Illegal window tint…

DanDare999

user1977 said:

Surely action can be taken against any car where you can't see out the windows properly? Or is this a very specific construction and use point where the nationality of the car is relevant?

Construction and Use Regs make no mention of that. 

facade

Meanwhile, in The Real World, what few Police we have are not going to waste their time pursuing foreign registered vehicles over minor construction & use offences unless they are already taking action against the vehicle for something more serious.

MX5huggy

CKhalvashi said:

Android07 said:

I don't understand why we are allowing cars with Ukraine number plates here. They are not even part of the EU! What happens if someone crashes into your car? Who pays for the repairs? Their insurance company in Ukraine?

Probably for the same reason that Ukraine allow UK-registered vehicles in their country, something called international traffic.

The car will be insured under a local Ukrainian policy and Ukraine is a member of the Green Card scheme. Ukrainian registered vehicles are also popular in general throughout a lot of the EU, so this isn't a problem.

I'm not generally for people breaking the law, but is OP really going to make the life of someone that is likely already difficult even more difficult by reporting this? The vehicle can remain here for 6 months in 12 without being registered in the UK and from the limited information posted here would appear to be fully legal in Ukraine, where it is registered.

MX5huggy said:

How long can they run the car in the UK for without registering it or returning to the Ukraine? 

I'm not sure what or where "the Ukraine" is. This is grammatically and politically incorrect, suggesting that Ukraine is part of something else, where according to Ukraine's constitution Ukraine is an independent nation made up of 24 regions, 1 autonomous region (Crimea) and 2 cities of special status (Kyiv and Sevastopol).

Jumping to conclusions @CKhalvashi. I have no intention of reporting anything a Ukrainian lad has joined my son’s football team (he won’t be in it long he’ll be poached by an academy before long), his dads car is the car in question I may decide to talk to him about it, I fear the windows are actually factory tinted so only replacement glass would fix it. He pulled out of a side road in front of me the other day I noticed without the eye contact and being left hand drive he may not have seen me. 

As for the use of “the” you clearly did know what I was talking about, some people find language easy others it’s a constant struggle “I can’t spell, but my iPhone gives me half a chance”. I’ve edited my OP. 

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

yessuz

MX5huggy said:

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

maybe not compulsory winter tyres, but in some countries (including Nordics) it is illegal to drive a car with summer tyres during winter periods (usually 1st November - 1 April). You CAN drive with demi-season (special marking, including M+S might be required). and it is illegal to drive studded tyres outside these months.

3mm is actually for winter tyres, 1.6 for summer.

if tint is factory fitted, I think he can escape it, in general. but yes, his car should be road worthy in order to participate in traffic.

DanDare999

yessuz said:

MX5huggy said:

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

maybe not compulsory winter tyres, but in some countries (including Nordics) it is illegal to drive a car with summer tyres during winter periods (usually 1st November - 1 April). You CAN drive with demi-season (special marking, including M+S might be required). and it is illegal to drive studded tyres outside these months.

3mm is actually for winter tyres, 1.6 for summer.

if tint is factory fitted, I think he can escape it, in general. but yes, his car should be road worthy in order to participate in traffic.

facade said:

Meanwhile, in The Real World, what few Police we have are not going to waste their time pursuing foreign registered vehicles over minor construction & use offences unless they are already taking action against the vehicle for something more serious.

Given you can issue a prohibition for the offence I wouldn't say it's at the minor end of the scale. 

DanDare999

yessuz said:

MX5huggy said:

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

maybe not compulsory winter tyres, but in some countries (including Nordics) it is illegal to drive a car with summer tyres during winter periods (usually 1st November - 1 April). You CAN drive with demi-season (special marking, including M+S might be required). and it is illegal to drive studded tyres outside these months.

3mm is actually for winter tyres, 1.6 for summer.

if tint is factory fitted, I think he can escape it, in general. but yes, his car should be road worthy in order to participate in traffic.

Why? The legislation is quite clear 70% of the light should pass whoever tinted the windows. 

yessuz

DanDare999 said:

yessuz said:

MX5huggy said:

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

maybe not compulsory winter tyres, but in some countries (including Nordics) it is illegal to drive a car with summer tyres during winter periods (usually 1st November - 1 April). You CAN drive with demi-season (special marking, including M+S might be required). and it is illegal to drive studded tyres outside these months.

3mm is actually for winter tyres, 1.6 for summer.

if tint is factory fitted, I think he can escape it, in general. but yes, his car should be road worthy in order to participate in traffic.

Why? The legislation is quite clear 70% of the light should pass whoever tinted the windows. 

because cars are certified for the markets. no manufacturer will make factory fitted illegal options (I presume). And even if it is not really legal in UK, as per Vienna convention - it's all good.

