'Dangerously defective': Motorists warned as gardai stop and seize car on busy motorway

Motorists are being warned of the dangers of driving with tinted windows which breach road safety guidelines.

Gardaí have highlighted the latest incident of a vehicle which was found to have excessively tinted windows. In a post on social media, they say the detection was made on the M8 motorway near Rathcormac in Cork. 

Upon using the tint meter, a device that measures the amount of light that passes through a window, the reading was found to be 47%. 

According to the Road Safety Authority, a vehicle’s windscreen and front side windows must have a light transmission or transparency level of at least 65%. 

READ MORE: 'Disgraceful'- Penneys is planning to cut up to 100 jobs in Dublin head office

The regulations were introduced to ensure the the safety of drivers, their occupants and pedestrians as visibility through dark tinted windows is greatly reduced, particularly at night-time or at times of low light and this may prevent drivers from seeing other road users or pedestrians.

According to gardai, the red Volkswagen Bora which was stopped on the M8 was also found to have a 'non-conforming' registration plate and did not have motor tax. 

The driver, who was not insured, also failed a roadside drug test and a quantity of cannabis was found inside the car. 

Commenting on this incident, a garda spokesperson confirmed the vehicle was "dangerously defective" and was seized.