Groups Fearful of State Vehicle Window Law

According to several public safety groups, drivers in California won’t be able to use their cellular phones to dial 911 if the state gives final approval to new vehicle glazing standards intended to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Under the new regulations, by 2012 car manufacturers must provide front windshields on new cars that reflect more solar radiation, reducing the need to use air conditioning and, thereby, reducing how much fuel the car consumes. But the California Police Chiefs Association, California State Sheriffs Association, Crime Victims United of California and other groups claim the glass, which would have metallic coatings to comply with the regulations, will interfere with a variety of radio signals, including GPS units, cellular phones, garage door openers and parolee tracking devices. Not so, says the state’s Air Resources Board (ARB). The board says it’s tested a variety of radio devices from inside fully-shielded vehicles and found no change in radio reception. The board also notes that the regulation only applies to the front windshield by 2012, so there is plenty of “open space” for radio signals to reach devices inside the car. Read more about the objections here, and read Q&As from the ARB here (pdf).