| Updated: 9/25/2012 10:53 am |
Published: 9/25/2012 10:52 am
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Broken Arrow police will begin enforcing a new law about window tinting on November 1st.
The City of Broken Arrow adopted ordinance 23-38 that mirrors state law regarding regulations in the use of window tinting in motor vehicles.
BA police officials say this ordinance was adopted to allow local officers to take enforcement action in municipal court for violations of the window tint law.
The police department recently purchased window tint meters so officers can measure the light transmission of window tinting for enforcement of the law.
Although the state law has been in place for years, Broken Arrow Police Department officials say they have taken steps to begin enforcing this law due to an increasing number of violations that officers are observing.
They say the dark tinting found on some vehicles can result in reduced visibility for those drivers in their ability to see other traffic or objects, especially at night, which can contribute to the cause of traffic collisions.
Police also say excessively dark tinting found on some vehicles can create safety concerns for officers and the public when they make routine contact with these motorists, and there have been some instances of persons committing criminal acts and concealing their identity behind the darkness of the vehicle windows.
Both state law and Broken Arrow ordinance mandate vehicles cannot have less than 25% of light transmission on the side and rear windows, as well as no tinting below the upper portion of the windshield.
Police will only take action on drivers whose vehicles are found to be beyond the lawful amount of window tinting on their vehicles. The intent of their enforcement is to target violators that have modified their vehicles beyond factory specifications and what is allowed by law with excessively dark tinting on their vehicles that creates a hazard to others.
To give drivers time to comply with the new ordinance Broken Arrow Police say they will not begin active enforcement of this law till November 1st. Drivers can face a fine of $200.00 for violations of this law.
