More than half the cars in Moscow now have black windows. Now why do the cars have these blacked out windows? They are fully black and not just tinted. I cannot see the point of them. What can a man do in his car that is so secret and confidential that it has to be hidden from the rest of the world? Picking his nose? Dressing up in women’s clothes? Engaging in sexual activity whilst doing 100kph?
Do they all have ugly wives of whom they are ashamed? I think not. This is Russia where there are more beautiful women than any place I have ever been. Why not show them off. Perhaps the men want to keep their women away from the envious leers of others.
Possibly the men (and it is the men) want to appear to be secretive and mysterious; give themselves an air of importance and intrigue that they do not actually have: ‘Don’t mess with me – I’m a Gangsta!’
Blacked out glass (not just tinted) is not legal in the UK.
I have heard various arguments in its defence:
1. It’s cool! - Dear me. Is that a defence? It does not ‘look good’ it looks silly because it is unnecessary. It is the modern equivalent of the 'go faster stripe' of the 1970s
2. It cuts out sun and UV. – Only if it is treated to cut out UV. Black absorbs heat so the blacked out window will not keep the car cool, (see defence no.1!)
3. It shuts out the outside world and makes you feel cosy and secure. – This is dangerous. The closer you are in touch with the world outside the vehicle the safer driver you are. Blacked out windows seriously restrict your view and your judgement.
4. It gives you privacy. – Why do you need privacy in a car? It is a means of transport. Has your bedroom got blacked out windows?
I walked for more than two hours today along some major city routes (Suschosty Val, Prospect Mira, Sheremetevskaya) and made a point of observing the behaviour of the motorists. The vehicles with the blacked out windows were the least disciplined, the risk takers, the show-offs and the speeders. I come to the conclusion that having windows blacked out belongs to a group of motorists who have yet to mature to become fully responsible members of society.
