According to the traffic rules, driving a car with defective lighting devices is strictly prohibited, since they are included in the list of car malfunctions. Accordingly, the law provides for a fine for the lack of illumination of the rear number. At the same time, no such conditions are imposed on registration signs located in the front part.
Requirements
According to the traffic rules, car registration symbols must be drawn up according to the standard, correctly mounted and readable. At the same time, the ability to make out what is shown on the plate must be preserved even in the dark hours of the day. For this, the backlight is used, which refers to the external lighting devices of the vehicle. Interestingly, the conditions of additional illumination do not apply to the front signs.
IMPORTANT! If the rear license plate lighting does not function, the defect is recognized as a vehicle malfunction. Driving with deviations from the norms, including damage or inoperability of any elements of the car, is considered a violation and is subject to a fine.
In the event of a partial defect, for example, if one of the bulbs does not light up or the device is covered with a layer of dust, dirt, due to which the light does not reach the symbol plate well, a monetary penalty may also be imposed. If the lighting does not work during the daytime, no sanctions are provided.
The amount of the fine
The Code of Administrative Violations of the Russian Federation provides for the imposition of a penalty for a complete or partial malfunction of the lighting of the rear registration signs in the evening, dark period of the day. Provided that the characters cannot be parsed. The amount is 500 rubles. In some cases, only a verbal warning may be imposed.
IMPORTANT! According to the traffic rules, the illegibility of registration plates from a distance of 20 m, regardless of the time of day, is a violation and entails a penalty in the form of a material contribution. The rule also applies to the front plate, but only during daylight hours.
Since license plate lighting is included in the category of external devices, its defect is unacceptable. For this, a financial penalty in the amount of 500 rubles is also due. This is evidenced by paragraph 3 of the list of car malfunctions with which movement is not allowed. This means that even if the signs on the plate can really be read with one inoperative light bulb, the punishment will still be assigned, but already due to the presence of a breakdown.
If the backlight is blue
The rules will be violated if the external lighting fixtures do not meet the requirements:
- orange, white, yellow lighting lights in the front;
- red, orange, yellow lights behind the vehicle;
- white license plate lights at the back.
IMPORTANT! Lighting the rear license plate with blue lights is prohibited. The presence of lights of this color is considered a malicious offense. The punishment is deprivation of driver's license for up to 1 year.
Also, punishment is provided for the placement of lighting devices of the following colors:
- green;
- brown;
- violet;
- red light in front;
- white at the front, excluding registration plate lighting and reversing lights;
- colored lights, other than white, in the lighting of signs and reversing lights.
There is no penalty in this situation, as in the case if the illumination is blue. The penalty will be the removal of the driver's license.
On the video about license plate lighting
In the absence of illumination of the license plates of the registration of the car located at the back, a fine of 500 rubles is provided. Sanctions are also imposed in the event of a partial breakdown, since it is included in the list of vehicle malfunctions, movement with which is unacceptable.
The motorist can be punished for the lack of the necessary lighting on the vehicle, and for its presence on some parts of the car. Sanctions are regulated by various articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses. But sometimes punishment can be completely avoided, while combining the desired appearance of the car and the requirements of the law.
Read in this article
Front and rear license plate lights
The back number of the car should be visible even at night, for which there is a backlight next to it. It consists of several light bulbs. And the driver needs to ensure that they are all in working condition. Penalties due to faulty lighting on a rear registration plate can be imposed for two reasons:
- All bulbs burned out, and the number is not readable. This violation is punishable under article 12.2, part 1:
Driving a vehicle with unreadable, non-standard or state registration plates installed in violation of the requirements of the state standard, with the exception of cases provided for by part 2 of this article, entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of five hundred rubles.
- Since the highlighting of the numbers and letters of the number is necessary only at night, the traffic police officer does not have the right to stop the car for this reason during the day and demand a fine from the driver.
- The license plate is illuminated with a color that is not allowed for this section of the car. Only light bulbs emitting white rays are allowed here. All other colors fall under the same article of the Code of Administrative Offenses and will result in a fine of 500 rubles. or a warning.
But more often when installing the backlight on the bottom of the car, if the rays do not go beyond it, do not have an aggressive color, are not too bright, the traffic police turn a blind eye to this. The bulbs in this case should be white, orange and yellow on the front, but not blue or red.
It is not necessary to install white lighting devices on the rear section of the bottom, but red ones are possible. All other colors are forbidden to use, regardless of which part of the bottom the driver wants to attach the bulbs to.
