Opinion: Illegal Window Tint Puts Pedestrians at Risk

Walk through Fitler Square on any given day and you’ll see it immediately: cars with windows so dark you can’t tell who is behind the wheel, or whether they see you at all.

What feels like a minor violation has become a real safety hazard, one that Pennsylvania lawmakers now have a chance to address.

House Bill 1142 would require window tint compliance to be checked during Pennsylvania’s annual vehicle safety inspection. It is a modest change, but one that could have an outsized impact on pedestrian safety in dense neighborhoods like ours.

When Eye Contact Disappears

In a city built on narrow streets, crosswalks depend on a simple exchange. A driver looks up. A pedestrian looks back. Both understand what is about to happen. Illegal window tint breaks that contract.

When a windshield or front windows are too dark, pedestrians cannot see if a driver is yielding, distracted, or even aware of their presence. That moment of uncertainty is not abstract. It is the split second that determines whether someone steps forward or hesitates, whether a cyclist proceeds or slams on the brakes. In neighborhoods with heavy foot traffic, eye contact is a safety tool. Illegal tinting takes it away.

Real Crashes, Real Consequences

The danger here is not a theoretical. In July 2023, Tamarah Savage, a 35 year old mother of two, was struck and killed in a hit and run while crossing North Broad Street. Police said the fleeing vehicle had dark, illegal window tint.

In September 2025, Kelvin Williams, 57, was driving to work on Roosevelt Boulevard when an out of control SUV with heavily tinted windows and a tinted license plate cover slammed into his truck. Williams was ejected and killed. Two passengers were injured. The illegal tint made the vehicle harder to identify as the driver fled.

Two months later, in University City near Drexel University, Meaza Brown, 48, was fatally struck in a crosswalk by a speeding Chrysler 300. Investigators noted that the front and side windows were illegally tinted, reducing visibility at a busy intersection and obscuring the driver’s ability to see, and be seen by, pedestrians.

According to Miguel Torres of the Philadelphia Police Department, each of these incidents is still active and ongoing with Crash Investigation Division. No arrests have been made.

A Simple, Sensible Fix

Under current law, enforcement of window tint violations relies almost entirely on traffic stops. Police officers have many higher priority responsibilities, and tint enforcement understandably falls low on the list.

Meanwhile, because tint is not part of the annual inspection process, vehicles with clearly illegal windows continue to circulate without consequence.

House Bill 1142 offers a straightforward solution. During a routine safety inspection, mechanics would take a quick reading with a tint meter. Vehicles that violate existing sun screening regulations would fail until corrected. No new enforcement system. No additional burden on police.

The bill also includes a consumer protection measure requiring tint installers to inform customers when an installation would make a vehicle illegal. That clarity helps drivers comply with the law and reduces unintentional violations.

Why It Matters Here

Fitler Square residents experience this threat daily, crossing near the park, walking children to school, or threading through traffic on South Street. In each case, safety hinges on a simple exchange: drivers must see pedestrians, and pedestrians must be able to see drivers.

House Bill 1142 would not change the law. It would simply enforce the one already on the books in a consistent, efficient way. That small change could prevent crashes, reduce hit and runs, and restore a basic level of trust between drivers and everyone else who uses our streets.

State representatives should support the bill and work to move it forward.

If you live in Fitler Square or Rittenhouse, your representative in the State House is Ben Waxman. You can write him a message here encouraging him to advocate for House Bill 1142.

If you live outside these two neighborhoods, use this online tool to look up and contact your elected officials and press for the bill’s passage.

The cost is low, the benefit is clear, and for pedestrians across the state, including in Fitler Square, it would make a real difference.

David Aragon is a Fitler Square resident and the publisher of The Fitler Focus.