Ticket for window tint today

[Gerald Pierce]

Driving the Mustang home today and passed a State Trooper.... He turned on the lights and pulled me over for window tint. One time in a blue moon, I didnt have the seat belt on. OOPS! 2 tickets, got to call the court in the am for the fine.



Kicker is, on the tint,it meets FL state law (35 pct), but not VA. I am military with FL tags in VA. I asked what would happen if I was driving through the state -- he said he could still give the ticket but they usually dont, since the law says "vehicles operated in on Virginia roadways" not "registered in VA". Since my registration had a local address I got the ticket. Top it off, I got orders today to go back to FL in 60 days......... after only being here 7 months. Happy about the orders, but pissed about the ticket for the tint. I told him we had moved up from FL and I was going back in 60 days..... he basically said TUFF.



Seat belt fine.... my bust. No complaints. Guilty as charged. I think he saw me with no seatbelt and used the windows as an excuse to pull me over.



Oh well..... I'll live. No points, no insurance rate increase.



Gerry

 

[Josh OH]

Gerry,



Don't feel bad.. I have QUITE a friends that are in the same B.S. situation. I'm military too, plan on getting 50/50 tint on my windows on the front end of my ST and i've already been warned about that from the shops that I was getting an estimate from. But I'm from Ohio, and stationed at Lemoore, CA. But registered in Ohio too.. So I kinda luck out of the draw.. But other friends who registered in Ca because they couldn't get back home to register their vehicle or bought it in Cali.. Well.. They have stories just like yours.. Plus we all know VA hates military anyway..



~Josh

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Gerry,



That's called the "Mustang tax". You wouldn't have been noticed in your ST.



Good thing you didn't get caught by the military police on that seat belt charge. I know they are tough on us Air Force guys at least. We get to go see our First Sergeant or Commander if we get caught, to explain why we can't follow simple orders.



Congrats on the PCS orders. Hopefully, the hurricanes are done for a few years.

 

[Steve Heim]

seat belt no luck, but tint explain your situation and you may get off with just paying court cost

 

[Dale Carlson]

Don't know about other states, but a new law went in effect in SC making non-wear of seat belts a PRIMARY offense - meaning that they can pull you over just for that, they don't need another reason to make the stop.

 

[Jake Levin]

NJ has the no-seatbelt a sa primary offense as well, but tint is still not a primary so they have to find something else to pull you over for besides the tint

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

I agree with Steve. Explain your situation and maybe just go with the Seatbelt charge and they will probably let the tint go since you are in the military and not really from Va. What do you have to lose? you will probably still have to pay court costs wiether you go to court or not. May as well make it worth the money.

 

[TrainTrac]

OK, Gerry, I'm gonna play sea-lawyer here for a minute. First, here's the VA vehicle code on window tinting:

§ 46.2-1052. Tinting films, signs, decals, and stickers on windshields, etc.; penalties.



C. Except as provided in § 46.2-1053, but notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, no sun-shading or tinting film may be applied or affixed to any window of a motor vehicle unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a mirror on each side of such motor vehicle, so located as to reflect to the driver of the vehicle a view of the highway for at least 200 feet to the rear of such vehicle, and the sun-shading or tinting film is applied or affixed in accordance with the following:

1. No sun-shading or tinting films may be applied or affixed to the rear side windows or rear window or windows of any motor vehicle operated on the highways of this Commonwealth that reduce the total light transmittance of such window to less than 35 percent;

2. No sun-shading or tinting films may be applied or affixed to the front side windows of any motor vehicle operated on the highways of this Commonwealth that reduce total light transmittance of such window to less than 50 percent;

3. No sun-shading or tinting films shall be applied or affixed to any window of a motor vehicle that (i) have a reflectance of light exceeding 20 percent or (ii) produce a holographic or prism effect.

Any person who operates a motor vehicle on the highways of this Commonwealth with sun-shading or tinting films that (i) have a total light transmittance less than that required by subdivisions 1 and 2 of this subsection, (ii) have a reflectance of light exceeding 20 percent, or (iii) produce holographic or prism effects shall be guilty of a traffic infraction but shall not be awarded any demerit points by the Commissioner for the violation.

