Crackdown on ‘killer’ windows

Police will target “killer” tinted car windscreens in the second wave of a crackdown in Staffordshire later this month.

Officers will call on forecourts and showrooms across the county to prevent cars with dangerously dark windows from being sold.

They have already seized 14 vehicles from dealerships in Stafford and Newcastle-under-Lyme in the first wave of the operation last month.

A team of trading standards officers, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) staff and police will visit car dealers looking for vehicles for sale which have window tinting films fitted.

Any vehicles found with illegal windows will be issued with a prohibition notice, preventing their use until the defect has been fixed and inspected at the local VOSA station in Swinnerton.

Inspector Chris Dawson, who heads the force’s road crime team, said vehicles with very dark tinted windows were potential “killer cars”.

He said: “In the last couple of years, we have had to deal with two road traffic collisions where someone lost their life and the window tints were found to be a contributing factor to the cause of the collision.

“Many motorists and car dealers themselves ignore the dangers caused by reducing the effectiveness of the window, in favour of enhancing the ‘look’ of their car or van. The law states that 70 per cent of available light must be able to pass through the driver’s and passenger side front windows, and 75 per cent for the windscreen.

“Many vehicles, including some of our own patrol cars, leave the factory with a window tint already close to the legal limit.

“The addition of any extra tinting film will immediately take the vehicle into dangerous and illegal levels of transparency.”

He said last month’s operation involved visits to two dealerships in Stafford, where a total of six cars were issued with prohibition notices, and three dealerships in Newcastle-under-Lyme, where eight were given notices.

Mr Dawson said: “Most of the vehicles targeted in the last operation allowed only around 30 per cent of available light through the window, while some vehicles allowed only 20 per cent of light through.

“Can you imagine how much more that increases the risk of being involved in a collision, because the driver simply can’t see other road users?

“This operation is aimed at saving lives by educating both the dealers and the general public about the dangers.”

He said the next set of operations would take place later this month and urged dealers to check their stock and take action now to help save lives.

“The team will arrive on unannounced visits using their various powers to inspect the vehicles and procedures,” he said.

“A number of dealerships have already being advised to tighten procedures after visits from trading standards about the problems.”