Auto Glass Tint, Window Film, and Window Shades; are your car’s sunglasses options right for you?

Let me share a story from when I was a boy of 14. I rode my Schwinn 10-speed everywhere. On holidays or long weekends, my friends and I would ride 150km daily for distance training. We were a competitive team for a local bike shop. We rode with a high level of respect for vehicles to stay alive.

One morning, on the route to school alone, a man in his van driving into the sun could not see me. He proceeded through the intersection and impacted me at 50kph. I was thrown 20m down the road and landed on the back of my neck. I died once on the way to the hospital. My recovery was total but very long due to extreme bodily swelling and bruising from the impact.

His side windows had dark limousine-like tint installed, and his windshield had no visor shading. Between the darkness and glare, I was invisible in the low angle of the morning sun.

Controlling the privacy in your vehicle is one purpose for changing standard window visibility. There are other purposes and regulations regarding sun shades for car windows to prevent similar incidents while providing comfort.  Spend a few minutes looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the three main options for car windows on the market.

• Permit me an opportunity to clarify two similar terms window tint and window film. Fim is applied to the window. Tint is incorporated in window glass production. 

• Window film is generally inexpensive, and can be installed at home, but should be applied by someone with experience. Do not take altering your visibility while driving lightly. Nighttime blindness, peeling, cracking, and other visual distortion can occur with disastrous life-changing results. This type can require maintenance and repairs.  Install a shade too dark and risk a citation with fines. 

• Window tinting is done at the glassworks during float glass production. A formulated compound is added to the liquid glass or applied immediately after removal from the window form. Tint is unchangeable. When a tinted window is broken in an accident, you’ll need to buy the glass from the manufacturer for tint matching.  

• The next choice for finding that balance of shade, security, and safety is car window shades. Laser measured to fit each window of a given vehicle make, they fit with perfection. You will find magnetic, velcro, suction-cup, or adhesive-type (not recommended) installation alternatives. Being attached to the window frame of the car door allows for window operation and acts as a screen to protect against roadway debris. 

Tint, film, and shades can not be used on windscreens during vehicle operation; according to Department of Transportation laws. These regulations have been developed from accident investigations. Like the one I had. Some people have died to give us this information. If you value your life, the life of passengers, and others you will read and adhere to laws while creating comfort in your auto.