Smash and Grab Tint – Protecting You and Your Vehicle
- Brendan Verwey
- Sep 20, 2012
- 3 min read
Many South African have had the unfortunate experience of smash and grab. While sitting in your car at a traffic light waiting patiently for it to go green, some delinquent street stalker decide that they need whatever is sitting on your passenger seat more than you do, and before you know it, they have smashed something against your window. Shell-shocked, the driver is left worse for wares as the delinquent runs off with a bag, cell phone or perhaps even a wallet.
It’s a frightening thing to happen to anyone and unfortunately it can happen anywhere, at anytime. They usually prey on unsuspecting drivers that are not paying attention to their surroundings and have carelessly left their belongings on an open passenger seat. It’s quite common for people to think that things will be okay over there, but it’s that kind of thinking that a thief takes advantage of and you are the one that ends up losing all your belongings.
Instead of living your life in a paranoid state and worrying about it constantly, you can deter thieves and smash-and-grabbers by protecting your windows and creating a barrier that is tough to break through.
A smash and grab tint installed by the Electronic Fitment Centre is basically a thin film of polyester-type plastic which is stuck to the surface of any glass that needs to be protected. You can use it on your vehicle, your home, or for your company’s windows and it will act as a deterrent for thieves that are looking to break through a window to gain access to your car or your property. Whenever you try to break through a window that has the protective film covering it, the glass will break instead of shattering into thousands of little pieces.
The plastic film holds all the glass together as a single piece, even though the actual glass itself is sitting in pieces. Even once the glass has been broken it is still difficult to get past the plastic film covering it, and you literally have to push the glass further out the way before you can get anywhere close to gaining access to the vehicle. People often opt for a darker film, so that you can see that there is something on the windows, making the actual deterrent visible to anyone thinking about breaking in.
Safety Guidelines and Benefits for Motorists and Their Vehicles
The darker shaded film works well to protect your vehicle because the film is visible and they know that it will not be easy for them to break the glass. In addition to the deterrence, you also have the benefits of additional UV protection and reduced heat absorption. That means that when you are spending extra hours in the car, you are not being exposed to harmful UV rays from the sun and when you leave your car parked out in the sun, it won’t be as hot when you climb back in there.
It is important for you to stick to the regulations that are applicable to your country of residence, when it comes to the darkness of the film. Most countries require a minimum of 70% of the light to enter your front windshield and at least 35% for any of the side windows. Any more than that and you could be breaking the law and driving around illegally, so make sure that the smash and grab installer adheres to the minimum regulations that have been stipulated by law.
Smash and grab is an effective and beneficial medium that helps you protect your car and all of your belongings in it, and as long as you have it on your windows, you can rest easy knowing that it’s safe.
Click Here to learn more about smash and grab tint, or visit http://www.electronicfc.co.za to get advice online.
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