admin
Motorists could fail their MOT test for installing a simple car upgrade to protect themselves from the sun this summer.
Fitting a sunstrip on car windscreens could help reduce glare from the sun, protecting motorists’ eyes in the hot weather as temperatures rise.
Sunstrips are a narrow piece of tinted or opaque film applied to the top of the car’s windscreen and can be a popular cosmetic upgrade.
However, car mechanic Craig from Walsall Wood Tyre and Service has warned the simple summer tool could lead to a “hornets nest of trouble”.
He confirmed mechanics have to check sunstrips as part of the annual MOT exam while police officers could also start sniffing around vehicles with the upgrade in place.
Speaking on TikTok, Craig explained: “Sunstrips. Absolute hornets nest of trouble. Straightaway we can see here on this particular vehicle this is a large sun strip.
“Now the rule that the police are enforcing is if that sun strip is encroaching into the swept area by more than 10mm, then they consider it unsuitable.
“From the MOT regulations, we have to assess is that physically affecting the driver’s view of the road or is it only stopping him looking at the clouds in the sky.
“So it’s a very very grey area that one. But technically from the police’s perspective, they can do you for it.
“So I would strongly suggest that if it’s more than 10mm in the swept area, get some smaller wipers.”
According to vehicle specialist Polyward, car sunstrips have to be placed at least 10mm higher than the swept area of the windscreen wipers.
This rule is in place to ensure that the sunstrip does not interfere with the functioning of the wipers.
A sunstrip may impact the wipers ability to clear water and maintain visibility in periods of inclement weather.
According to the MOT regulations, sunstrips should not be placed inside a driver’s field of view.
The sunstrip is also not allowed to significantly affect their view in front or to the sides outside the swept area.
Polyward warned that failing to follow the rules could dramatically backfire with various consequences likely to hit road users.
They commented: “If your sunstrip does not meet the necessary regulations during the MOT test, your vehicle may fail the inspection. This means you must rectify the issue before obtaining a valid MOT certificate.
“Driving a vehicle with non-compliant sunstrips in the UK can result in fines and penalties.
“This is probably quite rare, but the police can ask you to remove it if they think it is causing an issue by being more than 10mm within the swept area of the windshield.”
