Some motorists forget to turn on the dipped beam when they start driving. It also happens that both headlights are damaged due to an accident or faulty wiring. Driving on city roads and highways with the headlights off is prohibited!
For driving with the low beam turned off, an official warning made by a traffic police officer or a monetary penalty is provided 500 rubles (Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation - Article 12.20).
If traffic inspectors notice automobile without headlights on,daytime running lights or fog lights, such a vehicle will definitely be stopped. Is it possible to drive on fog lights without dipped beam.
Fog lights can be used instead of dipped beam headlights in accordance with paragraph 19.5 of the SDA, i.e., including in daylight hours days for all moving vehicles for the purpose of identifying them.
Stop will happen and in the event that the dipped beam was turned on in the visibility zone of the car by the traffic police.
To avoid imposing an administrative fine on the driver, should Always check low beam headlights and fog lights before driving.
Exist traffic rules to daytime running lights, according to which it is required to check the functionality before each start of movement.
Riding with only side lights prohibited! Allowed movement with included dimensions together with other lighting(dipped headlights, running lights, foglights).
Driving with one faulty light fixture
One dipped beam lamp (headlight) does not burn or burnt out, will a fine be imposed in this case? There are times when a car one headlight bulb burned out, one fog light bulb or one daytime running light. If a traffic police inspector stops a person driving a car and imputes to him, there are several options for the development of the situation.
In the Rules traffic (point 2, part 3.1) there are explanations for such situations, but it is so contradictory that it can be interpreted in both directions (the driver and the inspector).
- On-site replacement. If the malfunction can be fixed within five minutes after stop, traffic police inspector not entitled to fine. It should be noted that if one bulb in the fog lamps has burned out or one lamp in the daytime running lights has burned out, the dipped beam can be turned on. Thus, the malfunction will also be eliminated and the car owner will be able to freely continue driving without imposing a fine;
- Driving to the place of troubleshooting. Correctly explaining traffic police inspector cause of movement with one lamp off can avoid punishment. If the light bulb burned out while driving and cannot be replaced on the spot, the person it is possible to drive the vehicle to the place of repair;
- Drawing up a protocol and imposing a fine.If the inspector starts to draw up a report, and the person driving the car I do not agree with the alleged violations of traffic rules, he does not have to sign the protocol. After all documents and papers are handed over to the driver, within 10 calendar days necessary appeal the protocol at the local traffic police.
It is forbidden to drive with the dipped-beam headlights inoperative in dark time days and in dark places, with one burning headlight during daylight hours - allowed until the place of troubleshooting.
At night, drive a car with one inoperative headlight, fog lamp or one daytime running light Can only taking precautions while driving.
Attention should also be paid to clause 3.3 in the list of malfunctions in which the movement of the car is prohibited. It refers to the prohibition of the movement of the car with the car lighting devices not working in the established mode. This item is also regulated Article 12.20 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.
Lack of light is a penalty
What is the penalty for not turning on the headlights (driving without) low beam during the day? Regardless of what violation the traffic police officer imputes to the motorist, he can make written warning or issue protocol.
When taken out by an inspector written warning, administrative punishment for the vehicle owner not provided.
If the inspector is protocol offenses, the driver will have to pay an administrative penalty 500 rubles. The appeal is made within 10 calendar days through submitting an application to the traffic police.
In the case where the inspector refers to the list of faults ( clause 3.3), the motorist is threatened written warning about violation or monetary punishment - 500 rubles. There is also a fine for high beam in the city, it must be switched in accordance with traffic rules.
Punishment for long-range lighting in the city
Using distant lighting within the city limits with proper lighting roadway forbidden(19.1 SDA). If the vehicle was stopped on an illuminated city road while the vehicle was moving with the high beam headlights, an administrative fine will be imposed on the owner 500 rubles By 12.20 Administrative Code Russia.
Penalty for driving with one low beam headlight
What is the penalty if one low beam headlight is not on? The penalty for driving with one dipped beam headlamp, fog lamp or daytime running light inoperative is the same as driving with the lights off - official warning / fine 500 rubles (12.5.1 Administrative Code). At elimination of a malfunction during a stop, no penalty is provided.
Evidence of wrongdoing
According to the laws Russian Federation traffic police officers must prove their case. A person is not required to prove his innocence (until proven guilty, a person is considered not guilty) - Presumption of innocence Article 1.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.
Traffic police officers must provide visual evidence. Such evidence is photography, video filming, witness's testimonies.
If there are no such materials, all irremovable doubts must be interpreted in favor of the person driving the vehicle. As practice shows, traffic police inspectors often violate the law when drawing up a protocol, misleading the driver.
