Photo Courtesy of Edwin Torres/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor de Blasio said the bill “would protect law enforcement officers from the unnecessary risk of walking into unexpected and dangerous situations.”
By Forum Staff
All state-certified motor vehicle inspection centers are now required to measure window tint when performing exams, according to a new law signed on Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The legislation amends Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 301(c)(1)(a) to include light transmittance of a vehicle’s windows as part of the yearly safety inspection.
It was illegal for a vehicle to be operated on State roads in violation of light transmittance standards as provided in Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 375(12-a), which requires a minimum of 70-percent light transmittance on front windshields, on front seat side windows and on rear side windows of station wagons, sedans, hardtops, coupes, hatchbacks and convertibles. However, this safety feature was not previously included in the annual safety and emissions inspections vehicles are subjected to pursuant to the Vehicle and Traffic Law. The new law provides a proactive method to ensure compliance with existing law by adding light transmittance standards to the list of safety features provided in State law, in order to address and curtail the proliferation of blacked-out windows in a routine and predictable fashion.
Vehicle inspection centers are now required to purchase a device to calibrate the tint density and perform the requisite testing. These devices generally retail for $100-$150. If the glass on a vehicle is found to be tinted beyond 30 percent of light transmittance, that vehicle would not pass the New York State safety inspection. In this instance, the window tint would have to be removed or altered before it could be re-inspected for compliance.
According to the City, the NYPD performs more than one million car stops annually and issues approximately 65,000-70,000 tinted windows summonses per year.
The death of NYPD Det. Russel Timoshenko in 2007 brought a new focus on the danger presented to law enforcement officers by motor vehicles bearing illegal levels of window tint. Timoshenko and his partner, Sgt. Herman Yan, were shot in the course of conducting a routine traffic stop in Brooklyn. The officers faced especially grave danger because of the excessive tint on the vehicle’s windows, preventing them from being able to see into the vehicle.
“Police Officers put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers safe. This legislation would go a long way toward providing police officers with the protection and security we deserve while conducting vehicle stops, especially at night,” Yan said.
Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Jim O’Neill, Yan, Timoshenko’s mother, law enforcement leaders and legislators urge Cuomo to sign the bill into law.
“Law enforcement officers face increased danger every time they pull over a vehicle and are unable to view the interior. There is no justification for sacrificing officer safety in order for vehicle owners and manufacturers to apply what is a cosmetic detail to vehicles operated on the roadways of the State. This bill would protect law enforcement officers from the unnecessary risk of walking into unexpected and dangerous situations,” de Blasio said.
“This legislation is about making cops safe. It’s about helping cops do their job,” O’Neill added.
