Road Town police have warned that drivers with heavily tinted windows will be prosecuted.
Julio Adams of Purcell Estate appeared in Magistrates’ Court last week, charged with at least ten counts of exceeding the tint limit, according to the Police Information Office.
He was ordered to pay $9,320 in fines — partly for driving an unlicensed vehicle and an uninsured vehicle — or spend time in prison.
Traffic officer Constable Glen Callwood said Mr. Adams racked up the charges over two months.
“In November of last year, I stopped his vehicle and reported him for exceeding the tint limit stipulated by law,” Mr. Callwood said in a police press release. “He was seen again in early December in the same vehicle with the same tint and reported and then again in late December of 2016. The fine for each window that is overly tinted is $750. He was also charged with driving an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle.”
Front car windows must have a reading of no less than 35 percent light penetration, and the windshield should have no tint at all, according to police. Back windows should have a reading of no less than 20 percent.
Police added that store-bought tints added to existing factory tint will most likely go over the limit allowed.
Inspector Dariel Robinson, head of the Road Policing Unit, said tinted windows are often used by individuals who want to conceal firearms or other illegal items.
“Heavily tinted vehicles are generally used by those who want to hide their identity as well as illegal weapons or goods,” Mr. Robinson said. “Citizens who want safer communities can choose to be seen as distinct and separate from the criminal element, and at the same time can take a strong stance against criminality by abiding by the law.”
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