About the fine for backlighting a license plate, see this video:
What will be for the illumination of wheels, grilles
Light fixtures located on the front of the car and wheels are external signals. That is, the presence of extra light bulbs here is a violation and is punishable under Article 12.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses:
- for red and any other illumination on the grille and wheels that do not comply with the "Basic Provisions ...", a fine of 3000 rubles is imposed. for individuals, 15,000 - 20,000 rubles. - for officials, 400,000 - 500,000 - for legal entities;
- if the installed devices imitate special signals, the fine for citizens will be 5,000 rubles, for officials - 20,000 rubles, for legal entities - 500,000 rubles.
Will they be punished if the light is not on, the backlight is not working
Sometimes one or two bulbs on the backlight are faulty. Under such conditions, the characters on the license plate can be read even in the dark. So, according to Article 12.2, there seems to be nothing to punish the driver for. But this does not mean that he can drive with an extinguished light bulb and not be afraid of a fine. After all, there is also article 12.5, part 1, which says:
Driving the Vehicle in the presence of malfunctions or conditions under which, in accordance with the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles to operation and the duties of officials to ensure road safety, the operation of the Vehicle is prohibited, with the exception of malfunctions and conditions specified in parts 2-7 of this article, entails warning or imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of five hundred roubles.
You should not take risks and spoil the mood and nerves for yourself and the guardians of the road rules. In order not to get into an unpleasant situation, it is necessary to carefully study the requirements of the traffic rules for backlighting the number and follow them in practice.
This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age.
Are you over 18 already?
Every car owner knows that number plate lighting is very important at night. Such an element is not only important in the overall appearance of the car, but is also a strict requirement of the traffic police. It consists not only in the illumination of the license plate for good visibility, but also in its technical characteristics, which must comply with the norms of the adopted laws. Deviation from the norm can easily become the basis for a fine. Despite such harsh conditions, motorists manage to stylishly arrange the lighting moment in the backlight.
Penalty conditions
A certain car model has its own list of external lighting devices. Therefore, the penalties for malfunctioning or illegibility of the sign are different. In accordance with clause 3, part 3 of the general list of malfunctions, driving with a switched off or faulty light device is punishable by a fine. Even if the lighting works, but is splashed with mud and does not perform its functions qualitatively, this violation is also punishable by a fine.
brand-detail-img-title">According to the regulations, the license plate illumination is also an external lighting element
According to the norms, the registration plate illumination is also an external lighting element, and its malfunction or any defect necessarily provides for punishment.
There is an important point in the operation of a road vehicle using lighting. If the rear number plate does not light up at all, and the car owner drove out in such a car, this can be regarded as an obstacle to the work of a traffic inspector. However, the convention applies only to night time. If this happened during the day, then fines and punishments for this offense are not provided. For daylight hours, the cleanliness of the license plate is important.
There are cases when, for some reason or due to external factors, even one bulb in the lighting device does not work, and this makes it impossible to read at least part of the number, this is also punishable by a monetary penalty. The amount of such a fine in 2017 is 500 rubles.
But there are several "saving" moments, in which case the fine is not charged:
- If one bulb in the device does not work, but the second is located so that it allows you to read the license plate, then there is no penalty for backlighting the back number. In this case, you can get by with a warning from the inspector. But it is for a non-working state that they can still be fined.
- If the lack of sufficient illumination is detected by the driver at the time of the stop by the inspector, then in this case a verbal warning will also be issued. But it is necessary to provide proof that the driver was not aware of the breakdown.
- If the technical design of the car does not have a backlight or a place for it, and the driver has a corresponding note in those tickets, then this also exempts him from paying a fine.
brand-detail-img-title"> The amount of such a fine in 2017 is 500 rubles
If it is daytime, then there are no instructions in the current regulations on the penalty for non-burning backlighting of the number. It is only said that both numbers - front and rear - should be clearly read. At night, a mandatory norm is a serviceable light on the rear canvas. There is also a rule stipulated by the traffic rules, about the unreadability of even one character in the license plate, regardless of the time of day from 20 meters. This fact is also a violation, and for it you can get a fine.
For any motorist, fines and warnings recorded in the protocol are morally unpleasant, they can ruin the reputation of an exemplary driver, but they also affect the motorist's wallet. To avoid this, you should carefully inspect your vehicle before you leave it, and promptly eliminate breakdowns. In this case, you can avoid "ugly" marks in the rights, including a fine for the lack of illumination of the back number. It's such a small thing that it's easy to keep track of yourself.
