So i Wrote to the a Rep of PA Transportation

PittSpeed Automotive PittSpeed Off Topic
1

Sat down and thought about this, I’ve stopped getting tickets for tint and such! but i just want to prove a point. And I think I made it. Read below

Hello Mr. Evans,

  My Name is Jeff ***** and I and from Pittsburgh PA, I have a Few questions about the PA Vehicle Code S4524 ssE1.

   Let me get started by saying I've been being harrassed by a local community police department about my window sunscreening. I have window tint on my back 3 windows of my 1998 Dodge Neon. Now im Very confused because from what it states in the vehicle code book, my vehicle is tinted Legally..

Here is the Statute Sir:

§ 4524. Windshield obstructions and wipers.
(e) 1. Sun screening and other materials prohibited.–
No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sun screening device or other material which does not permit a person to see or view the inside of the vehicle through the windshield, side wing or side window of the vehicle.

  Ok now from what you and i just read, my Car is Legally Sunscreened right? I beleive so...

Also from what i understand Window tinting is legal in Pennsylvania because neither the Statute, which the legislature has enacted according to the will of the people, nor the Regulation, which the Administration has passed to clarify the law, prohibit it.

   Note also that it does <i>NOT</i> say that a person must be able to view the inside of the vehicle, only that the tint cannot prevent a person from seeing in. (no one can see into a vehicle at night, even with clear windows) Also the way the law is stated it is only requiring that a person be able to see the inside either through the windshield, side wing <i>OR</i> side window. If the word 'and' was used instead of 'or' it would require viewing through all of the mentioned windows.

Now I do not have window tint on my Side Window or Windshield. My Car is not a Truck and it does not have a Side Wing. Again to Clearifiy, My roll up windows and Windshield are NOT tinted. Only windows on the vehicle that are tinted are the rear window, and the 2 side Stationary windows that do not roll up or down…
Im just trying to get this worked out, i have been harassed many times from only this community’s police, any other district has told me that my car is legal as long as the front side windows and front windshield is NOT tinted. Which they are not

    Thank you for listening, and i hope you write back. Also if i am not sending this to the right person could you be so kind as to direct me to the correct person.
                                                                             Thank you,
                                                                                   Jeff ****

Keep this thread ON TOPIC!
I want a Real Discussion not flaming

2

if this makes the rule change for the worse. your getting shot by many ppl

3

can you find atleast one mistake in this?

4

Good luck. Hopefully he writes you back.

5

yes he didnt capitalize “i” half the time

6

My Name is Jeff ***** and I and from Pittsburgh PA,
----------------------------^^^

and is the wrong word

7

:stick:

8

You really need to just give up on the tint thing. It’s basically as worthless as you trying to justify the meaning of your posts to Brian.

Just count your losses, scrape the tint and deal with it. thats what i did when i got pulled over by killbuck

9

yeah… you’ll get pwnd… no doubt.

you capitalized a lot of things taht kinda shouldn’t be.

also, he can claim the OR is inclusive without justification… i’d bet on that.

i guess it’s worth a shot… what do you have to lose?

10

Disclaimer: the following is not meant to be any kind of derogatory statement.

Let some of us here on the board proofread anything that is to be sent to a state representative. It benefits all of us when the case is presented coherently and uses correct spelling and grammar. The lack of proper presentation will make the argument weaker and possibly even ignored.

That being said…

I got harassed for having the back window on my regular cab Ranger double 5% layered. Nothing on the side windows, nothing on the windshield, and two side mirrors present and functional. The police pull me over at like 10 p.m. and start reading me the riot act about the tint.

me: It passed inspection like this. <I present the cell phone on speed dial to my inspection mechanic 'coz I knew this was coming>
him: I can’t see if you have a gun or something with all that tint on there!
me: :stick: You’re supposed to execute a felony stop if you suspect that someone is pointing a gun at you. Is window tint enough probable cause?

He got back in his car and left, peeled out and everything. No ticket issued.

Two weeks later, the local paper runs an article “How to act when you get pulled over”.