One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognize the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

• Cars must display their registration number at the front and rear, even if legislation in the jurisdiction of registration does not require a front vehicle registration plate on cars. Motorcycles need to display their registration number only at the rear. Registration numbers must be composed either of numerals or of numerals and letters. They must be displayed in capital Latin characters and Arabic numerals. In addition to this, the registration number may optionally be displayed in a different alphabet.

• A distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate or may be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

• The physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that the letters shall be in black on a white background having the shape of an ellipse with the major axis horizontal. The distinguishing sign should not be affixed in such a way that it could be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility.

• When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organization to which the country belongs. The distinguishing sign should be displayed on the far left or far right on the registration plate. When a symbol/flag/emblem is also displayed, the distinguishing sign shall obligatorily be placed on the far left on the plate. The distinguishing sign shall be positioned to be easily identifiable and so that it cannot be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility. The distinguishing sign shall therefore be at least a different color from the registration number, or have a different background color to that reserved for the registration number, or be clearly separated from the registration number, preferably with a line.[4][5]

• The vehicle must meet all technical requirements to be legal for road use in the country of registration. Any conflicting technical requirements (e.g., right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive) in the signatory country where the vehicle is being driven do not apply.

• The driver must carry the vehicle's registration certificate, and if the vehicle is not registered in the name of an occupant of the vehicle (e.g., a hire car), proof of the driver's right to be in possession of the vehicle.

The convention also addresses minimum mechanical and safety equipment needed to be on board and defines an identification mark (Annex 4) to identify the origin of the vehicle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Traffic 

So, as long as it is legal in Ukraine - all good.

CKhalvashi

yessuz said:

DanDare999 said:

yessuz said:

MX5huggy said:

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

maybe not compulsory winter tyres, but in some countries (including Nordics) it is illegal to drive a car with summer tyres during winter periods (usually 1st November - 1 April). You CAN drive with demi-season (special marking, including M+S might be required). and it is illegal to drive studded tyres outside these months.

3mm is actually for winter tyres, 1.6 for summer.

if tint is factory fitted, I think he can escape it, in general. but yes, his car should be road worthy in order to participate in traffic.

Why? The legislation is quite clear 70% of the light should pass whoever tinted the windows. 

because cars are certified for the markets. no manufacturer will make factory fitted illegal options (I presume). And even if it is not really legal in UK, as per Vienna convention - it's all good.

One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognize the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

• Cars must display their registration number at the front and rear, even if legislation in the jurisdiction of registration does not require a front vehicle registration plate on cars. Motorcycles need to display their registration number only at the rear. Registration numbers must be composed either of numerals or of numerals and letters. They must be displayed in capital Latin characters and Arabic numerals. In addition to this, the registration number may optionally be displayed in a different alphabet.

• A distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate or may be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

• The physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that the letters shall be in black on a white background having the shape of an ellipse with the major axis horizontal. The distinguishing sign should not be affixed in such a way that it could be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility.

• When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organization to which the country belongs. The distinguishing sign should be displayed on the far left or far right on the registration plate. When a symbol/flag/emblem is also displayed, the distinguishing sign shall obligatorily be placed on the far left on the plate. The distinguishing sign shall be positioned to be easily identifiable and so that it cannot be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility. The distinguishing sign shall therefore be at least a different color from the registration number, or have a different background color to that reserved for the registration number, or be clearly separated from the registration number, preferably with a line.[4][5]

• The vehicle must meet all technical requirements to be legal for road use in the country of registration. Any conflicting technical requirements (e.g., right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive) in the signatory country where the vehicle is being driven do not apply.

• The driver must carry the vehicle's registration certificate, and if the vehicle is not registered in the name of an occupant of the vehicle (e.g., a hire car), proof of the driver's right to be in possession of the vehicle.

The convention also addresses minimum mechanical and safety equipment needed to be on board and defines an identification mark (Annex 4) to identify the origin of the vehicle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Traffic 

So, as long as it is legal in Ukraine - all good.

Without checking, I think everything is good.

Definitely heavily tinted windows are very common in Ukraine.

Ukraine only uses the Cyrillic letters that meet Latin characters since 1995, so this shouldn't be an issue (although older plates are still in circulation and from what I've seen are currently tolerated by neighbouring countries, I doubt this would include the UK).

I also assume the owner has the registration card (it's like a credit card), so again this shouldn't be a problem.

Looks like there's nothing to worry about.

DanDare999

yessuz said:

DanDare999 said:

yessuz said:

MX5huggy said:

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

maybe not compulsory winter tyres, but in some countries (including Nordics) it is illegal to drive a car with summer tyres during winter periods (usually 1st November - 1 April). You CAN drive with demi-season (special marking, including M+S might be required). and it is illegal to drive studded tyres outside these months.

3mm is actually for winter tyres, 1.6 for summer.

if tint is factory fitted, I think he can escape it, in general. but yes, his car should be road worthy in order to participate in traffic.

