RTO Fine for Using Tinted Glass

The usage of sun film for cars was banned in India by the Supreme Court in 2012. This decision was made to curb the excessive number of crimes in moving automobiles, with the safety of citizens and passengers in mind. This law further clarifies the RTO-approved sun control film for cars in India, which is:

A minimum of 70% of visual light transmission for front and rear glasses/windshields.

A minimum visibility of 50% for side glasses/windows.

Any modifications made to car windows that reduce visibility below the above-mentioned levels are illegal. So while tinted glass may be a useful modification, making sure that they comply with the legal limits set in place is crucial.

An amendment was made to this rule for the govt approved car sun films in 2022, for every motor vehicle other than two-wheelers and agricultural tractors. It states that the front windshield of these vehicles shall be made of laminated safety glass conforming to the Indian Standards IS: 2553—Part 2—1992.

Anyone found violating either of these rules will be penalised by the traffic police and have to pay a black film on car fine.

Tinted glass in cars prevents sunlight from entering the vehicle's cabin. Unfortunately, most car manufacturers in India do not provide tinted windows from the get-go. As a result, car owners get sun films installed.

These films help to lower the car's interior temperature and reduce glare. Moreover, they protect the car's interior from wear and tear caused by sunlight exposure. Another reason people favour this modification is that they maintain the privacy of the car's occupants.

There are several types of tinted glass to choose from, and some manufacturers offer factory-fitted tinted glass in top-spec variants of cars. They use RTO-approved sun control film for cars to ensure that you do not have to pay penalties or fines.

Before you buy or use window tint, you must know its legalities. This is because if your car is caught crossing its window tint legal limit, you will be fined:

• ₹100 on your first offence.

• On the second offence of the same violation, this penalty is increased to ₹300,

• For third and subsequent offences, you will be fined ₹300 along with the suspension of your driver's licence.

As a car owner, you must use sun films for your car that is both high quality and RTO-compliant. This way, you get the sun protection you need while following the law.

While some manufacturers of tinted films have presented new technology that allows for greater visibility, Transport Ministry officials are unwilling to compromise on their stand against tinted glasses. Here are two main reasons why:

**To Curb Criminal Activity: The primary reason for introducing this law was to cut down on many crimes committed in moving vehicles and to protect passengers/citizens.

Moreover, tinted windows also impede traffic police from carrying out their duties, as it prevents them from seeing into moving vehicles to monitor the drivers of the moving vehicles properly.

**To Reduce Risk of Accidents: One downside to using heavily tinted windows is that they often impede visibility for the driver as well. This can lead to accidents and can make driving in lowlight conditions unsafe.

While window tint or sun films for your car will not impact your motor insurance premiums, they may cause trouble during claims processes. This is because insurance for cars only covers liabilities that fall within the legal limit.

In short, if your sun film is found to be above the window tint legal limit, it may lead to your claims getting rejected as you are violating a legal law.

To avoid this, when buying four-wheeler insurance, always check if the sun film for your car complies with the visual light transmission percentages given above.

If you have a sun film added to your car windows and wish to remove it now, follow the instructions below. These methods are safe and will not lead to any scratches on the glass.

Heat Gun With a heat gun, you can melt the glue of the sun foil. After the glue melts, peeling off the tinted foil is easier. You can then use a clean towel to wipe off the adhesive and wash the windows with a cleaner.

A hairdryer is an alternative for car owners who do not own a heat gun.

Fabric Steamer Using a fabric steamer works like using a heat gun, which involves applying heat to the sun film. This melts the adhesive, making peeling off the sun film from your car window easier.

Solar Peel This method requires a spray bottle of soapy water, a couple of black plastic garbage bags, another spray bottle of ammonia and a tarp.

You must spray the soapy water on the outer-facing side of the window and cover it with a black plastic bag.

The inner-facing side of the window needs to be sprayed with ammonia and covered with a black plastic bag.

Allow it to bake in the sun for at least 20 minutes before removing the bags and wiping away the tint.

Soapy Water You can also use old newspapers and hot soapy water to remove the tint.

Wet your car's tint or sun film with hot soapy water and cover it with newspapers allowing it to soak for at least half an hour.

After which, you can wipe the tint away using long strokes. If the film still doesn't come off easily, you can repeat this process and allow it to soak for another 30 minutes.

Razor Blade Many car owners try to scrape the film using a sharp tool, like a razor blade. This method should only be used if you have prior experience using a razor blade to remove sun films from cars, as it increases the likelihood of scratches.

After you remove the tinted foil, you can use warm soapy water to remove the glue on your window. At the end of the process, you will have clear, clean glass that lets you drive the car without any issues.

Many popular window tint alternatives are available on the market today to reduce light and UV exposure inside your car cabin. These will not affect the premiums on your car insurance renewal online and are all RTO-approved. Here are some of the most popular ones

Detachable Sun Shades These are sun shades made of mesh that attach to your window using a suction cup. They block UV rays, light, heat, and visibility from your window and are popular window tint alternatives for side windows.

Retractable Drop Shades These are made of similar material to detachable sun shades and allow you to roll the shades up and down. Like detachable sun shades, they perform the same functions and are popular side window tint alternatives.

Clear Films These are the best option on the market for light and heat reduction. The 3 M's CR-70 is a popular option that allows complete visibility without being too dark. These films will not incur a black film on car fines as they lie fully within the window tint legal limit.

Dark Green Uv Cut Glass This is a newer alternative introduced to the Indian market. It reduces the thermal load inside the car cabin and eliminates more than 82% UV radiation while complying with Indian regulations.

Moreover, It is an RTO-approved sun control film for cars, making it a viable alternative

Tinted windows are a popular car modification in India, as they are a cost-effective way to reduce UV damage to car interiors during harsh summers. However, due to many crimes committed within moving vehicles, these tints were banned and later highly regulated to comply with Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 (CMVR Rule 100).

Anyone violating these rules is subject to a black film in-car window penalty of ₹100 - ₹300. Thankfully, you can find many alternatives on the market that are just as good as stated above. They comply with car tint rules and are great at minimising light and heat inside the cabin.