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CNMI vehicles need to comply with tinting regs
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Posted on Jun 29 2004
CNMI vehicle owners would have to comply with tinting regulations when the Legislature finally approves the bill regulating the tint grade level of car windows in the Commonwealth.
Rep. Clyde Norita disclosed yesterday that the House of Representatives may complete its review of the measure next week. The bill was introduced by Rep. Benjamin Seman and sets the correct amount of tint that may be applied to vehicles in the CNMI.
The ongoing review includes the acceptable grade of tint that could be applied to front and rear windshields and the timeline for the bill’s implementation once passed into law.
“This would be included in annual vehicle registration. The Bureau of Motor Vehicle would measure the tint level and vehicles with darker windshield tints would have to comply with the regulated level or their cars would not be registered,” explained Norita.
He said the House Committee on Judicial and Government Operations is now awaiting the result of its request for the correct grade level of tint that would be enforced for the front and rear windshields.
The Department of Public Safety had earlier expressed concern for the safety of its officers when conducting routine inspection and check up. Dark windshields and windows prevent law enforcers from detecting if the person inside is armed or not. With lighter windshield tints, law enforcers could easily detect the number of occupants inside the vehicle they are inspecting, the congressman said.
Also, Norita said he would send to DPS this week the request of the Legislature to provide it the results of a reported study that blames a percentage of vehicular accidents on dark tints.
Norita, in a media briefing, had urged the DPS to submit a copy of the purported report that was cited by Commissioner Edward Camacho in disclosing plans to ban the use of tint on vehicles to decrease the number of traffic accidents in the CNMI.
Camacho had said in the earlier interview that he is working with the Legislature to have the tints removed from CNMI vehicles due to the limited visibility afforded drivers.
