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AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > February > 16 > Entry
Law would again limit tint on vehicle windows
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia House passed legislation today that would reinstate the state ban on heavily tinted car windows and broaden the restrictions to cover out-of-state vehicles.
The vote was 125 to 33.
State Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Canton), the bill’s chief sponsor, said the legislation will allow the state to bring back its tinting law, which the Georgia Supreme Court declared unconstitutional last June because it did not apply to out-of-state motorists.
State Rep. David Lucas (D-Macon) questioned how the state can impose guidelines on motorists from other states. He announced plans to ask the House on Monday to reconsider its vote.
The bill maintains the 32 percent visibility standard that had been required under a 1990 state law. It applies to all windows and windshields of most passenger vehicles and the front windshield and front windows of all multipurpose vehicles, including sport utility vehicles, minivans and extended cab trucks, Hill said.
Motorists caught violating the law may be ticketed and would face the standard misdemeanor maximum punishment of a $1,000 fine and up to 12 months in prison.
The legislation also allows law enforcement agencies to use tint meters to determine compliance. In the past they had to depend on a sticker that was on the vehicle and could be subject to fraud, Hill said.
Trooper Larry Schnall, a spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol, said the bill is “all about officer safety.”
“Approaching a vehicle in the daytime hours with dark windows can be very scary for an officer and it’s even worse at night,” Schnall said. “They could be shot and never see it coming.”
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