Effects of car window tinting on visual performance: a comparison of elderly and young drivers

A major concern in allowing the tinting of car front side windows to 35% vi sible light transmittance (VLT) is that tasks performed through these windo ws often require the rapid detection of low-contrast, unilluminated targets . Tf the tinting interferes with detection of targets then road safety may be compromized. Speed of cognitive and visual processing declines with age; performance on backward pattern masking tasks can indicate this slowing in processing speed. Two experiments compared performance of the young and el derly adult on two backward pattern masking tasks with levels of VLT from 1 00 to 20%. The first experiment found a decrement in performance for the el derly at 63% VLT and for all participants at 20% VLT. The second experiment found a decrement in performance For the elderly at 35% VLT. It was conclu ded that road safety may be compromized if the front side windows of cars a re tinted to 35% VLT.