Tinting rules in 2021
Acceptable glass tinting according to GOST. The guest says that for the windshield the light transmission value for the windshield is at least 75%, and for the remaining front windows - 70%. The higher the percentage, the more light enters the car interior through the glass.
However, according to the technical regulations of the Customs Union, front windows, including the windshield, must transmit at least 70% of the light. Traffic police officers use data from this regulation, and not from GOST. This means that for all front windows the light transmission value must be at least 70%.
Checking the tint level. To check how much light glass lets in, inspectors use a special device called a taumeter. It consists of two parts - a light source and a receiver. The inspector places the emitter on the outside of the glass, and the receiver on the inside. The more light the receiver receives, the higher the transmission percentage.
The weather during the measurement is not important. Previously, the taumeter had to be calibrated each time to the light level at different times of the day. Modern devices have their own light source, and the level of natural light does not affect the result.
How much light should tinted glass let in?
This is how the inspector measures light transmittance. The device has an emitter on one side and a light receiver on the other. Source: meta-moscow.ru
How do traffic police officers punish drivers for tinting their front windows?
While studying the information background of the automotive segment of the Russian Internet, we discovered one interesting phenomenon, which was widely replicated by various media in some regions of Russia. The phenomenon lies in the fact that the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Russian Federation began en masse across the country to apply one of the most severe administrative measures to malicious, and sometimes not very malicious, violators of the light transmittance of the front windows of a car, or simply tinting, one of the most severe administrative measures - arrest!
Background selected from the information background of Russian media. Let us give as an example one of the most resonant stories that spread throughout the information field about a violator who incorrectly tinted his car.
This story took place in the city of brides - Ivanovo, Gazeta.ru writes about it. February 2021. A traffic police inspector stopped a 19-year-old boy who was driving a tinted car. Checking the light transmittance of glass covered with an opaque film showed that it exceeds the indicators established by the requirements of the Customs Union regulations “On the safety of wheeled vehicles”, which, according to paragraph 4 (Visibility requirements) of Appendix 8 “Requirements for vehicles in operation”, must be at least 70% .*
*We remind you that according to the law, only the front side windows and windshield cannot be tinted with a film that does not comply with the law in terms of light transmittance. This requirement does not apply to the rear windows of vehicles of category M1, provided that the vehicle is equipped with external rear-view mirrors that meet the requirements of this annex, the technical regulation states.
This was followed by a standard administrative procedure with the drawing up of a protocol under Part 3.1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation , and, of course, the violator was also issued an order (a written requirement is issued that tinting is inadmissible in the future) to eliminate the illegal act. The violation had to be corrected within 24 hours. By the way, the order is entered into the traffic police database; this is a very important clarification, which in the future can radically change the course of further events for the violator. If this driver is stopped again and the tinting film is still stuck on the front windows of his car, the administrative punishment in this case will be completely different, but we will come to this a little later.
Traffic police fine for tinting in 2021
Fine for tinting the windshield. If the windshield transmits less than 70% of the light, the driver will receive a fine of 500 rubles.
Fine for tinting front windows. The fine is the same - 500 rubles if the glass transmits less than 70% of the light.
Penalty for tinting headlights and taillights. If the front lights are any color other than white, yellow and orange, the driver will be disqualified for up to a year. This is said in Part 3 of Art. 12.5 Code of Administrative Offences.
The requirements for taillights are similar: they must not be a color other than red, yellow or orange. The reverse lights and the light above the license plate must be white.
Acceptable glass tinting according to GOST
Permitted tinting 2021 provides different levels of light transmission for individual car windows. When choosing film density, you need to remember the requirements of GOST, and also that even in a new car it is impossible to achieve 100 percent transparency. If the machine has been in operation for several years, then the light transmittance cannot exceed more than 90 percent.
Windshield tinting rules
According to the law, based on GOST requirements, car glass that provides forward visibility must have a light transmittance of at least 75 percent. The safety of the driver and passengers on the road, as well as the life and health of other road users, depends on this. GOST allows the use of a colored transparent strip on the windshield for protection from the bright sun. Its width should not be more than 14 cm.[1]
Acceptable tinting of the side windows of the first row
Permitted tinting of front windows in 2021 provides for at least 70 percent of light transmission. This means that darkening the sides is allowed no more than 30 percent.
Car rear window tinting
The law and the current version of GOST allow rear windows to be darkened, provided that external rear-view mirrors are installed on the sides of the car. In this case, the percentage of tint is not standardized. If the vehicle does not have mirrors, the light transmittance should remain at 70 percent.[2]
Rules for tinting rear side windows
GOST allows the use of tinting of any density on rear side windows. An important condition that must be observed when choosing a tint film for a car is that it should not have a mirror effect. This is not directly prohibited by the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, but is not permitted by the technical regulations of the Customs Union, adopted by all participating countries.[3]
How to avoid getting fined for tinting
Do not glue “blind” tint. Because of it, in the dark, the driver will not be able to notice the danger and react in time - people may get hurt. Such tinting does not let in the required 70% of light - there will be a fine.
Remove the film on site. If an inspector stops you and makes a complaint about the tinting, some drivers remove the film on the spot. Others, to make it easier to return the darkening back, use frame curtains - it’s easier to remove and install them.
Sometimes this helps avoid a fine, but more often a fine is issued.
Pay half the fine. In the first 20 days from the date of the decision, the fine can be paid with a 50% discount. In total, instead of 500, the driver will pay 250 rubles.
Mesh frame curtains for front and rear side windows. Installation takes 10 minutes. Source: ozon.ru
I received a prescription for tinting - what should I do?
