They know it's illegal. Yet hundreds of drivers continue to do it.

Vehicles with front tinted windows are all over the place, said Staff Sgt. Glenn Bangs, with the Edmonton city police traffic section, and the trend has been a constant throughout the years.

"Most people know it's illegal. You'll probably get about 60 per cent saying 'Yeah, I know,' and about 30 to 40 per cent that will say 'I bought it like this,'" said Bangs.

"Lots of people know they shouldn't have it, but a lot of people are willing to take the risk in receiving a violation ticket."

Tinting windows in the front of a vehicle -- on the driver or passenger side -- is illegal in Alberta due to safety. For one, a pedestrian attempting to cross the street can't make eye contact with a driver through darkened windows to see if they are aware of them. And at a four-way stop, drivers need to be able to make eye contact with each other to make sure they are paying attention.

Depending on the situation, Edmonton police usually give a warning to drivers with front tinted windows the first time they are pulled over. Otherwise it's a $115 fine and the owner of the vehicle can be ordered to take the tint off.

Bangs said the tinting is often standard on European cars and big trucks with specialized kits. If a vehicle with a tint comes into a reputable dealership, however, staff generally remove the tint before reselling the vehicle. If a request is made for the tint at an auto detailing centre, Bangs said many businesses won't do it unless the owner signs a waiver.

The first thing Dean at SuperTint tells his customers when such a request is made is that it's illegal, regardless of the shade of tint. Signs are also up in the business's showroom, advising customers that tinting the front windows is illegal. If the customer still wants to put it on, the darkest the company will go is 35 per cent.

On average, Dean gets about 10 calls a week for tinting front windows. People want it done for a variety of reasons.

"It's, 'I want to look cool or I'm trying to hide from somebody,'" he said of many customers asking for the service. "The general population I would say already know it's illegal. It's not something that we try to hide from them."

pamela.roth@sunmedia.ca

@SUNpamelaroth