Why You Shouldn’t Drive A Car With Mirror Windshield Tint At Night

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A car windshield performs many functions. It stops you from swallowing bugs, it means you don’t need to wear some kind of driving helmet, and it prevents you from getting hurled into the road if you get hit. But the most important thing it does is enable you to look through it. Any windshield that’s difficult to see out of is basically failing its primary function.

That’s why you need to think twice about covering your windshield with mirror tint. Sure, it may look cool if you’re going for that futuristic action movie vibe, but it’s downright dangerous at nighttime. It’s also illegal in every single state. Certain states may have a more permissive attitude when it comes to applying mirror tint to your side, rear, and roof windows, but across the USA, reflective tints on a windscreen are a no-go.

Mirror tints work when the outside of the car is brighter than the inside of the car. If it’s dark outside your car, then your fancy mirror tint technology is going to turn against you and show your face’s reflection rather than the road you’re driving on. Mirror tints on side and rear mirrors can also present safety issues because you need to be able to see out of those, too, if you’re driving safely. The sunroof’s fine, though. You don’t need to be looking in that direction.

What’s appealing about mirror windshield tint and how are tints measured?

Dark tinted film on siver car's windows reflecting the sky, beach and a wooden bench.

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Given the risks, why is mirror tinting an attractive option for some drivers? Apart from the aesthetic appeal, mirror tints can keep your car cool. The tint reflects the sun, so it can stop your car interior from getting too hot without having to rely on your air conditioning to do all the work. It also minimizes glare from the sun and blocks harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Tints are defined by VLT (Visible Light Transmission), which measures the percentage of how much light gets through. 0% means no light penetrates, while 100% means all light penetrates. The lower the number, the darker the tint. The Car Tint Law website has a useful slider that shows what different levels of tinting look like. Toggle on the background image to get the full effect.

A car window tint of 70% will still block UV rays and remove some glare, but it will be barely noticeable to look at. Mirror tints use much lower percentages of light transmission. A mirror tint with 70% light transmission would only have a faint reflective sheen. To achieve a strong mirrored effect, almost like a chrome surface, you would need a 5-15% VLT. With 20-35% VLT, you’d get a moderate mirror effect, which is noticeably reflective but not fully opaque. Dark windshield tints are problematic for several reasons. They’re unsafe, and they are illegal.

Driving a car with mirror windshield tint at night is dangerous

Close up of man hand on car steering wheel driving through a tunnel

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Mirror tint relies on light differentials. During the day, when the sunlight outside is significantly brighter than the interior of the vehicle, the film reflects external light, creating a mirrored effect. This prevents people from seeing inside while still allowing the driver to see out. However, at night, this dynamic shifts. The interior of a car is often brighter than the outside due to dashboard lights or interior lighting. This causes the reflective surface to mirror the car’s interior back at the driver, significantly reducing outward visibility.

You may struggle to see pedestrians, road signs, lane markings, and other vehicles. This can be particularly dangerous in poorly lit areas or during bad weather conditions. The National Safety Council reports that while only 25% of driving occurs at night, it accounts for about 50% of traffic deaths, highlighting the inherent dangers of nighttime driving. Impaired visibility caused by mirror tint could exacerbate this already significant risk.

Driving a car with mirror windshield tint at night (or any time) is illegal

Sheriff standing outside a car writing on a clipboard. The wing mirror and interior of car are visible.

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Driving a car with mirror tint on the front windshield is illegal in every U.S. state. Most states ban any kind of windshield tint below the top few inches, specifying that the tint needs to be a maximum of 3 to 6 inches or in accordance with the AS1 line. All state laws stipulate that this needs to be a non-reflective tint. The only states that allow any kind of tinted windshields are Iowa, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, which all permit 70% VLT non-metallic or reflective tints. Mirrored tints on cars are generally not popular with law enforcement agencies. Dark tints mean that police officers can’t see what is happening inside a car. West Point Police Officer Robert Wilson told WCBI TV“It’s not safe for us officers to approach a vehicle where you are not able to see what’s going on inside.”

We’re only concerned with front windshields in this article, but if you want to have your back windshield or side windows tinted, the laws can be more lenient but vary from state to state. Some states are very strict on window tints, while others are rather more laid back. Tinting your front windshield certainly needs to be avoided, though. Not only is it dangerous and illegal, it could wind up being expensive.