Any person or firm who applies or affixes to the windows of any motor vehicle in Virginia sun-shading or tinting films that (i) reduce the light transmittance to levels less than that allowed in subdivisions 1 and 2 of this subsection, (ii) have a reflectance of light exceeding 20 percent, or (iii) produce holographic or prism effects shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor for the first offense and of a Class 2 misdemeanor for any subsequent offense.

Now, after reading through it, it does seem vague in that is doesn't specify that the law applies only to vehicles registered in VA. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation and discretion on the part of law enforcement officers.



With that said, I would fight the tinting issue. You've only been in VA seven months, and now have orders back to FL. You have paperwork to back this up that you can show to the judge. Maybe you just caught the trooper on a bad day. Give it a shot.



By the way, where did you get orders to? You haven't been up here very long.

 

[Frank Marano]

I got a ticket for my tint in my Trac. Going to work at 5am....blah

 

[Tabjo]

Yikes, I thought I was compliant since I have the fronts tinted at 35%, guess I read the chart wrong, turns out it's only 50% in VA.

 

[Gerald Pierce]

TrainTrac...



I agree, the law does not say "vehicles registered in VA" ,it says "any motor vehicle operated on the highways of the commwealth" but that doesn't make it right. That means they could ticket you for driving through from NC to MD..... fine os only 30.00, court cost is 61.00 -- what a freaking ripoff. The seatbelt ticket is 25, no court cost. Going to pay it, and go see the atty about the tint ticket. I leave the state 3 days after court, so I may go, just so I can vent my opinion of the "commonwealth".



As for the orders, going back to FL -- gonna be the CMC on FFG-40. Momma and the kids are staying here, DD will be a senior, not going to risk moving her back down and have something go wrong with her schedule so that she doesnt graduate. Only being here 7 months doesnt bother me..... I have never been so miserable in my life. I dreamed of having a quiet shore duty job, and I am so bored I could scream. Good thing is ship will be deployed to South America when I report.... :wub:RIO:wub:



Nelson.... if they called the "First Sergeant", they would call me. 99.9 pct of the time I wear it, since the ST beeps at me to put it on (I know, push the button it shuts up) but the mustang seatbelt buzzer doesnt work..... and I am forgetful.

 

[TrainTrac]

Gerry,



I agree. Pay the seat belt fine, but fight the tint ticket. The vagueness of it is b.s.



You were bored on shore duty, huh? So did you just call the detailer and tell him you wanted to terminate shore duty and go back to sea? CMC huh? So does that mean you're leaving the ranks of us ET's and converting to CMDCM? Traitor!:angry: Just kidding!



Fair winds and following seas, shipmate!



Three months til retirement...

 

[Gerald Pierce]

Andy, I applied for CMC right after I got here, knowing I might have to move, but really hoping to stay in the area since there are so many jobs. Wouldnt it figure that she has a hot fill in FL? Detailer called me..... says when can you leave? i said it's 1425, I can be on the road at 1430!



I cant wait to leave the COMMONWEALTH!!! For a state that whines so much about losing a carrier to FL or losing Oceana NAS, they sure as hell stick it to the military every chance they get.

 

[Rick Kent]

It's too bad you got the ticket for the window tint. Cops can and do use judgement. A lot depends on how you acted when pulled over. If you gave him grief, he probably added the tint for good measure.



A calm and rational explanation to the judge will likely get it reduce or thrown out. I would also talk to the Commonwealth Attny the morning of traffic court, bring a copy of your orders to show you are being shipped out again.



Living in VA for 13 years now, I don't see the bias you claim we have against the military. Last time I checked the Governor, Dem or Rep, are always lobbying for more bases not less....

 

[Benjamin Feinstein]

Consider yourself lucky. A friend of mine had 35% all the way around and got pulled over. Of course my friend did not have the best of driving records and asked the police officer what he could do to get out of the ticket. The officer handed him a razor blade and told him to peel it off the front windows and he could get out of the ticket. The officer pulled over three people for speeding in the time it took him to remove the tint.

 

[Richard L]

Down here in Texas, they check your window tint with a special light meter when you get your vehicle inspected every year. Here you can legally have 35% on the front door glass but nothing on the windshield below the ASI mark. Back windows can be as dark as you want.



I think the states up north are a bit pickier about the windshield tint but I have never been stopped in any state when I have traveld up to Ohio. When you live down in the sun belt states they understand how necessary that window tint is to keeping things cool when it's 100 degrees in the shade.



...Rich