Why? The legislation is quite clear 70% of the light should pass whoever tinted the windows. 

because cars are certified for the markets. no manufacturer will make factory fitted illegal options (I presume). And even if it is not really legal in UK, as per Vienna convention - it's all good.

One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognize the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

• Cars must display their registration number at the front and rear, even if legislation in the jurisdiction of registration does not require a front vehicle registration plate on cars. Motorcycles need to display their registration number only at the rear. Registration numbers must be composed either of numerals or of numerals and letters. They must be displayed in capital Latin characters and Arabic numerals. In addition to this, the registration number may optionally be displayed in a different alphabet.

• A distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate or may be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

• The physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that the letters shall be in black on a white background having the shape of an ellipse with the major axis horizontal. The distinguishing sign should not be affixed in such a way that it could be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility.

• When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organization to which the country belongs. The distinguishing sign should be displayed on the far left or far right on the registration plate. When a symbol/flag/emblem is also displayed, the distinguishing sign shall obligatorily be placed on the far left on the plate. The distinguishing sign shall be positioned to be easily identifiable and so that it cannot be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility. The distinguishing sign shall therefore be at least a different color from the registration number, or have a different background color to that reserved for the registration number, or be clearly separated from the registration number, preferably with a line.[4][5]

• The vehicle must meet all technical requirements to be legal for road use in the country of registration. Any conflicting technical requirements (e.g., right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive) in the signatory country where the vehicle is being driven do not apply.

• The driver must carry the vehicle's registration certificate, and if the vehicle is not registered in the name of an occupant of the vehicle (e.g., a hire car), proof of the driver's right to be in possession of the vehicle.

The convention also addresses minimum mechanical and safety equipment needed to be on board and defines an identification mark (Annex 4) to identify the origin of the vehicle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Traffic 

So, as long as it is legal in Ukraine - all good.

Can you show us where it over rules Con and Use Regs?

Car_54

DanDare999 said:

yessuz said:

DanDare999 said:

yessuz said:

MX5huggy said:

I was trying to think of an equivalent situation, I believed Germany require 3mm of tyre depth, but it seams (or is seems, iPhone won’t help here or is hear oh crikey loosing the thread of this now) this has not been the case since possibly 1.6mm was harmonised across the EU. Compulsory winter tyres in some countries maybe an equivalent (interestingly my Ukrainian friend is running winter tyres). 

maybe not compulsory winter tyres, but in some countries (including Nordics) it is illegal to drive a car with summer tyres during winter periods (usually 1st November - 1 April). You CAN drive with demi-season (special marking, including M+S might be required). and it is illegal to drive studded tyres outside these months.

3mm is actually for winter tyres, 1.6 for summer.

if tint is factory fitted, I think he can escape it, in general. but yes, his car should be road worthy in order to participate in traffic.

Why? The legislation is quite clear 70% of the light should pass whoever tinted the windows. 

because cars are certified for the markets. no manufacturer will make factory fitted illegal options (I presume). And even if it is not really legal in UK, as per Vienna convention - it's all good.

One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognize the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

• Cars must display their registration number at the front and rear, even if legislation in the jurisdiction of registration does not require a front vehicle registration plate on cars. Motorcycles need to display their registration number only at the rear. Registration numbers must be composed either of numerals or of numerals and letters. They must be displayed in capital Latin characters and Arabic numerals. In addition to this, the registration number may optionally be displayed in a different alphabet.

• A distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate or may be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

• The physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that the letters shall be in black on a white background having the shape of an ellipse with the major axis horizontal. The distinguishing sign should not be affixed in such a way that it could be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility.

• When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organization to which the country belongs. The distinguishing sign should be displayed on the far left or far right on the registration plate. When a symbol/flag/emblem is also displayed, the distinguishing sign shall obligatorily be placed on the far left on the plate. The distinguishing sign shall be positioned to be easily identifiable and so that it cannot be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility. The distinguishing sign shall therefore be at least a different color from the registration number, or have a different background color to that reserved for the registration number, or be clearly separated from the registration number, preferably with a line.[4][5]

• The vehicle must meet all technical requirements to be legal for road use in the country of registration. Any conflicting technical requirements (e.g., right-hand-drive or left-hand-drive) in the signatory country where the vehicle is being driven do not apply.

• The driver must carry the vehicle's registration certificate, and if the vehicle is not registered in the name of an occupant of the vehicle (e.g., a hire car), proof of the driver's right to be in possession of the vehicle.

The convention also addresses minimum mechanical and safety equipment needed to be on board and defines an identification mark (Annex 4) to identify the origin of the vehicle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Traffic 

So, as long as it is legal in Ukraine - all good.

Can you show us where it over rules Con and Use Regs?

Don't be silly. If it's on Wikipedia it must be true ....