Minister of Transport, Melvin Hulse, has signed into law a statutory instrument that will outlaw heavy tinting of vehicles that came into effect on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. A press release from the Department of Transport indicates that vehicles with heavy tinting won’t even be allowed to be parked on public roads, much less to be driven on them.
Minister Hulse stated that a reasonable degree of tint will be allowed, but heavy tinting, which he said is unsafe for drivers in rainy conditions and at night, and which can be used to conceal illegal weapons from security forces, will no longer be permitted and there will be no exemptions.
Mr. Chris Nuñez, chairman of the San Pedro Transport Department, informed Ambergris Today that even though the law is in effect, motorists are being given a grace period until the end of this month and they are being advised to whether their tints are legal or not. If their car tints are illegal, motorists will have 30 days to remove the tint before they face any penalty.
Motorists that are not in compliance with the law will be given a summons in which they will have to appear at the Magistrates court and pay a court fine. The San Pedro Traffic Department should be receiving their tint inspector meters by the end of June.
Notice from transport authorities indicates:
(1) There must be NOT LESS than 50% Visible Light Transmission (VLT) through the front windshield, and the tint cannot extend more than 4 inches from the top of the vehicle. It cannot be reflective. [This level of tinting allows clear visibility of objects inside the vehicle, but blocks out some light.]
(2) Side windows at the front should, likewise, have no less than 50% VLT.
(3) Side windows in the rear and the rear glass are permitted to have a tint with 20% VLT, which is darker than the tint required for front windows and windshields.
