Conflicted About Tinted Windows
According to Louisiana State Police Troop I spokesman Stephen Hammons you can't have tinted windows over a certain percentage of shading or you're not in compliance with the law.
Here is what a press release from State Police says about the law:
There seems to be an epidemic of dark tinted windows in Southwest Louisiana lately. The Louisiana State Police would like to inform motorists about the state's window tint law. LRS 32.361.1 states that the legal limits of the sun screening device (window tint) on a passenger car are light transmissions of 40% for the front side windows, 25% for the rear side windows and 12% for the rear windshield. The legal limit of 40% still applies for the front side windows for all pickups and multi-passenger (SUV) vehicles. It is illegal to apply any type of object or material that alters the color or reduces light transmission on the front windshield. It is not an excuse to have illegal tint because the vehicle was purchased with illegal tint. The driver is responsible for the condition of the vehicle and is subject to be stopped and issued a citation. Reflective or any non-transparent material on windows is illegal.
Any seller, installer, manufacturer, or distributor of a sun screening device who violates the provisions of this Section shall be fined one thousand dollars for a first offense, two thousand dollars for a second offense, and shall be prohibited from conducting any business specified in this Section upon conviction for a third or subsequent offense.
There are medical and security exemptions available that have to be approved by the Louisiana State Police. The forms for the exemptions can be located at WWW.LSP.ORG in the applications and forms section. Upon completion, the form must be submitted to the Louisiana State Police / Towing & Recovery / MVI section at 527 Florida Boulevard, Denham Springs, LA. These exemptions are sworn affidavits which must be notarized upon completion. In addition to the forms, the window tint law is available for viewing along with the requirements for the exemptions.
Medical exemptions are non-transferable and expire three years from the date of issuance. The original certificate must be carried in the vehicle at all times and shall be void if altered or falsified. Applicants cannot have a conviction for a drug offense or a violent crime, and by applying you authorize the department to perform a Criminal History Inquiry. A physician must also certify and attest that the applicant is under his/her care and has a medical condition that meets the requirements and also qualifies for exemption. Having a fictitious, altered, or fake form in a driver's possession can lead to more charges.
The law is very clear, and yet so many people don't even seem to care. I would normally not care about something like this because I want people to do their own thing, but here is the problem..... Criminals love tinted windows and so do idiots who like to drive while they are distracted, not to mention people who think it looks cool. But I can't think far enough to realize how much they compromise their ability to see.
So what do I think should be done? Stick it to them. Give each driver one or two chances to fix the problem, and then if they don't comply, tow the car. I know it sounds stupid, but the problem is that there is not enough enforcement of these laws because let's face it, our policemen and women have enough other trouble to keep them busy. That's exactly why you give people a couple of chances, then take the car!!!!
A policeman shouldn't have to repeatedly give someone a warning or ticket to get them to comply. And why is it okay for people with tinted windows to get away with it, when, if I throw something out the window, I am going to get popped with a big fat fine! Why don't we care enough about our men and women in uniform to back them up on this issue. You have to be seriously tough to walk up to a car with someone in it that you can't see! Could you do it? I couldn't.
So I say you get a few months and a few chances to fix the extra tinting, and if you can't be more responsible, then you shouldn't be allowed to drive; impound the cars. Make the owners fix the tinting issue, pay a big fat fine, and I bet the "little" problem of tinted windows will magically disappear!
I would also like to thank the woman who almost killed my husband and me the other day because her car's windows were so tinted in front that she could barely see us. We stopped at the stop sign, and I guess since she didn't see us through all the tinting, she thought it was okay to just run the stop sign on her side. Thank God we honked and waved at her so she could stop before she plowed into us. Thanks, lady, for not killing us, and oh, by the way, you and your friend did not look cool, and you are way too old to driving around town in a car with that much tint. Shame on you, because we could tell you were old enough, and you couldn't even act like a grown-up.