Rules for using color in highlights
As noted above, the lighting of state registration numbers is an external lighting device, the use of color in it is limited.
The norms of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which determine the color used in the front lighting, are quite strict. The introduction of a non-standard color scheme in the lighting of the front number plate of a car is punishable by deprivation of rights for a period of 6 to 12 months. Numbers are also confiscated along with lighting fixtures. It is forbidden to install the illumination of the front license plate using red, blue, green, other colors of lamps and reflective elements that are not provided for by the rules.
brand-detail-img-title">White plate highlighting allowed
To date, the fashion for neon and LED lighting in the form of frames and overlays is very common, but you need to use them carefully. If the color is white or light yellow, this is allowed. It is not recommended to put lighting frames or ribbons with diodes along the edges of the room. It will look brighter and more attractive, but you can “get it” and a fine for such a backlight of the number from the road patrol service for a tidy sum.
Based on the basic provisions and requirements for operation and the admission of a particular vehicle for operation, equipping the rear number of the car with red lights is a malicious violation. This is regarded as the lack of required room lighting. For such "art" a private person may suffer in the amount of 3 thousand rubles. Individuals who are in official work lose 15-20 thousand, but legal entities can receive a penalty in the amount of 400-500 thousand rubles and the seizure of lighting devices. Is the brightness and attractiveness worth that kind of money? It’s better to let the backlight of the number not burn, and a fine of 500 rubles will not hit your pocket so hard.
It is forbidden to use inappropriate colors in number plate rear lights, except:
- yellow;
- white;
- orange.
The same rule applies to reflective devices for better visibility.
brand-detail-img-title">Number highlight
Choosing the right backlight
To protect yourself and be sure that such a trifle as the absence or breakdown of light on the license plate will not lead to trouble, you need to install high-quality lighting elements.
Experienced experts advise changing factory backlights to more modern and high-quality ones. Powerful LED lamps that will meet all requirements are available in a large assortment. They will not flood the letters and numbers on the canvas with bright light and will not blind your eyes. Pay attention to light bulbs with lenses. These elements give a good, bright and diffused light, which allows you to clearly see the room. Let their cost be higher, but the economy and safety will pay for themselves over time.
Additional elements that will be auxiliary in the illumination around the rear number plate may be cheaper. To do this, you can use individual LEDs of certain colors. An ordinary LED strip can also serve as a source for creating lighting. Installing such devices is not difficult, but with their help you can reduce the likelihood of receiving a fine.
brand-detail-img-title">LED lamp LED 12V T10 3SMD 2835 White
If the new lighting is installed correctly, tested for performance and resistance to external factors, the result will be bright and worthy of attention. But the main thing is that it does not interfere with viewing the license plate with all the designations.
When using an additional light source in the room area, you need to remember that there is still a risk during self-assembly, because you can make a mistake in choosing the color and correct setting. And such consequences can lead to the close attention of inspectors who ensure road safety.
Is it worth repeating that “show off” in the form of neon lights in blue, pink, green and other colors entails a fine, seizure of devices and deprivation of the right to drive for a certain period?
License plate illumination of any vehicle is a very important element of the overall appearance of the car, because it is thanks to it that the numbers become readable at night. However, everything is not so simple here either, since lighting that does not comply with the norms of the law can easily cause a fine. How not to fall for such trifles and what you need to know about the features of self-installation of this attribute, you will learn from this article.
How should the number be highlighted?
License plate lighting provides for the installation of special bulbs, but only on the back of the car. Of course, this requirement will not affect the functionality of the machine itself in any way and is only necessary to ensure the legibility of the license plate at night, but non-compliance with the rules for installing and operating these lighting elements leads to certain problems.
The backlight strength should be bright enough, but at the same time have a standard color, and all the bulbs provided for by the design should be constantly lit, because if at least one of them burns out and part of the registration plate is poorly distinguishable, this is fraught with penalties for the driver.
Penalty for not backlighting the number plate in Russia
For non-compliance with the conditions for the installation and operation of the backlight of the license plate, the driver will be fined, since it refers to external lighting devices. So, in accordance with Article 12.5, Part 3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, non-standard illumination of the front license plate threatens with punishment in the form of deprivation of the right to drive a car for a period of 6 to 12 months, with the withdrawal of existing devices and devices. A similar offense, which concerns the back numbers, is punished more leniently - a pecuniary penalty in the amount of 500 rubles or a verbal warning.
Note! In the absence of rear number plate illumination, the driver can avoid punishment, but only if the design of his car does not allow the installation of lighting devices, and this fact is noted in the technical documentation.
