Cars fail due to concerns over tinted windows in their vehicles

Cars fail due to concerns over tinted windows in their vehicles

10 August 2022

NINETY five cars failed their MOT at the Department of Infrastructure test centre in Downpatrick for having illegally tinted windows, new figures have revealed.

Province-wide, almost 2,500 vehicles failed their MOT for this reason over a 15-month period between April 1 last year and June 17 this year.

A breakdown of official government department statistics revealed that the highest number of failures for illegally tinted windows was in Craigavon where there were 228 failures. Fifty two of these related to issues with windscreens and 137 to side windows.

Coleraine had the second highest recorded failure on 221, with 209 failures for illegally tinted windows at the test centre in Newry.

The lowest number of failures was in Larne, with 95 in Downpatrick and 107 in Omagh.

Politicians say rules limiting glass tinting are in place to safeguard more vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians, especially around dawn and dusk.

They also hope that the statistics for illegally tinted windows confirmed by the Department for Infrastructure will prompt motorists to ensure they comply with the law.

By law, vehicles in Northern Ireland need light transmission levels of 75% for windscreens and 70% for all other windows on either side of the driver.

The laws around window tinting are in place to ensure that drivers have adequate visibility when driving to help prevent accidents.

To test light levels, examiners use a “tint tester” which is placed on the surface of the window and provides a percentage reading. If the percentage of light transmission is below the specified limit, the examiner will record this as a major fault and the vehicle will fail its MOT.

The Department for Infrastructure said that all DVA test centres had a tint tester available and that each was calibrated in line with maintenance schedule for equipment.

It added that no vehicle included in the figures failed solely due to tinted windows, with tint testing carried out at the examiner’s discretion.