Terrible news for motorists comes from Tambov. Throughout the year, cameras recording violations sent fines for not turning on the low beams. As the inspection found out, the camera program did not work correctly. Innovations have appeared in 2019, so if you do not want to receive fines for low beam, read the article.
Three days ago Andrey from Moscow asked me a question. He was compensated that he was given a ticket for his low beam headlights not working. I was very indignant and wanted to appeal this in court. I explained to him that now they could actually be punished for this.
For several years now, in Russia there has been a rule according to which drivers must drive with low beams or fog lights on. Moreover, this rule applies at any time of the day and in any weather.
Driving without low beams
Now even in driving schools they teach that immediately when getting into a car you need to turn on the low beam. If you do not do this, you may be stopped by traffic police inspectors. According to current legislation, you will be fined 500 rubles.
It may seem that the amount of the fine is not very large. Just remember, if an accident occurs and you do not have your low beams on, you will be found to be at fault for the accident. In this case, you will not be able to get away with just a fine. We will have to resolve the issue with the insurance company regarding compensation for repair costs.
In addition, concluding a new insurance or comprehensive insurance contract for the next year will cost you much more.
I recommend that you pay attention to this rule. Typically, drivers forget to turn on the low beams during the day, when it is not light outside. If you are driving through a populated area, do not forget to switch the high beam to low beam.
Burnt out light bulb
If one or two light bulbs have burned out, then you are also violating traffic rules. In this case, you do not have the right to use a car in a faulty condition. A fine of 500 rubles is provided for this.
LED bulbs
Some drivers like to drive with rear fog lights on all the time. It is unacceptable. You can only use them in poor visibility conditions. Although you can use front fog lights.
Remember that the factory presets certain lamps that you can use. If you decide to replace them with more powerful ones, you may also be fined for this.
If you want to make any changes, consult with specialists and traffic police officers. You can get permission from them to use a certain type of headlights.
According to statistics, having low beams on helps make the situation on the road safer. The number of road accidents is decreasing. This is especially noticeable when a gray car is driving on a cloudy day. Without low beams it can easily be missed.
If you get caught by a good inspector, you can get off with a regular warning, without receiving a fine.
Remember, if you constantly drive with your low beams on, after 3-4 years your headlight reflectors will completely burn out. They will need to be replaced in this case. It is for this reason that during the day and during daylight hours it is better to drive with fog lights.
The cost of replacing fog lights is much cheaper than replacing low beams.
If you have the opportunity, you can install daytime running lights. They are now installed on many cars directly at the factory. With them you will definitely not forget to turn on the headlights. They work according to the following principle. As soon as you start the car, they immediately turn on automatically.
Questions and answers
Sergey
Is it possible to install LED lamps for low beam in a car?
Answer
If this is provided for by the design, then such lamps can be installed. If not provided, then you can only install lamps of the type installed by the manufacturer.
Ivan
Traffic police officers stopped and issued a fine for not turning on the low beams. At the same time, my headlights were on. I wrote about this in the comments to the protocol. What to do next?
Answer
You can appeal such a protocol in court. It is best to contact a lawyer so that he can study the documents on your situation in more detail.
Alexei
The traffic police stopped me and pointed out that the low beams were not working. We started drawing up a protocol. The headlights really didn’t work at that moment, apparently the fuse had come off a little. I gave it a little tug and it worked. But the employees drew up a protocol anyway. How can I appeal?
Answer
You can prepare documents and go to court to appeal. But in your situation there is little chance. You don’t deny that the headlights weren’t working when you stopped. You should have checked the functionality of the headlights before leaving and repaired the damage.
Andrey
I was driving through the city on a sunny day with the low beams off. I was stopped by a traffic police officer. I drew up a report and issued a fine of 500 rubles. Is this allowed?
Answer
In your situation, the employee could issue a fine or give a warning. He issued a fine, which is allowed by law. If you do not agree, appeal in court.
Instructions
Daytime running lights are not available on all cars. Their purpose is good visibility of the car for other drivers and pedestrians. DRLs mark the front of the vehicle, there are none at the rear. For the convenience of the motorist, daytime running lights are turned on when the engine is started, rarely when it is necessary to do this on purpose. Accordingly, DRLs always work on the car while it is moving.
If your car does not have DRLs, then to indicate it when driving on any roads at any time of the day you will need low beam headlights.
Be sure to turn on this light in the tunnel, even if it is daytime or there is lighting in the tunnel. This rule was introduced in case of sudden lighting outage. If the car does not have low beam headlights on in such a situation, this may lead to an accident. An accident can occur in the seconds it takes for the driver to turn on the low beam while his car is moving in complete darkness.
If it is raining, snowing or foggy on the road, that is, visibility is far from ideal, low beam headlights are also necessary.
When you drive at night outside the city or village, you need high beam headlights. In the city, this light is rarely used: there are streets and there are many other road users who can be blinded by high beams.
You should always switch your high beams to low beams when facing oncoming traffic. The distance to it should be at least 150 meters. Even if the oncoming car is further than 150 meters from you, and its driver shows that you are blinding him (quickly switches the high and low beam), you must turn off the high beam.
It is worth switching from high beam to low beam when approaching the top of the climb, in order to also avoid dazzling oncoming and passing cars. Under these conditions, the driver will not see them in advance, since the view is blocked by the slide.