The basis for the imposition of penalties is the backlight, which does not allow the traffic police inspector to clearly distinguish license plates from a distance of 20 meters from the car. Nevertheless, in the current traffic rules there is one nuance that saves drivers. If you were stopped for the first time, then you can always say that before leaving the house, all car systems were working properly, and you learned about problems with the backlight from the inspector himself. In this case, you will be presented with a verbal warning and a requirement for the mandatory replacement of defective backlight bulbs within 24 hours.
Important! You can also check registration plates for readability during the daytime, while at night the inspector checks only the back number, which can only be illuminated with white or pale yellow lamps.
Backlight tuning: what is possible and what is not
On the front of the vehicle, it is prohibited to install light devices or red reflective devices, as well as other light devices, the color of the lights and the operating mode of which do not comply with the requirements of the Fundamental Provisions for the Authorization of Vehicles for Operation and the Duties of Road Traffic Officials. This is no longer a fine for the lack of rear number illumination, and an individual will have to pay not 500, but 3,000 rubles, while officials "get" 15,000 - 20,000, and legal ones - 400,000 - 500,000 rubles with confiscation specified instruments and devices.
It is also prohibited to install reversing lights and license plate lights with lights of any color other than white, as well as other lighting fixtures with lights of any color other than red, yellow or orange, on the rear of the vehicle. It is also not allowed to install reflective devices of any color other than red (List of malfunctions and conditions under which PROHIBITED operation of vehicles, point 3.4). Based on this, installing a blue number plate backlight, which many drivers love so much, will also be a reason for imposing penalties.
Interesting fact!The first car number was issued in 1899 in Munich.
How to make your own license plate light
Today, there are several ways to create a license plate light for your vehicle, but the most popular of them is to replace standard lighting lamps with LEDs and install additional lighting. In the first case, you just need to unscrew the cover and replace the existing incandescent lamp with diodes of a suitable color.
To dismantle the cover, first remove the chrome strip from the bumper. When unscrewing the standard lighting elements, try to perform all actions with the utmost care, since the small holder on the body is very fragile. Having disassembled the ceiling into parts (for this, a thin flat screwdriver is used), it is necessary to degrease its inside before installing new elements. Thus, the easiest way to solve the problem is if the standard number plate light is not on.
Experts recommend buying only powerful LED bulbs, which, although they shine brightly, will not be too dazzling when looking at the number. It is best to pay attention to products with lenses. Despite the fact that they cost a little more, all license plate symbols will be clearly distinguishable, and you won’t have to worry about the economy and safety of this type of lighting.
Do-it-yourself additional illumination of the number is based on the same principle as the illumination of speakers and buttons using LEDs. To install it, you will need a piece of plexiglass (no more than 3 mm thick) with LEDs built into it (at least 8 pieces). The back and end of the glass must be sealed with foil, which in this case will play the role of a reflector. After that, you need to direct the LEDs to the corners and fill them with sealant, which will eliminate the possibility of moisture ingress. The final two wires must be connected to the backlight itself or to a separate button.
An LED strip, which is sold in various size and color variations, can also serve as materials for creating additional lighting. To begin with, cut off the necessary part of the material at the cut points, prepare a low-power soldering iron, as well as pieces of wires with a cross section of 0.75 mm and a length of 20 cm. The ends of these wires must be tinned with rosin, and then soldered to the diode tape.
Single-color tapes can be connected directly to the car's on-board network (plus, plus, minus to the body), but when installing multi-color products, you will have to additionally install a controller between the battery and the device itself (voltage goes to the battery). To attach the tape to the body of the vehicle, you can use special plastic clamps or fix it in a standard cover. Some LED strips have an adhesive base, which only helps with its installation.
Be that as it may, it is always worth remembering that a self-installed backlight can cause additional questions from traffic police officers, of course, if you decide to install non-standard color diodes. In particular, blue, yellow, red or any other illumination of the number plate may entail not only a fine, but also the withdrawal of license plates, along with the deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle (for 6 months). Keep in mind that only white or pale yellow lighting elements are permitted by law.
After installing the LED backlight, be sure to check the quality of its work, and if you did everything right, then as a result you will certainly get a bright backlight for the number. According to the current legislation, it should be visible as clearly as possible. It is not recommended to install backlighting on the edges of the license plate. Despite the fact that there it will look much brighter, you can get a fine for this.
Do you know?The first "named" number in history was issued in 1901, when the German Rudolf Herzog presented his wife with a plate with her initials as a gift.
