Consumer activist and former opposition senator Tricia Watson has urged the Mottley administration to introduce clear legislation on permissible vehicle window tints, following Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s announcement of a crackdown on dark-tinted windows as part of a wider strategy to combat rising gun-related violence.
At a press conference on Thursday, Mottley announced the rules would take effect on October 14. But on Sunday, Attorney General Dale Marshall announced that the rollout of the new regulations has been pushed back to January 1, 2025.
Watson described the tint measures as more significant than they appear and urged the government to provide detailed legislative guidelines to clarify what constitutes a legal tint.
“This tint edict, which is being masked as a minor one, is actually a major issue for Barbadians and has been handed down like a COVID mask directive,” she said.
The outspoken consumer advocate highlighted the widespread use of tints on the island’s vehicles: “Apparently, there are about 120 000 vehicles in Barbados. 90 000 are private vehicles. By my casual observation, the windows and rear windscreens of the vast majority of these vehicles are tinted.”
The attorney-at-law questioned whether policymakers fully appreciate the scale of the issue and noted the lack of an objective standard for what is considered an illegal tint.
Referring to the relevant regulation, Watson said: “Since nobody in Barbados knows what ‘tinted to such a degree as to make the driver of the vehicle unidentifiable from a reasonable distance’ means objectively. There is now a need to specify legislatively the technical definition of what tint is permitted.”
She also urged the government to clarify whether any vehicles, such as those owned by politicians, would be exempt from the rules.
“Will the personal vehicles of politicians and their cohorts be exempted from this requirement? There is also a need to specify legislatively if an exemption can be sought, and how,” Watson contended.
In addition to legislative clarity, Watson called for comprehensive training for public officers responsible for enforcing the regulations. She recommended that employees at the Barbados Licensing Authority, Customs and Excise Department, and the Barbados Police Service be trained and provided with appropriate devices, forms and tickets to manage the new rules effectively.
Watson also suggested that court personnel and prosecutors be prepared to handle what she referred to as “tint crimes”.
“Train those who are in the business of importing cars and installing tints too,” she added. “If a business installs tint that is not permitted, or imports tint film that is not permitted, sells tint film that is not permitted, or imports a car(s) with tint that is not permitted, are they aiding and abetting a tint crime or committing one themselves?”
The former senator also condemned the lack of proper consultation by the government before implementing the new policies.
In announcing the change to the implementation date of the tint rules, Marshall said he expected the regulations to be drafted in the next few weeks, “and they will be widely promulgated so that everyone will know exactly what they will have to do to comply”.
“In the interim, we will use this time to increase public awareness and also to equip the police service with as many tint meters as we can source, so that they will be able to accurately test the tint levels on vehicles,” he said.
According to a statement issued over the weekend, when the regulations are enacted, the lowest tint percentage – the darkest tint – that will be permitted will be 20 per cent, which will apply to side windows, rear window and the windscreen. A maximum of five inches of tint will be permitted from the top of the windscreen to allow for sun protection while maintaining a clear view into the vehicle. Metallic tints and mirrored window tints will be prohibited.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