It is also not uncommon for an inspector vaguely explain the situation to witnesses And asks to sign the protocol as a witness.
The judicial practice of the Russian Federation shows that in most cases judges take the side of the traffic police officers (there is no reason not to believe the words of the inspector) and do not take into account or ignore the evidence base by the person driving the vehicle testimonials, photography, video).
Punishment for driving with the dipped beam off or one dipped beam headlight not working, fog lamp or daytime running light usually imposed if the car owner cannot fix the problem on the spot. In order not to prove to the traffic police officers and justices of the peace that they are right, before each start of movement, check the serviceability of the entire lighting system car. If a person does not agree with the accusations of the instructor, you need to directly write about it in the protocol.
But everyone who does not turn on either the dipped beam or the daytime running lights (DRL) on the go are violators. The fact is that since the fall of 2010, the Rules require the driver of a moving vehicle to turn on either DRL, or low beam, or fog lights at any time of the day or night. And it doesn't matter whether you are driving along a city street or a country road. Violation of this requirement threatens, according to Article 12.20 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, with a fine of 500 rubles or a warning to a police officer. However, in practice, few drivers pay attention to such a probability, and most of the cars drive during the day with their headlights off.
A similar situation has developed due to the fact that if they appear on the road now, they are interested in much more “bread” violations of traffic rules such as drinking while driving, speeding over 40 km / h, driving into an oncoming lane, etc. So it is considered that driving with headlights off is not a violation. Approximately the same as talking on the phone while driving and leaving the stop line in front of a traffic light. Although about a year ago, the deputy head of the Moscow TsODD, Dmitry Gorshkov, said that the capital's cameras for automatically fixing violations were already behind the switched off lights:
The technology has already been developed and soon We are planning to launch it. IN automatic mode fully. We, most likely, will include this functionality on all cameras of the city, - he said.
However, in the year that has passed since then, no one else has heard anything about automatic fines without dipped beam. Note that if the driver turned on the headlights in good faith, but one of them does not light up (for example, the light bulb is out of order), he will also be fined. But already under another article of the Code of Administrative Offenses - 12.5 for "Driving a vehicle in the presence of malfunctions or conditions under which the operation of the vehicle is prohibited." It also provides for either 500-ruble, or a warning.
The fact is that the list of malfunctions of the Basic Provisions for the Admission of Vehicles to Operation, under which it is impossible to drive a car, contains clause 3.3 “They do not work in the established mode or the external lighting fixtures and reflectors.
And talking about automotive light, it is impossible not to at least casually recall the rules for using high-beam headlights. turn it on at night, insufficient visibility and in the tunnels. The driver must switch from far to near at an oncoming siding 150 meters before the oncoming car; in all cases where the distant one can blind drivers of oncoming vehicles and in settlements if the road is lit. At the same time, clause 19.11 of the SDA allows the driver to “blink” the distant ones to warn of overtaking.
The time to turn on the headlights of a car is not a whim of the driver, but a point clearly stated in the rules of the road. A special section describes all the conditions in which you need to light running lights, high and low beams and fog lights. We will tell you which headlights should be on during the day and what the driver needs to know so that there are no controversial moments on the road.
Points of traffic rules about dipped headlights during the day
Rules of the road, clause 19.5, tell us that any moving vehicle must identify itself with a BS or daytime running lights. Paragraph 19.4 allows the use of fog lamps for marking the vehicle.
For violation of these rules, a written warning from a traffic police officer or a fine under one of the two articles of the Code is provided. administrative offenses RF:
- article 12.20 says that if the driver simply forgot to mark his vehicle with light signals, then he may receive a warning or a fine of 500 rubles;
- article 12.5 says that the driver must pay the same fine of 500 rubles if one or both headlights are faulty. In this case, the operation of the car is prohibited until the malfunction is eliminated. The same applies to extremely dirty glass and burnt out light bulbs.
There is also a controversial point that many motorists forget or do not take into account.
During the day, the driver uses foglights and enters the tunnel, and at the exit he receives a fine for not included in accordance with the rules SDA headlights. He is stopped by a traffic police officer due to the fact that the driver violated paragraph 19.1 of the traffic rules, which establishes that when entering the tunnel it is necessary to switch from fog lights to dipped beam. The same goes for DHO.
In addition to these rules, the rules of the road allow the use of the BS as an addition to the marker lights (but not instead of them) in conditions of insufficient visibility. This is not so important, since such a car poses a danger primarily to passing vehicles.
What headlights need to travel during the day
In early 2006, all Russian drivers were required to daytime use the BS when driving outside settlements. Since 10/20/10, this item has been revised, and now every driver is required to turn on the BS or DRL when driving on any highways.
