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‘Ban on tint to address rise in auto accidents’
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Posted on Jul 26 2004
With statistics indicating a steady increase in auto-related accidents, Department of Public Safety commissioner Edward C. Camacho reiterated his push to ban tinting on vehicles in the CNMI.
Camacho said the ban is one way to address the rise of auto crashes, citing that the ban would provide higher visibility for vehicle operators.
“Many of the accidents are caused due to limited visibility,” he said during an interview. “[Banning of tint] is just one way of dealing with it. There are a lot of reasons that serve as causes for accidents that are beyond our control, like road conditions, but we will be working with the Department of Public Works on that.”
Earlier, Camacho said fully tinted vehicles present operators with a difficulty “to see, even with the headlights on.”
“[And] that gets worse once it starts to rain. The tint further limits visibility [and the move to ban it] is just to promote safety and go back to having visual contact and communication between vehicle operators,” he said.
He said a product is currently available on the market that “keeps heat out without darkening the windshield.”
“Put the tint chemical on the windshield and that will repel the heat, and the car will be as cool as if there’s no sun out.”
Further, the commissioner said he understands the use of tints for “law enforcement type operations.”
Statistics indicate that auto-related accidents in the CNMI escalated by 7.43 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, while the number of fatalities recorded have already matched the entire number posted last year.
The report indicate that a total of 1,662 auto-related crashes were reported between January and June this year—an increase of 115 cases compared to the same period last year, which posted 1,547 accidents.
The number is on pace to surpass last year’s total of 3,168 cases.
Also, the DPS recorded a total of seven deaths as a result of auto-related accidents, matching the number recorded for the entire 12-month period last year.
Further, a total of 3,168 accidents complaints were reported last year, an increase of 723 to that of 2002, which had 2,445 traffic related crashes.
