Tinting your vehicle's windows with the right level of tint can improve the look of your vehicle and protect you while inside your vehicle. Here are some tips to protect your health and safety by selecting the right window tint.

Choose a Dark, But Legal Tint

When you decide to tint your vehicle's windows, the most important thing to remember is to select a tint that is legal in your state. If you install a non-legal window tint that is too dark, you may get pulled over by the police, receive a ticket, and have to remove the tint. Your vehicle also won't pass state safety inspection until you remove the non-legal tint. Don't waste your money on a tint that isn't legal because you will have to eventually remove it. Be sure to check the tint laws in your state before deciding on your vehicle's window tint.

The tint's number is the percentage of light, or light transmittance (LT), that can pass through it. So, for example, a tint of ten only allows ten percent of light to pass through the tinted window. If you live in a more sunny state, such as Arizona or Texas, you might want to go for a darker tint on your vehicle. The darker the tint on your vehicle, the more privacy you will have inside your vehicle, which an be helpful to prevent thieves from seeing any valuables inside your vehicle.

Protect Against Skin Cancer

Tinting your vehicle windows can block up to 65 percent of the build-up of solar heat gain inside your vehicle. And besides keeping your vehicle's interior cooler in the summer, your window tint can also protect you from skin cancer. Window tint on your vehicle's windows can block up to 99 percent of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. In addition to causing skin cancer, these harmful ultraviolet rays are also responsible for premature aging. 

Non-tinted window glass keeps out all UVB rays, which are what scientists previously though were the primary cause of skin cancer. But according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, recent research has found that UVA rays play a more important role in the development of skin cancer, and non-tinted window glass can allow up to 63 percent of the sun's UVA rays into your vehicle. Researchers at the St. Louis University School of Medicine reviewed the medical charts of nearly 900 cancer patients and found that 53 percent of them had cancer on the left side of their body. These results coincide with your body's left side being exposed to the sun's harmful rays coming in your driver's side window. 

Another interesting study found 74 percent of all melanomas in situ were found on the left side of the body. Melanomas in situ are a type of skin cancer that has not yet spread from its original site. Once this type of melanoma becomes invasive and spreads to other areas, it becomes the most deadly type of skin cancer, which window tinting can help prevent. 

Protect Against Flying Shards of Glass

By tinting your vehicle's windows, you are reducing your chance of injuries from glass shards during an accident. A window that has been covered in tint adds an extra durability to the glass. The glass will still crack or shatter when impacted during an accident, but all the tiny shards of glass will remain intact on the window film. This can be helpful during an accident to prevent the hundreds of sharp glass pieces from pelting your face and body.

Then, if your vehicle is subjected to vandals who break into it through a window, the tint will hold the glass in place, preventing it from showering the inside of your vehicle. You will still need to replace your window glass and tint, but the clean-up of glass will be simple. And you won't be picking out shards of glass from crevices in the interior of your vehicle for months after the broken window occurs.

This information can help you select a window tint to protect your health and safety.

For more information and options, talk with companies that specialize in tinting and auto glass replacement in your area.