So ive just been pulled over and issued a formal warning for having a tinted visor. The cop was a complete asshole, checked everything and he couldnt say anything
When he stopped me first thing he told me he will get me done for being insured as 2nd driver when im main driver which he failed as im the only rider on my policy and then checked everything even my brake pads and then noticed my tinted visor and started going mad that i will kill someone cause i cant see a thing.
Perhaps he was on his periods
Do i need to tell my insurance about the warning or not?
He was being very âOTTâ, A tinted visor is not illegal as new lids now come with a sun visor that drops down from the lid, It is however âIllegalâ to wear one during hours of Darkness, i had my irridium tinted visor on during my Bike safe course and i was riding with about 6 Coppers!!! not one said a word, I have been stopped numerous times in my Biking âCareerâ and never have they mentioned my Visor, i do however always carry my clear one in a visor bag if i think i may be out at a time when the daylight starts to fade and i could get cought out with my tinted visor. But that is mainly for my safety as it is very hard to see with one on when it gets darker!
Thatâs ridiculous! âwearing a tinted visor is no different to wearing sunglassesâ : said the policeman on the bike safe course. Especially on a day like today when it is sunny and there is glare from the wet roads. Obviously just out to get a biker. Having family that are coppers and knowing a few others it really fÂŁÂŁks me off that these guy go round giving all their colleagues a bad name.
Donât think you have to tell your insurance as it wonât show up on the dvla database.
As far as I can see you havenât done anything wrong.
I take it you gave your details?
If so, I would perhaps consider persuing the matter as if their was a minor infraction next time, this incident may be taken into account, unfairly so.
Well, being tinted doesnât make it illegal, no. But the law specifies a maximum amount of tint, and that if itâs tinted enough that it is not allowed to be used at night it must somewhere say so. Most usefully tinted visors are illegally dark, and many donât say theyâre for daytime use only.
Meh, you always get some jobsworths⌠and always some prat who has a beef against a youngster/ scotterist/ offroader and will try anything to make something stick.
However, wearing a tinted visor is technically illegal (particularly as most tinted visors are over the tint limit); the fact that the law does not provide clarity or common sense, does not make it legal.
On the flipside, to say that because of this you will kill someone is pointless. Coppers like that need a serious slap over the head for being idiotic twerps. He should be trying to educate you and making ridiculous comments like that means you can never take him seriously.
Move on and forget all about it⌠not sure this is something insurance needs to know as you werenât convicted on sth but my legal knowledge is limited
Yes, thatâs why I said itâs âillegalâ to wear one during hours of darkness.
All OEM tinted visors (regardless of level of tint) state âdaytime use onlyâ itâs the cheap aftermarket ones that donât have it on them. Iâve got a light smoke OEM Arai visor that is stamped and I could wear when it is getting dark and a cheap iridium one for the same lid that isnât stamped and I wouldnât dream of wearing it when itâs starting to loose light outside as it is impossible to see with it on. I wore it for my photoshoot and as it was pitch black out I couldnât even see my hands on the handlebars!!
Yeah, Iâm not arguing with that. Itâs just that thereâs also a good number for sale that are illegal also in daylight, this one, for example. Tinted visors arenât even nearly legal by default, since the legal maximum tint isnât really very useful.
dont worry Arthur, as soon as they spot a young fella on L plate they like to impose their âauthorithaâ so they think they would scare the **** out of you from the beginning.
I was pulled over because he said that my brake light told him and when i politley told him âsir i was using engine braking hence why the brake light wasnt onâ and thatswhen he turned into a little tithead. My tinted visor aint a cheap one (ÂŁ40 + ÂŁ35 for pinlock) and it does say on it daytime use only. What shocked me the most is that he pretty much threatened me that im propably insured as 2nd rider although he was wrong
As long as i dont have to tell my insurance im happy
I just spoke to a ex copper at high beech tea hut and he pretty much told me that the guy was just being a ****** and wanted to get me done for something and apparently quite a lot of new coppers do that.
By the way there still is nice coppers out there like the ones that helped me after my accident.
Thanks for the advice everyone
I suppose L plates played a massive role in this. I get bullied quite a lot on the road now until i catch up with them and shout at them while they realise how big iam good laugh quite often seeing someones face expression changeso quickly
Maybe with built in helmet sun visors, you can flick them off and still be shielded from wind, rain and flies⌠With a tinted one, thatâs it - all or nothing. Try going through the Blackwall Tunnel with a tinted visor and the visibility drops dramatically. From an insurance perspective, if you have an accident and youâre caught with a tinted visor, it wonât go down well in your favour either.
Coming to think about it, I mustâve been stopped for everything else, but never ever actually been done for a tinted visor⌠I usually just pull out my spare clear one, to show that itâs okay to have a tinted visor sinnce I can switch over.
Maybe if you carry a spare clear one youâll be okay in the future?
A warning is a warning - if thereâs no points on it, it wonât be registered. I got pulled over by a copper who demanded proof of my age to show I was 18 years old. I was a bit affronted by his rudeness and told him I was old enough to be his father, only abortions were preferable. Boy that didnât go down well for either of us. We spent a mudslinging match with him and his team checking me everything possible for a fault. I regretted being so rude and just wanted to apologise and tell him I was sorry for being so rude, but it was so far gone. He just threw my licence back in my face and stormed off at the end. Thatâs why I carry a clear visor just in case (as well as the pop-in exhaust cans to deaden the noise lol).
Was it dark? By that I donât just mean was it night â was it very overcast or otherwise dark such that visibility was lower than normal daytime? Or, was your visor tinted to more than allowed and was this tested with a tintman machine? If not, Iâd complain.
By âformal warningâ do you mean you received and agreed to a âpolice cautionâ? If so, and you agreed to it, theyâre very hard to challenge. Theyâre not a criminal record, but they can affect your future employment prospects. For example, if you ever plan to work with children or vulnerable adults, work in law, health care, pharmacy, senior management in certain sectors, or anywhere that national security is a concern, youâll have to declare the caution (and if you donât they can find out). If you honestly donât think you were doing wrong, I would suggest you seek legal advice.
He probably got a formal warning because the cop was sympathetic (to a small extent) and realised that by endorsing points on his L plate licence, that would be his riding future screwed before his 18th birthday. A formal warning usually means, the warning stays on record for the year (or is it 5 years?), and as long as no offence is committed before the year is out, then the warning/caution expires.
The rest of us are probably too old to get a formal warning - itâs usually just points + fine, or a welcome challenge to attend court, and then receive the points + fine.
Forgot to mention, i always have my clear visor on me, i switch it over even if it rains. I didnt agree to anything he just said i will issue you with a formal warning and thatwas it.