JEDDAH, 16 September 2004 — Cars will not be allowed to have windows with shaded glass of any type under a new law that is about to be announced by the department of public security, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
The decision is to completely prohibit tinted glass of all levels of shade. Prince Muhammad ibn Naif, assistant minister of interior for security affairs, directed the head of public security, Lt. Gen. Saeed Al-Qahtani, to take appropriate measures to enforce the new law.
Al-Watan said owners of cars with tinted glasses would be given two weeks to get rid of the shade before the law is fully enforced. The decision came after a study showed that glass shade was being misused for criminal purposes.
This new decision overrides the old ruling, which was issued years ago to allow glass shade under specific guidelines on the back windows and not the windows of the driver and passenger seats.
Reactions to the new law differed between young and old drivers. Abu Ahmad, a van owner, told Arab News, “This decision came at the right time because of what the country is going through these days in the face of terrorist attacks. This will close the door on criminals and terrorists to escape police by hiding inside shaded cars.
“As for my car it came with shaded glass from the manufacturer; I did not fix it here. If the decision is enforced, how can police provide family cars protection from teenagers and harassers? I hope police will make exceptions to family cars and give special permits to shade their back windows.”
Mazin M, 27, said, “This decision is both good and bad. It is good because it would limit the movements of criminals. It is bad for me because I paid last month over SR2,000 to install V-cool shaded glass, which provide cool air inside the car and protect the inside from heat. I do not know if they will allow us to have the V-cool or the new law would ban it. The heat in Jeddah is unbearable and I am using the V-cool to beat the heat. Besides, police can see what is inside the car because the shade is very light.”
Ibraheem Mukhtar, a teenager, said, “I think the decision is unfair. If they knew shaded glasses would be problematic, then why was it approved in the first place? Why this decision when most people shaded their windows to protect their family and children from the heat or from harassment. This is the second time it was approved and then banned. I think it only benefits workshops which have the best of both worlds. Now I have to take the shade off all our three cars. It costs us money to put the tint on and it will cost us money to take it off. Who benefit from all this? Definitely it is not us.”
The decision to allow glass shade in cars came after many families complained of harassment from Saudi youngsters.
