.
The guidelines only apply to new vehicles that obtained their license plates after Feb. 28, Highway Bureau Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said, adding that they do not apply to existing motor vehicles.
The bureau also introduced two ways to indicate that car window tints comply with government guidelines: One is compliance marks issued by window film manufacturers, and the other is marks issued by the Vehicle Safety Certification Center, the bureau said.
Compliance marks issued by window film manufacturers should include the brand name, product model number and VLT ratios, it said.
Thirty-nine window tint manufacturers have filed for compliance certification, of which 29 have been certified, it added.
Compliance marks designed by the Vehicle Safety Certification Center should be placed under the front windshield at the side of the front passenger seat, the bureau said.
After Feb. 28, new car window tint standards should be followed when registering new vehicles, as well as in subsequent annual vehicle inspections, the bureau said.
Drivers whose vehicles are fitted with window tint films that do not meet the standards would be ordered to address them within a designated period and be subject to a second inspection, it said.
Drivers who fail to do so could face a fine of up to NT$1,800 per the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例).
Those who fail to act after more than a month will have their license plates suspended, and those overdue by more than six months will have their plates revoked.
Lee Ker-tsung (李克聰), a transportation technology and management expert at the Consumers’ Foundation, said that new vehicles would only be subject to annual inspections after five years.
He said that new drivers could apply non-compliant window tint films during this five-year period, which could compromise road safety.
The bureau needs to have a mechanism to manage compliance during this period, he added.
It should also consider setting a date when existing motor vehicles must also begin following new window tint standards, he said.
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