Legislators have decided to move forward with a proposal aimed at regulating the use of tints.

As indicated, legislators are going forward with a proposal to regulate the use of tint on vehicles.
On October 8, 2023, Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr Ralph Gonsalves announced that a Bill is expected to be brought to Parliament to regulate tinted windows on vehicles.
“Criminals or persons suspected of criminal activity have been using tinted vehicles to make their detection a little more difficult,” he said then.
He added that some persons would object to the proposed Bill, but they ought to be reasonable and think about the entire country.
The new regulations cited as the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Tint) Regulations 2023 are still in the preliminary stages and are yet to go through the formal stages in Parliament before becoming law.
A copy of the proposed Bill was published in the newspapers for the public’s scrutiny on February 2, 2024.
The new regulations however address the use of material on windscreens and windows which under the proposed regulation will be prohibited.
More specifically, persons are not allowed to use, drive, or have charge of a vehicle on the road where the windscreen or window of the said vehicle is composed of, coated or covered by, or treated or darkened with any material, overlay or other product that has the effect of making the windscreen or window non-transparent.
The proposed regulation goes on that the front windscreen must have a visible light transmittance of at least 70 percent; each front window with a visible light transmittance of at least 35 percent and each rear window with a visible light transmittance of at least 20 percent.
‘This does not apply where the material on the windscreen or window was installed by the manufacturer of the vehicle and approved by the Licensing Authority.’
As the Bill exists now, persons who contravene these regulations commit an offense and are liable on the summary to a fine of $1,000.
So too, the use of reflective material on the windscreen and or windows is also prohibited under the proposed piece of legislation.
Provisions are being made to ensure that there are no scratches or other defects, laminated glazing or glass that shows signs of discoloration or any material with any bubbling or other defects that unreasonably impair the driver’s vision through the windscreen or window.
Persons found in breach of this section of the Bill will also be liable to pay a fine of $1,000 on summary.
Vehicles that are the property of or used by the Governor General in their official or personal capacity or vehicles that are the property or used by the Prime Minister in their official or personal capacity are both exempted from the regulations.
Other categories of vehicles that will be allowed to use dark tint under the proposed Bill include those used by members of the House of Assembly, or a senior public servant approved by the Governor General and notified in the Gazette; ambulances; vehicles that are the property of the police force, prisons and customs and excise; persons who have been issued exemption certificates and any other vehicles exempted in writing by the licensing authority.
Under the proposed Bill, anyone wishing to apply for an exemption may do so by applying to the licensing authority.