Dangerous trend of fitting front window curtains in cars

While sunshades offer some degree of visibility, curtains are opaque. One cannot see through them.

BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The Supreme Court of India banned the use of sun films in cars back in 2012. This was not a great move since most of India has hot weather and sees a strong sun throughout the day.

Ever since the ban was enforced, people have been coming up with various ways of keeping out the harsh sun from the cabins of their cars. In some cases, car manufacturers have provided some solutions. For instance, Tata, Skoda, and other manufacturers provide retractable sunshades for the rear windows.

BMW and other luxury carmakers equip their cars with retractable sunshades for the rear windshields as well. Maruti provides green UV cut glasses on the cars sold through the Nexa channel.

Then come the aftermarket fittings. We get magnetic sunshades and those with rubber suckers. People have applied these to both the rear windows and front windows of their cars. These have been around for many years. Now, the latest trend among car owners to block the sun is adding curtains in cars. This is an extremely effective way of keeping the sun out, but there is a downside - and it's a dangerous one.

While sunshades offer some degree of visibility, curtains are opaque. One cannot see through them. They affect all-round visibility while driving. Still, one might get away with installing curtains if they cover the rear windows only. However, many car owners install them at the front as well. Drawn curtains on the front windows are a recipe for disaster. They block the view out of the windows, making things dangerous while changing lanes or entering junctions and roundabouts, even if the ORVMs are not blocked.

Even with the curtains open, they are never really folded within the width of the pillars. In fact, they only add to the blind spot caused by the pillars.

Over the months, I have noticed an increase in the number of cars with such curtains. I have had a few close calls with such cars on the roads as their drivers' vision was hampered.

Coming to the law, the ban on sun films was enforced on account of rising crimes. It became difficult to catch criminals who hid themselves behind heavily tinted glasses. From that perspective, opaque curtains are far worse. The police (at least in Mumbai) do not seem to be bothered even when it's obvious that driving a car with such curtains is far more dangerous than driving one with sun film. There have been reports of the police cracking down on such curtains in the past from other parts of the country though. After all, anything that obstructs the view from inside of the car and also the view of the inside of the car is illegal.

In my opinion, we were much better off using sunfilms than curtains. Do share your thoughts.

Here's what BHPian ninjatalli had to say on the matter:

Fair concern but a few thoughts:

1. I have only noticed rear window shades/curtains/covers. The only place where I have seen double sets of curtains are government cars (ambassadors) and that too years ago.
2. The vehicles with dark tints had them on all windows including (thankfully a lower shade) for the front and rear glass frames. Still, see a few cars with dark tints; especially in rural setups. But significantly reduced.
3. A lot of drivers keep the side view mirrors closed. For a very long time, cars used to come with only one side view mirror (2nd one was to be purchased iirc). Many drivers don't know how to use the side-view mirrors efficiently.
4. On a similar note, I also find the rear mirrors blocked with stuff (e.g. a line of colourful "flags" that one gets in Himalayan areas or toys, etc.). What's the use of having a rear-view mirror, I'd say?

Honestly, I wouldn't stress too much about this. In the end, the driver can and will make mistakes irrespective of how his/her car is set up.

Here's what BHPian Reinhard had to say on the matter:

I'll be frank about this. I like to call a spade a spade. The Government authorities and the Judiciary - ARE STUPID. Period. There is no justification for this insane ban on sunfilms.
The criminals/criminals masquerading as leaders - are still running around freely with nearly 100% black dark films all around including front windshields. There is no way a criminal is going to stop crime due to this ban on films. It's bringing safety to nobody, women included.

It's just the honest tax-paying citizen and his / her infant or toddler who is suffering under the burning hot Sun / UV rays, exposing us to potentially serious health hazards in future. It is also putting excessive strain on air conditioning, causing extra greenhouse gas emissions in turn.

The way the regulation is - even a 100% transparent film if applied - makes you a felon! There is no regulation about transparency etc. At the same time - it's about films - no regulation about curtains or towels or whatever else people will put on the windows. How stupid does one have to be to not think of all this? It's very similar to the Sub4M rule - which restricts engine displacements, not engine power outputs.

It's laughable to see that this thing is being used for generating traffic challan revenue. I never really had faith that the authorities have public welfare in their plans, but this kind of whimsical decision depresses me further because it means we are being governed by / judged by absolute idiots! My child has to suffer under the Sun in traffic jams - because some uneducated person with no common sense, holds an office of authority.

Here's what BHPian IamNikhil had to say on the matter:

Totally agree with you. Curtains are a sure-shot recipe for disaster. Earlier it was only the VIP vehicles which were seen with curtains to block the view through the windows. However, even I have recently seen a lot of regular cars in Mumbai sporting these curtains; some black, some white, some beige.

Very disturbing trend really. Personally prefer removable sun shades along with basic heat-resistant sunfilm on all windows.

Expect the cops to start cracking down again and due to that, even those of us with removable sun shades will face the brunt unnecessarily!

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