This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A move to allow darker tinting on drivers' front car windows died Monday after the Utah Highway Patrol said it would put troopers at risk as they approach stopped vehicles but cannot see inside well.
Rep. David Butterfield, R-Logan, introduced HB71 to allow darker tint, decreasing how much light must go through a driver's front window from 43 percent to 28 percent. He said 33 states now allow darker tinting than Utah, including all of its neighboring states. He said several Utah State University students from Idaho have been ticketed for driving cars with darker tinting than is allowed in Utah.
But Highway Patrol Capt. Barton Blair said Utah officers have been slain while approaching cars with dark windows where they could not see guns being pulled. He said it is also important for all drivers at four-way stop signs to see one another's faces to see who is proceeding and stopping. He said the Highway Patrol wants no change in current law.
Butterfield said, however, that a change would put officers at no more risk than in the 33 other states that now allow darker tinting.
Cindy Kern of Orem also asked lawmakers to pass the bill, noting she has skin cancer only on the left side of her face because of driving with only lightly tinted windows required to pass state inspection. She is allergic to all sunscreens. However, Blair testified that people in her situation may obtain waivers from the Highway Patrol under current law to allow darker tinting with doctor's orders.
The committee declined to vote on the bill, and simply moved to the next item on the agenda.