ABU DHABI // Tens of thousands of motorists are driving cars with windows tinted dangerously beyond the legal limit, an investigation by The National has found.
Shops throughout the capital offer to fit tinted sheets that reduce driver visibility by as much as 70 per cent. The legal maximum opacity is 30 per cent.
Car windows are darkened with adhesive plastic film, which keeps the vehicle cooler and makes the occupants less visible to passers-by.
According to documents published by Abu Dhabi police in March last year, drivers caught with windows darker than 30 per cent can be fined a maximum of Dh500 and have their vehicles impounded for up to 30 days.
But drivers and people in the industry say this has risen and now stands at Dh10,000.
Abu Dhabi Police were unable to resolve this confusion, despite repeated calls from The National.
The police were also unable to provide statistics on the number of people who had been fined or how many cars had been impounded.
Traders also reported that prominent people and diplomats could be exempted from the 30 per cent rule, although this could not be confirmed by the police.
Despite the penalties, drivers are still prepared to take the risk and drive around the capital with heavily blacked-out windows. Our investigation found traders routinely offering to install plastic sheeting at 50 or 70 per cent opacity.
To test the effect on visibility, we fitted a car with, in turn, 30, 50 and 70 per cent sheets.
While daylight driving was not seriously affected by any of the films, visibility after dark was severely curtailed and with the 50 per cent screen, any object not brightly lit was difficult to distinguish at more than around 30 metres.
Viewing anything more than 15 metres away through the 70 per cent film was difficult. The plastic transformed everything other than headlights and street lights into an impenetrable blackness.
Salespeople said many customers requested that their windows be darkened beyond the legal limit, despite the clear threat to road safety.
We visited several shops along the capital's busy Salam Street to investigate the prevalence of window tinting beyond the legal restriction.
All offered to fit tints that were illegal, with all but one shop informing the reporter that drivers risked being fined if they were caught with the darkened windows.
"It is illegal to drive with anything darker than 30 per cent but a lot of people come here and ask for 50 per cent or 70 per cent, so we have these tints too," said a salesman at one firm.
"It is mostly the local Emirati people who want their windows to be very dark. It is a very big fine but many people just ignore it.
"We get all kinds of people asking for darker windows. About 50 per cent of the cars that come through here want very dark windows."
Hamid Mahmood, a salesman who works at another garage, was the only trader not to tell our reporter that he risked a fine by having 50 per cent tint film fitted.
"We can fit 30 per cent or 50 per cent, but we do not do 70 per cent," he said.
"Seventy per cent is too dark. It is dangerous. You cannot see well, especially at night."
A salesman at a third shop said people who used darker windows were taking a risk, but it was not his responsibility to stop them.
"It is dangerous enough to drive on the roads here. You need to be able to see around you, to see other cars and people walking.
"Of all the cars that come here only about one in every 30 want to have 70 per cent.
"It is mostly locals. They want to have privacy. They ask for 70 on the windows on the side of the car and either 50 or 30 on the front and back.
"If people ask for very dark windows on the front or back, I try to make them take the lighter ones."
Cathy Keeler, the deputy chief executive of Brake, a British road safety lobby group, said: "It is vital that people follow the law in terms of window tinting.
"The effect of some of these dark windows is to make it harder to see hazards in the road, especially at night.
"It is like trying to drive while wearing sunglasses at night and you wouldn't do that.
"It would seem to me that prosecuting drivers but not the companies which fit the windows is a clear loophole in the law."
Norm Labbe, the managing director of the Emirates Institute for Health and Safety, said drivers often read each other's intentions through the eyes and this was lost if windows were darkened.
"As a driver, definitely [tinting] hinders your view.
"Where I find it is most dangerous, is at night.
"If you are a defensive driver you are always looking at your mirrors and looking at other cars moving around you because if they are going to change lanes, usually their eyes will declare their intentions before they put their signals on. If their windows are tinted, how do you know?"
Idriss Makdoud, an expert in vehicle window tinting and the chief executive of Sunprotech UAE, said that motorists who wanted to darken their windows should visit reputable dealers, otherwise they risked being sold film they believe to be 30 per cent tint but that could in fact be illegal.
He estimated that tens of thousands of motorists had illegal tints on their cars. "There are some bad operators out there.
"I have had customers coming in having been told that the film on their car is legal and in fact it is much too dark.
"They risk getting a big fine and there is a safety consideration too. If they are driving around with something like that, their visibility is going to be affected."
He said that modern ceramic films with almost no tinting could offer better heat reduction than much of the darkest plastic available at some of the capital's older workshops.
@Email:chamilton@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Matthew Chung and Hadeel al Sayegh
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
MO
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The%20specs
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
The%20specs
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Scream%20VI
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
More on animal trafficking
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Wonka
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Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
