New regulations governing tinted vehicle windows are to take effect in the first quarter next year, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
Owners of new vehicles must ensure that the tint on the front windshield has visible light transmission of no less than 70 percent, while front, side windows must allow at least 40 percent light transmission, the ministry said.
The ministry earlier this year announced that it had proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Safety Rules (道路交通安全規則) to address safety risks posed by tinted windows.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
The proposed rule changes would apply to all newly registered and licensed vehicles, but would exclude the area within 15cm of the upper edge of the windshield, it said.
Window tilting would be examined during regular vehicle inspections, it added.
Taxis would also be subject to the rules, with the additional requirement that visible light transmission of tint films applied to the rear windshield and rear side windows is at least 40 percent, it said.
The proposed rule changes were made available on Friday last week for 30 days of public review.
Department of Public Transportation and Supervision Director-General Hu Ti-chi (胡迪琦) said the amendments would take effect after all administrative procedures and supplementary measures are completed.
“The amendments primarily target newly registered vehicles and will not apply retroactively to vehicles that have already been registered,” Hu said.
“Penalties are stipulated in Article 39 of the Road Traffic Safety Rules, which include that vehicles that fail to meet the requirements would not be eligible for registration,” she added.
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