Guess I shook him up a little…

11

HAHAHAHAHAHA…I saw that hanging on the wall at Whitehall tire on friday when i was getting tires…LOL it was pretty funny

12

Shelby, you surely weren’t an english major. Anyways, you’ve got to know when to fight,and you’ve got to know when to walk away… This tint issue is something that you really need to walk away from. There is no solution to this that is going to make you happy. The only thing you can possibly do by bringing up loopholes or speech that is unclear is to force the legislature to change it, which in essence will screw alot more people out there than it helps.

Good thing that letter will never be read by anyone other than that Representative’s Secretary’s Secretary. It wont get within 50 ft of him.

13

i think this is a good effort. even if there are a few gramatical errors. my question is, even if you convince the entire state government that window tint should be legal, what stops local governments, and their police officers from making and enforcing a tint law.

14

…put a rider into the state law like they did for concealed carry to do away with first-class cities preventing concealed carry laws more restrictive than the state law.

Good luck. It’s going to take involvement from SEMA to get that kind of support.

15

I don’t know if the letter will help your cause. Bravada is probably right when he said it will be read by a secretary. If you really want to get your point heard, you should give a call. Give several calls. But don’t expect anything to be turned over or anything to happen b/c of it. Unfortunately one mans voice is rarely heard when it comes to lawmaking.

16

Local (lower than state level-- county, borough, etc.) governments have no such power, not saying they might not give it a try but it would not hold up.

As for interpretation of the statute, that is what the court does and can basically toss a law that is too vague or ambiguous.

17

there is your first problem.

18

Had a few minutes during lunch to look up the full text:

§ 4524. Windshield obstructions and wipers

(a) OBSTRUCTION ON FRONT WINDSHIELD.-- No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield which materially obstructs, obscures or impairs the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway except an inspection certificate, sticker identification sign on a mass transit vehicle or other officially required sticker and no person shall drive any motor vehicle with any ice or snow on the front windshield which materially obstructs, obscures or impairs the driver's clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.

(b) OBSTRUCTION ON SIDE AND REAR WINDOWS.-- No person shall drive a motor vehicle with any sign, poster or other nontransparent material, including ice or snow, upon the side wings or side or rear windows of the vehicle which materially obstructs, obscures or impairs the driver’s clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway. The placement of a registration permit upon the side or rear window of a vehicle shall not be considered a material obstruction.

© OTHER OBSTRUCTION.-- No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any object or material hung from the inside rearview mirror or otherwise hung, placed or attached in such a position as to materially obstruct, obscure or impair the driver’s vision through the front windshield or any manner as to constitute a safety hazard.

(d) WINDSHIELD WIPER SYSTEMS.-- The windshield on every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle or special mobile equipment shall be equipped with a wiper system capable of cleaning rain, snow or other moisture from the windshield, and so constructed as to be controlled or operated by the driver of the vehicle.

(e) SUN SCREENING AND OTHER MATERIALS PROHIBITED.–

(1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sun screening
device or other material which does not permit a person to see or view
the inside of the vehicle through the windshield, side wing or side
window of the vehicle

The police and courts (if challenged far enough) would most likely refer to the language of section B to shoot down any arguments of getting tint allowed. Granted it could be justifiably argued that tint is indeed transparent, but just the same the darker the tint gets the less transparent and more non-transparent it becomes and would fall squarely under section B.

19

now when i used to get pulled over for it i was always wrote for for 4524 e1…

now just my back three are tinted, and i do not have a side “wing”…

20

that letter is a fucking joke, he will throw it away… I know i would

anyway, How do they get away with putting the temp tag piece of paper on the rear windshield?

(b) OBSTRUCTION ON SIDE AND REAR WINDOWS.-- No person shall drive a motor vehicle with any sign, poster or other nontransparent material, including ice or snow, upon the side wings or side or rear windows of the vehicle which materially obstructs, obscures or impairs the driver’s clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway. The placement of a registration permit upon the side or rear window of a vehicle shall not be considered a material obstruction.