Failure to comply with these rules is punishable by a fine of 500 rubles or a warning, so motorists had no choice but to start complying with it. However, the debate about how effective and relevant this rule has not subsided. Some said that a car marked with light is easier to see in conditions of insufficient visibility (in fog, during heavy rain, twilight and in the forest), while others complained that due to such a rule, fuel consumption would be higher, and bulbs would burn out more often. Let's try to figure this out.
Should it be included low light during the day
In total, BS bulbs, dimensions and car number plate lighting require about 150 watts of power. Diode DRL lamps - approximately 15 watts. For comparison, an air conditioner requires 4500 watts, about 30 times more. Therefore, an economical motorist should first of all refuse air comfortable temperature in the cabin, and not from the included light bulbs. If we translate power into fuel consumption, then BS lamps and the rest of the backlight increase consumption by approximately 100 ml of gasoline per hour.
Why turn on the headlights during the day
It turns out that the motorist loses practically nothing from the included running lights, so it’s worth talking about what he gets, except for the 500 rubles saved on a fine.
There are several situations when a car without headlights is practically invisible, even with DRLs or fog lights on. They are not as rare as they seem.
- In the forest, against the background of trees, the car is already lost at a distance of 150-200 meters - this is the perception of the human eye. This effect can be especially noticed in winter, when an even layer of snow covers the trees and the ground - then all objects on a white sheet seem to be noise. Of course, it is rare to see another car in a dense forest, and usually the speed of a vehicle in such an area is low. But still, you should not save 100-300 milliliters of gasoline and neglect safety.
- When driving on the highway in cloudy weather, the car is still noticeable at a distance of 200-300 meters, especially if it is alone on the road. But as soon as other cars appear, but with the headlights on, it is lost and almost does not stand out from the background. With an increase in the distance to 700-900 meters, even DRLs will not help to distinguish the car.
In general, the included BS lights help not to get lost in the traffic flow and be seen by other drivers when changing lanes. For pedestrians, however, vehicle detection time is critical due to the difference in speed.
If it still seems like you don't need to turn on your headlights during the day in the city, then here is a study by experts that supports turning on the low beam. On average, the probability of an accident for a driver is reduced by 13 percent. This figure is made up of many others: including, the chances of a pedestrian being reduced by 15%, a cyclist - by 10%, frontal and side collisions - by 10%.
The only thing that turned on the BS is bad is that it is more difficult to notice brake signals in dense stream. This can be avoided by installing an additional brake light on the rear window.
conclusions
Daytime running lights consume a minimum amount of energy and practically do not affect the wealth of the motorist. The situation is approximately the same with low beam headlights - constantly on, they will cost the driver 100 milliliters of gasoline every hour, which is approximately 4 rubles.
But by spending these four rubles for every hour of driving, the driver saves something more significant - meters and seconds, which allow him to make the right decision in time and maneuver safely in the stream. This is especially important for pedestrians and in conditions of insufficient visibility: in cloudy weather, fog, rain or in the forest.
On April 1, information appeared about changes in the rules of the road, which said about changes in the use of dipped headlights. However, when analyzing and searching for the source of this information, our company did not find any valid amendments to the traffic rules on this topic. Which suggests that most likely it was an April Fool's rally, which also caught large Internet resources.
Low beam headlights or daytime running lights must be turned on!
For violation of the rule, driving in the daytime without lighting fixtures fine - 500 rubles. The obligatory inclusion of low beam, regardless of the time of day, was associated with an increase in the visibility of the car on the road. By turning on the dipped headlights, you reduce the risk of an accident, you should remember this!Low beam headlights and daytime running lights in the Rules of the road
According to the current traffic rules clause 19.5:
19.5. During daylight hours, all moving vehicles must turn on dipped beam headlights or daytime running lights to identify them.
(clause 19.5 as amended by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 10.05.2010 N 316).
19. Use of external lights and sound signals
19.1. At night and in conditions of insufficient visibility, regardless of road lighting, as well as in tunnels, a moving vehicle must turn on the following lighting devices:
On all motor vehicles, headlights or dipped beam; on bicycles, headlights or lanterns; on horse-drawn carts- lights (if any);
(as amended by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 24, 2014 N 1097)
on trailers and towed motor vehicles - parking lights.(as amended by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 24.01.2001 N 67)
(see text in previous edition)
19.2. high beam must be switched to near:
in settlements, if the road is lit;
at an oncoming pass at a distance of at least 150 m from the vehicle, as well as at a greater distance, if the driver of the oncoming vehicle periodic switching headlights will show the need for this;
in any other cases, to exclude the possibility of blinding drivers of both oncoming and passing vehicles.
