/r/twincities is focused on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.
Pulled over this week for tinted windows. Then pulled over for taking a late night walk. Harassed. They left. Back to 2019 policing.
Sort by:
Best
Open comment sort options
Best
Top
New
Controversial
Old
Q&A
Tint has always been illegal beyond 50% for sedans. SUVs have different rules for rear windows.
I have mine at 80%, but it’s the risk you run when actively breaking the law.
First time pulled over in 8 years. Also at 80%. Having no front license plate doesn't help. My main issue was being stopped and harassed walking the neighborhood as if I was doing something wrong
Just because you rarely get stopped for it doesn't mean it's not illegal. Just saying.
That second one is messed up.
In all seriousness, what is the point of tinted windows? This is a legit question
It's so that pedestrians and cyclists can't ID you when you run them over. For assholes who want to be anonymous in public, basically.
It also helps keep the car cooler during our two weeks of summer
My cars are tinted to block the sun and UV rays mainly. Keeps the car cooler in the summer. A secondary benefit is the privacy it gives. Harder to see what's inside my car when ppl walk by it.
Block uv rays. Not as hot when getting into car in summer. Went to Denver recently and almost every vehicle is very tinted.
That sounds legit. But it also sounds like a solution in search of a problem.
If you look at the demographic of people who have extremely tinted windows, it's a very narrow band. If it was just about UV rays and heat, I'd expect everyone from young women to old men to want tinted windows. But that's just not the case..
In legal states it is. Almost every car is tinted. Not here simply because it's illegal
Bro go to Florida
I try to stay out of Florida as much as possible
I disagree that it's a narrow band. Basically every single van and suv on the road has the rear and back tinted. Go to a southern state and every vehicle has dark tint all the way around. You're probably just noticing the absurdly dark 5% tints on shitty run down cars because they stand out more.
I'm picturing the underemployed 28-year-old guy in his Subaru racer cruising on highway 169.
You said we are in back. I'm talking about drivers window
0% of UV rays make it through a car window glass. Just fyi if anyone is selling tint for that reason. IR light / heat is different.
That’s incorrect the majority of UVB rays are blocked by glass. This is what gives you a tan UVA rays damage the skin and penetrate glass.
If you visit a state that allows tint, almost every car is tinted to block uvs
UV-A readily gets through window glass. Not all of it, but a significant amount, often >25% depending on tint.
Tint helps block glare, heat, and uv rays. I also personally think it improves the look of modern vehicles as long as it's not insanely dark. Blocking heat and helping protect your interior are reason enough to spend a few hundred to get it installed, all the rest is just the cherry on top.
Ensure your window tint is compliant with the law and you can send a complaint to the city if cops “pulled you over for taking a late night walk”.
Where did you walk late at night? Did you get a ticket?
A block from my house. Between golden valley country club. I was listening to tunes. Maybe had hand moving to it. This PD is mostly county sheriff's since the city screwed a lot over and police moved to other cities. Just hoping they don't settle for young losers who like to harass. Already dealt with that in Champlin back in the day
Funny, I grew up in Champlin and dealt with some shady stuff too. Glad you’re alright.
Oh no guys a police officer asked me a question when I was out walking.
Nevermind the absurd crime rates here posted daily with some outrageous gang bullying assault.
Jesus.
Is it against the law to have tinted windows? I would certainly support that, I just see so many I assumed it was legal.
There are laws about how dark they can be: https://www.raynofilm.com/blog/automotive-window-tint-laws-by-state
Thanks for posting this! I just bought a car early this year/late last year and it already had window tinting on the front side, back side and rear windows. The seller assured me the tint is legal in MN and I trust the seller to know what he’s talking about, but I travel a lot and so have been trying to find the actual law verbiage as well as other states. You’d think it would be on like a government website in an easy-to-read format like this but I wasn’t able to find that :)
I love my window tint, it’s one of my favorite features of my new vehicle lol. Pumped for my first summer with it.
Technically darker than 50% is illegal for driver and passenger windows. There's a grey area where if the tint is factory tinted beyond that then they might harass but likely won't ticket you. I have a car originally from Las Vegas and the tint is like 10%. I had an Edina officer let me pass cuz he can see it was factory tinted so can't really remove it. I've had friends get fix it tickets for 30% tint.
My window tint would no longer be one of my favorite features of my car if it gave cops an invitation to interact with me
The amount of tint allowed varies by state. In MN, it’s reasonable and also has a ban on windshield tinting. I see many cars that seem excessively tinted where you cannot see inside the vehicle. Those people should be pulled over.
https://www.tinting-laws.com/minnesota/
You can see me. It's not that tinted. In fact while pulled over the SUV parked across the street was very tinted. Can't see them. My main issue is being stopped walking my neighborhood at night and harassed.
What was the reason they stopped to talk to you? What neighborhood?
Varies by state.
Some people have medical reasons for the tinting and some states only allow with a doctor's permission / order.
LE views them as "unsafe" since when they approach the vehicle following a stop, they can't see the occupants or what they are doing - so could, in theory, be hiding shit or getting a gun ready for an ambush.
I would be curious how many LE have been killed / injured in those style / type of situations.
Of course with LE all it takes is one - like the trooper that got killed by a truck who didn't move over to the left lane and the trooper was killed on the side of the road. I get it - move over when you see the lights, but I really don't think we need to legislate that.
Why would you support that
It facilitates reckless driving without accountability (which many tinted-car owners take advantage of in my experience)
Makes it impossible to establish eye contact with the driver when crossing in front of them as a pedestrian or cyclist
It also just seems anti-social as hell. What are the benign reasons someone would want to tint their windows?
Well it keeps the inside of your car cool for one thing, but my main thing is sense of privacy. I like Honda Fits. They’re the best. A major drawback is that the windows are huge and I feel like I’m in a fishbowl when I’m driving down the road. This is my third Fit I’ve owned and the window tint gives me a little privacy in this one. “Antisocial” lol I’m driving down the road in my car I’m not trying to socialize with other drivers. Additionally, privacy helps protect my possessions inside of the car when I park it somewhere.
Watching for pedestrians is a driver’s responsibility regardless of their vehicle and I think that argument speaks more to our suffocating car culture than it does to the dangers of window tint.
The reckless driving point is so moot I forgot all about it. Cars with tinted windows still have license plates so how does the tint devoid accountability
If you want privacy from being seen by others, maybe stay off the public roads?
Good to know next time I get run over by a car that it was the driver's error, no need for me to worry I guess!
How does tint remove accountability from reckless driving? You have license plate, make, and model. Seeing someone’s face allows you to know who they are?