To ensure zero tolerance towards vehicles with tinted glasses, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mooted a proposal not to give insurance coverage for such vehicles.
As per the latest proposal submitted by the ministry to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), tinted glass or solar films on vehicles would be considered as violation of the warranty conditions in the vehicle insurance policy. The proposal also says that an insurance company can deny a claim if a vehicle with tinted glass is involved in an accident. The IRDA is expected to take a decision soon, a senior official said.
As per the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, the windscreen and rear window of a vehicle should have 70 per cent visual light transmission. For side windows, it should be at least 50 per cent. This means, vehicles whose windows have the permissible visual transmission of light built by manufacturers can only be covered under the insurance and tinted film is not allowed.
The Supreme Court in April had ordered a complete ban on the use of tinted films and had set May as the deadline for its implementation. However, vehicles’ with tinted glasses can still be found on the roads.
“As the mere crackdown on vehicles with tinted glass by traffic police is not yielding much results, the ministry has decided to write to the IRDA to club it with insurance claim,” the official added.
As per the proposed amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, pending before the Lok Sabha, the fine for fist offence will be Rs 500 and second offence will be Rs 1,000.
Under the existing rules, fines are Rs 100 for the first offence, under tinted glass category, and for second offence it is Rs 300.
Meanwhile, Union Road Transport Minister C P Joshi in his letter to all chief ministers last month asked them to initiate a drive against tinted glasses in their respective states.