There is only one answer: the safest thing you can do to avoid ending up behind bars is to lose your temper.
It is not possible to appeal the orders - there is no such rule allowing this, because the order is not a punishment, it is only a pseudo-legal requirement to stop the violation. And there is nothing to complain about here.
Appealing a subsequent administrative arrest for failure to comply with an order is also a practically futile task. As mentioned above, judges have an unambiguous attitude towards such orders and do not satisfy the complaints.
What if you tinted it and tinted it again?
It would be logical to assume that, in essence, the requirement in the regulation can be fulfilled if the car is tinted and then tinted again. Well, the logic here is simple - the inspector actually demanded that the car be detonated, and we detonated it. So there is an order from a car service about removing the film. They just toned it back later.
Unfortunately, just as the logic of the order itself does not apply, since it is impossible to stop an offense that has already been stopped, such a detonation/tinting procedure will not lead to anything positive.
They issued a claim for my car, but for another driver - will there be problems?
Should not be. But, again, in theory. Since the order itself is illegal, it can be issued both to the driver and “to the car” - more precisely, to anyone driving this car.
But in practice, orders are usually issued to a specific driver, and it is the driver who is entered into the database. But judge for yourself, if there is at least some logic in the requirement as such, then in the case of different drivers, it is completely illogical to apply sanctions in the form of arrest or cancellation of car registration in the event of one driver’s failure to comply with a requirement issued for a completely different driver.
Therefore, the maximum risk for you if a requirement is issued to another driver is the same fine of 500 rubles and a new requirement against you.
Source
How to challenge a fine for tinting
If the driver has eliminated the reasons for the stop, but the inspector still issues a report, a video recording of what is happening will help. Record how you remove the film at the traffic police post. Next, proceed step by step.
Write a complaint. The document must be drawn up in the name of the head of the department whose employee issued the resolution. This data can be viewed in a paper resolution or contact the city traffic police department.
Next, indicate the circumstances under which the report was issued to you and explain why you do not agree with the inspector’s decision. In the attachment, please describe copies of the attached documents - MTPL policy, driver's license, STS and civil passport. Don’t forget to attach a video recording of the film dismantling and the inspector’s work - on a flash drive or disk.
File a complaint. This can be done by registered mail or with a personal visit. The appeal period is 10 days from the day the decision was made.
Wait for a response. The complaint will be considered within 10 days. If the complaint is rejected, the driver can sue the inspector's actions. But because of such a sum, they rarely go to court - almost never.
What tinting standards are prescribed by law?
Let’s immediately make a reservation that in the new GOST the requirements have become softer, which means you can use a denser tint. Let's look at what rules and regulations are now in effect.
It became possible to tint the windshield more densely. The new law on tinting allows a light transmission level of 70%. Previously, for the windshield this parameter should have been equal to 75%, and only for the side front windows of the car - 70%.
The new technical regulations do not indicate any requirements for tinting on other glasses. The exception applies only to the rear window, in the case where there are no side mirrors.
Let's look at the main points of the technical regulations. All visibility requirements are set out in paragraph 4 of the document.
First of all, the car must have glass that is regulated by the manufacturer. This point is the simplest, and in principle does not concern tinting.
The next point concerns tinting directly; the rules state that there should be no inscriptions on the windshield. This means that there should be no tints with inscriptions. Even the stripe, beloved by many drivers, with the inscription at the very top of the glass.
The light transmission of the windshield is at least 70%. It’s worth noting that this applies to the entire surface. Even the colored stripe located at the top of the glass must be transparent and transmit 70% of the light, otherwise you may be fined for tinting.
Here there is a place that can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, the windshield of the car must have the same transparency over its entire area. Another paragraph states that the light transmission of the color strip is not standardized. Apparently, in this case, the likelihood of receiving a fine will depend on how a particular inspector reads the law.
The color strip itself can have any color, there are no restrictions here. But according to the rules, its width should be no more than 140 mm.
If you have side mirrors, then all other windows can be permanently tinted according to the new rules. Including full tinting is acceptable for the driver's door. But, in this case, you can receive a fine for tinting under certain conditions, we will talk about this further.
The only strict restriction is the ban on mirror tinting of car windows. In this case, the inspector may issue you a fine.
Also, tinting should not distort the omission of primary colors. Although this requirement is usually applied to standard tinted windows.
Remember
- The front windows of a car must allow at least 70% of light into the cabin.
- The amount of light is measured with a special device - a taumeter. You can measure even at night - the device has its own light source.
- The fine for tinting windows is 500 rubles. The repeated fine is the same.
- To avoid getting fined for tinting, do not cover your car windows with it. Sometimes you can avoid a fine if you remove the film on the spot.
- If you do not agree with the fine, write a complaint to the traffic police. In the main part of the document, describe the essence of what happened and argue for the cancellation of the fine. The answer will be given within 10 days.
All articles by the author: Evgeniy Lesnov
Acceptable tinting standards
Current acceptable tinting standards for automobile windows are regulated by GOST 5727–88 standards (new edition of GOST 32565–2013). According to them:
- on the windshield, the tinting must transmit at least 75% of the light (a shading film no more than 15 cm wide is also allowed);
- On side windows, tinting must transmit at least 70% of light.
There are no established standards for rear windows (on the rear doors, trunk), that is, you can use tinting at your discretion. But mirror (reflective) ones are strictly prohibited (both front and back). This also applies to those films that completely block visibility from the street (that is, the interior must be visible).
The driver can also use curtains that do not allow light to pass through at all. But you can only cover the windows with them when the car is parked. While driving - not possible.
Tinting on the windshield and front side windows should transmit up to 75% of light
