Starting Next Year, Vehicles Transporting Children Must Have Tinting of 70% or Less to Pass Inspection

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Korea Transportation Safety Authority introduced the 'major changes in vehicle inspections starting from 2021,' which are implemented to prevent traffic accidents and improve air quality, and urged the public to check the changes in advance when undergoing vehicle inspections.

The major changes in vehicle inspections starting next year include ▲event data recorders and window glass for passenger vehicles transporting children ▲low beam headlights ▲nitrogen oxides from diesel vehicles ▲emission inspections for small and medium-sized motorcycles.

From January 1st next year, passenger vehicles transporting children must have event data recorders installed and their operational status inspected to prevent traffic accidents and ensure safe driving. The event data recorder is a device that automatically records data such as vehicle speed, RPM, brake status, location via GPS, azimuth, acceleration, driving distance, and traffic accident situations onto an electronic memory device. Vehicles already registered and in operation must separately install event data recorders by 2022.

Also, to prevent children from being trapped inside vehicles due to excessive window tinting, from April 17th next year, all window glass must undergo visible light transmittance inspections. Visible light transmittance refers to the degree to which light passes through the window, with 100% being completely transparent. All window glass on passenger vehicles transporting children must have a transmittance of 70% or higher.

For general vehicles, starting from September next year, inspection standards will change to inspect the brightness and height of low beam headlights instead of high beam headlights during driving to improve safety. Additionally, diesel vehicles manufactured after 2018 and registered in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi areas, which have the KD-147 inspection method during emission precision inspections, will be subject to nitrogen oxide (NOx) inspections during comprehensive inspections from next year to prevent excessive nitrogen oxide emissions. Nitrogen oxide inspections can be conducted at Korea Transportation Safety Authority vehicle inspection centers and private inspection centers equipped with nitrogen oxide measuring devices.

From next year, motorcycles manufactured and registered after 2018 with small and medium engine capacities (50~260cc) will be included in the regular motorcycle inspection targets and must undergo inspections for emissions, exhaust noise, and horn noise. Previously, only large motorcycles with engine displacement exceeding 260cc and small and medium motorcycles manufactured and registered after 2018 were subject to inspections.

Byung-yoon Kwon, Chairman of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, said, "The expansion of vehicle inspection items next year is expected to contribute to creating a safe driving environment and a pleasant living environment by reducing fine dust," and urged, "We hope that people check the changes in vehicle inspection items in advance and undergo inspections to avoid inconvenience caused by non-compliance judgments." He also emphasized, "The Authority's vehicle inspection centers will make every effort to ensure the safety of the public through more thorough inspections."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.