When blinded, the driver must turn on alarm and without changing lane, slow down and stop.(as amended by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 28, 2012 N 254)
(see text in previous edition)
19.3. When stopping and parking at night on unlit sections of roads, as well as in conditions of insufficient visibility, the side lights must be switched on on the vehicle. In conditions of insufficient visibility, in addition to the side lights, dipped beam headlights, fog lights and rear fog lights can be turned on.
19.4. Fog lights can be used:
in conditions of insufficient visibility with low or high beam headlights;(see text in previous edition)
at night on unlit sections of roads together with dipped or main beam headlights;(As amended by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 10.05.2010 N 316)
(see text in previous edition)
19.5. During daylight hours, all moving vehicles must turn on dipped beam headlights or daytime running lights to identify them.(clause 19.5 as amended by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 10.05.2010 N 316)
(see text in previous edition)
19.6. A searchlight and a searchlight can only be used outside built-up areas in the absence of oncoming vehicles. In populated areas, only drivers of vehicles equipped in the prescribed manner can use such headlights. flashing beacons of blue color and special sound signals, when performing an urgent service task.
I am glad to welcome everyone to our site! Today, under the heading "" let's talk about this: is not traffic violation the use of fog lights (PTF) instead of daytime running lights (DRL) as well as low beam headlights.
You all know that according to paragraph 19.5 of the traffic rules of the Russian Federation "During daylight hours, all moving vehicles must turn on dipped beam headlights or daytime running lights to indicate them." In this regard, many motorists have counter questions, namely: is it possible to use dimensions or PTF instead of DRL and whether this will not be a violation of the rules, which may entail a protocol and a corresponding fine.
Some motorists were not just confused, they were outraged and puzzled by the question of why turn on running lights during daylight hours, and even more so dipped beam? The fact is that studies have shown that, moving along the highway on high speeds drivers respond better to vehicles with DRLs or low beam headlights on. This allows you to notice the approaching transport in time and perform the maneuver in time. In general, in a word, turning on the light during the day is aimed at reducing accidents that occur during the daytime.
This seems to have been sorted out, but what about the differences between DRLs or parking lights?
The problem is that the design modern headlights sometimes it seriously confuses car owners, who themselves do not fully understand that they have turned on the running lights or dimensions. Why is this so critical? Yes, because DRL is allowed to be used as a light source, this will not be a violation and will not entail penalties. What can not be said about the "dimensions" you can not use them instead of daytime running lights, as well as low beam headlights! That is why this moment is very important.
Why are side lights banned, what is wrong with them? The fact is that "dimensions", unlike DRLs, serve to designate a vehicle in the dark, while in the daytime they are of little use. The light that they emit is not enough in the daytime, because it is very weak and inconspicuous (power of the order of 5 watts), so it is forbidden to use them instead of low beam, as well as daytime running lights. Brightness according to GOST (GOST R 41.48-2004) should be in the range from 400 to 800 candela.
It would seem that there are simply no daytime running lights - turn on the dipped one and live in peace ... But, not everything is so simple. The fact is that the constantly on dipped beam leads to premature exit failure of lamps, the price of which can reach several hundred dollars. In addition, it has been proven that headlights increase fuel consumption (approximately 0.5 liters per 100 km), the cost of which has not pleased anyone lately ... In short, whatever one may say, it is not profitable to drive with the neighbor constantly on.
What about foglights, can they be used instead of low beam and DRL?
This question, as it turned out, worries many, and here's why. The fact is that not everyone has daytime running lights; But everyone has mail for fogs, and besides, they are less voracious in terms of energy consumption. But the question is, is it possible to use PTF instead of DRL? The answer to this question can be found in the SDA.
clause 9.4. Fog lights can be used:
- in conditions of insufficient visibility with low or high beam headlights;
- at night on unlit sections of roads together with dipped or main beam headlights;
- instead of dipped headlights in accordance with clause 19.5 of the Rules.
The only caveat is that on some cars, fog lights work exclusively with low beam headlights, so many refuse such an alternative to daytime running lights.
Summing up
As you can see, there is a way out. You can drive close as long as you don't worry too much about fuel consumption and bulb life crushing. You can also use PTF if they are installed on your car, this will not be a violation of the rules and there will be no questions from the inspectors for you. The third option is to install daytime running lights. DRL consumes significantly less energy compared to low beam headlights, as well as PTF, while they shine brighter than the dimensions and are clearly visible at any time of the day - therefore, they are the most profitable and acceptable option!
