HB3325eng 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB3325 Engrossed LRB096 05916 AJT 15997 b

AN ACT concerning transportation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. The purpose of this Act is to allow drivers or passengers of motor vehicles to protect themselves from skin cancer, while at the same time to protect the environment from the harmful emissions created by the excessive and unnecessary use of vehicle air-conditioning systems.

Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by changing Section 12-503 as follows:

(625 ILCS 5/12-503) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-503)

Sec. 12-503. Windshields must be unobstructed and equipped with wipers.

(a) No person shall drive a motor vehicle with any sign, poster, window application, reflective material, nonreflective material or tinted film upon the front windshield, sidewings or side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver, except as provided in this subsection and subsections (a-5), (a-7), and (a-9) of this Section. A nonreflective tinted film may be used along the uppermost portion of the windshield if such material does not extend more than 6 inches down from the top of the windshield. Nothing in this Section shall create a cause of action on behalf of a buyer against a dealer or manufacturer who sells a motor vehicle with a window which is in violation of this Section.

(a-5) A nonreflective tinted film that does not allow less than 50% light transmittance, with a 5% variance observed by any law enforcement official metering the light transmittance, may be used on the side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver. This subsection does not apply to the front windshield. This subsection does not apply to any motor vehicle, except as provided for in subsection (a-9) of this Section, that has one or more windows to the rear of the driver's seat treated in a manner described by subsection (b) of this Section that allows less than 30% light transmittance.

(a-7) A nonreflective tinted film that does not allow less than 35% light transmittance, with a 5% variance observed by any law enforcement official metering the light transmittance, may be used on the side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver. This subsection does not apply to the front windshield. This subsection does not apply to any motor vehicle that has one or more windows to the rear of the driver's seat treated in a manner described by subsection (b) of this Section that allows less than 35% light transmittance.

(a-9) A nonreflective tinted film that does not allow less than 50% light transmittance, with a 5% variance observed by any law enforcement official metering the light transmittance, may be used on the side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver in any multipurpose passenger vehicle, as defined by Section 1-148.3b of this Code. This Section does not apply to any multipurpose passenger vehicle which has tinting other than the tinting originally applied by the manufacturer.

(b) Nothing contained in this Section shall prohibit the use of nonreflective, smoked or tinted glass, nonreflective film, perforated window screen or other decorative window application on windows to the rear of the driver's seat, except that any motor vehicle with a window to the rear of the driver's seat treated in this manner shall be equipped with a side mirror on each side of the motor vehicle which are in conformance with Section 12-502.

(c) No person shall drive a motor vehicle with any objects placed or suspended between the driver and the front windshield, rear window, side wings or side windows immediately adjacent to each side of the driver which materially obstructs the driver's view.

(d) Every motor vehicle, except motorcycles, shall be equipped with a device, controlled by the driver, for cleaning rain, snow, moisture or other obstructions from the windshield; and no person shall drive a motor vehicle with snow, ice, moisture or other material on any of the windows or mirrors, which materially obstructs the driver's clear view of the highway.

(e) No person shall drive a motor vehicle when the windshield, side or rear windows are in such defective condition or repair as to materially impair the driver's view to the front, side or rear. A vehicle equipped with a side mirror on each side of the vehicle which are in conformance with Section 12-502 will be deemed to be in compliance in the event the rear window of the vehicle is materially obscured.

(f) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section shall not apply to:

(1) (Blank). motor vehicles manufactured prior to January 1, 1982; or

(2) to those motor vehicles properly registered in another jurisdiction.

(g) Paragraph (a) of this Section shall not apply to any motor vehicle with a window treatment, including but not limited to a window application, reflective material, nonreflective material, or tinted film, applied or affixed to a motor vehicle that:

(1) is owned and operated by a person afflicted with or suffering from a medical illness, ailment, or disease, including but not limited to systemic or discoid lupus erythematosus, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, or albinism, which would require that person to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun; or

(2) is used in transporting a person when the person resides at the same address as the registered owner of the vehicle and the person is afflicted with or suffering from a medical illness, ailment or disease which would require the person to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun, including but not limited to systemic or discoid lupus erythematosus, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, or albinism.

The owner must obtain a certified statement or letter written by a physician licensed to practice medicine in Illinois that such person owning and operating or being transported in a motor vehicle is afflicted with or suffers from such illness, ailment, or disease, including but not limited to systemic or discoid lupus erythematosus, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, or albinism, and such certification must be carried in the motor vehicle at all times. The certification shall be legible and shall contain the date of issuance, the name, address and signature of the attending physician, and the name, address, and medical condition of the person requiring exemption. The information on the certificate for a window treatment must remain current and shall be renewed annually by the attending physician. The owner shall also submit a copy of the certification to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may forward notice of certification to law enforcement agencies.

(g-3) Paragraph (a) of this Section shall not apply to any motor vehicle with a window treatment, including but not limited to a window application, nonreflective material, or tinted film, applied or affixed to a motor vehicle displaying a distinctive license plates or license plate stickers authorized under subsection (k) of Section 3-412 of this Code.

(g-5) (Blank).

(g-7) An installer who installs window treatment for a person with a medical condition described in subsection (g) must obtain a copy of the certified statement or letter written by a physician described in subsection (g) from the person with the medical condition prior to installing the window treatment. The copy of the certified statement or letter must be kept in the installer's permanent records.

(h) Paragraph (a) of this Section shall not apply to motor vehicle stickers or other certificates issued by State or local authorities which are required to be displayed upon motor vehicle windows to evidence compliance with requirements concerning motor vehicles.

(i) (Blank). Those motor vehicles exempted under paragraph (f)(1) of this Section shall not cause their windows to be treated as described in paragraph (a) after January 1, 1993.

(j) A person found guilty of violating paragraphs (a), (b), or (g-7) (i) of this Section shall be guilty of a petty offense and fined no less than $50 nor more than $500. A second or subsequent violation of paragraphs (a), (b), or (g-7) (i) of this Section shall be treated as a Class C misdemeanor and the violator fined no less than $100 nor more than $500. Any person convicted under paragraphs (a), (b), or (g-7) (i) of this Section shall be ordered to alter any nonconforming windows into compliance with this Section.

(k) Nothing in this Section shall create a cause of action on behalf of a buyer against a dealer or manufacturer who sells a motor vehicle with a window which is in violation of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 94-564, eff. 8-12-05; 95-202, eff. 8-16-07.)