Tinted glass may blow off car’s insurance cover

If your vehicle uses tinted glass, you may soon not be able to claim insurance for it in case of an accident.

If your vehicle uses tinted glass, you may soon not be able to claim insurance for it in case of an accident.

HT Image

The Union road ministry has written to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, asking it to debar owners from claiming insurance for vehicles whose windows and windscreens are darker than permitted.

As per the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989, the windscreen and rear window of a vehicle should have 70% visual light transmission. For side windows, it should be at least 50%.

“The ministry has asked the IRDA to include the use of tinted glass or solar films as a violation of the conditions of warranty in the insurance policy,” said a senior ministry official.

The ministry decided to act tough after it realised that a mere crackdown by the traffic police on such vehicles— in the wake of the December 16 gang rape of a girl in a bus with tinted glass windows in Delhi—is not proving to be an effective deterrent.

The road ministry has also written to chief secretaries of states across India to enforce the rule strictly. “The registration of vehicles that violate the tinted-glass rule repeatedly should be cancelled,” said an official.

“In April last year, the Supreme Court ordered a complete ban on the use of tinted plastic films and set a May deadline. Despite this, such vehicles are still moving around with impunity. Merely imposing a fine has not had the desired result,” said the official.

Road minister CP Joshi is also pushing for the early passage of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill, which has been pending in the Lok Sabha for about a year. In the amended bill, penalties for various traffic violations—including driving in vehicles with tinted glass — have been enhanced.