The traffic rules do not indicate at what distance to a passing car you are required to turn off your high beam headlights. But it does say that you should not blind other drivers. So if you have caught up with a car in front, turn off your high beam headlights.
Not every car has fog lights. Sometimes drivers themselves equip their cars with them; the rules do not prohibit this. The immediate purpose of these headlights is to illuminate the road when it rains or fog falls. If you cannot see the road ahead very well, you should turn on the fog lights along with the low or high beam headlights.
There are also fog lights that illuminate your car from behind. Under no circumstances should such lights be connected to brake lights, since they can only be turned on in fog, rain or snow. If the road visibility is good, turning on such lighting for your car on the road is unnecessary.
If you are driving in a heavy snowstorm or rainstorm, the best option in such a situation is to turn on the fog lights plus low beams. High beam headlights in this situation will blind you: the light will reflect from the snow or rain and return to your eyes.
It is allowed to turn on only the fog lights in order to identify your vehicle while driving. But this is possible only during the day, when there is no rain, and under no circumstances in a tunnel.
If you decide to stop on the highway at night, the rules require you to turn on the side lights on your car. Such lights do not illuminate the road at all, but they will allow other drivers to notice your car in advance. When a vehicle parked on the side of the road does not have side lights, it can easily lead to a serious accident.
Related article
Sources:
- Traffic rules of the Russian Federation 2014
Dimensional lights– these are lighting devices provided by the design of a vehicle to indicate the vehicle while it is moving, in the evening, in fog and in other conditions of poor visibility.
You will need
- - awl;
- - relay.
Instructions
To turn on the dimensions lights, press the corresponding buttons located on the instrument panel: they are located to the left or right of the steering wheel (the location of these buttons depends on the vehicle model). The buttons you are interested in are marked with special graphic symbols, so it is almost impossible to confuse them with other buttons.
If you turn on the dimensions lights necessary for foreign-made cars, this can be done using a lever: for vehicles with the steering wheel on the right, the lever is also on the right; for cars with left-hand drive, the lever is located on the left. To turn on the dimensions lights, just turn the tip, which is located at the end of the lever.
You can control the turning on and off of the side lights by installing an “Automatic side light switch” on the vehicle. This device is designed to automatically turn off the side lights after turning on the ignition. In other words, it protects the battery from being discharged.
UPD: This information is only rumors, at the moment low beam headlights required for all drivers, both in populated and non-populated areas of Russia.
For driving a car in the daytime without the lights on, a fine of 500 rubles is imposed. However, everything could change soon! There were rumors that they wanted to allow not turning on headlights during the day from April 1, 2018 to September 30, but the law has not yet been adopted (as of early April).
The use of low beams, regardless of the time of day, has become mandatory since November 20, 2010. The explanation is simple - a car with its headlights on becomes much more noticeable on the road, which in turn reduces the accident rate. Despite this, news has emerged that during the daytime, when driving in a populated area, it will be possible not to turn on lighting devices, but only until September 30. This is due to an increase in daylight hours, inspectors note.
A car with its lights on is more visible on the road, thereby reducing the number of accidents due to simple inattention to almost zero!
Requirements regarding the use of lighting devices are listed in paragraph 19 of the Russian Federation Traffic Regulations. So, in the dark and in conditions of insufficient visibility, turning on the headlights is mandatory! The low beam must also be turned on when driving in a tunnel. The traffic rules do not prohibit the use of fog lights instead of low beams or together with them, but only in conditions of poor visibility.
You should not overuse your high beams, especially if there are cars in the oncoming lane, as this can provoke an emergency!
Sanctions for ignoring the rules for using lighting devices are provided for in Article 12.20 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The violator will face a fine of 500 rubles, but there is a chance to get off with a verbal warning.
If during an accident it is determined that the innocent person violated the rules for using lighting devices, then both drivers will be named as the culprits of the incident!
What do car owners think?
The news that from April 1, 2018, low-beam headlights no longer need to be turned on during the day was received differently by drivers.
Many people believe that sunlight is enough to notice a moving car. There are those who are sure that turned-on headlights attract the attention of both drivers and pedestrians, so such amendments are not necessary. Some argue that such an innovation is useless by the fact that in many civilized countries, the lights on cars are always on while driving; moreover, almost all standard cars there have the option of turning on the headlights simultaneously with starting the engine.
TOP violations related to the use of lighting devices
Before the amendments came into force, the most common violation in the use of lighting devices was turning off headlights during the daytime. In addition, drivers:
- abuse high beams;
- “fog lamps” are used for other purposes;
- Only turn on the side lights at night.
We repeat, the law abolishing the use of low-beam headlights during the day has not yet been adopted, despite talk about it.
Russian legislation requires driving with headlights on not only outside the city, but also in the city itself. Moreover, at any time of the day and year, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s cloudy or bright outside. Let's talk about why you need to turn on low beam headlights.
Pros or cons
Turning on low beam headlights is necessary to make your vehicle more visible to other road users. This measure should help reduce the number of accidents. You need to turn on low beam headlights (or running lights) both in summer and winter.
Opponents of the law on driving with headlights on all the time first of all complain about increased fuel consumption. After all, a car with its headlights on consumes more fuel. But what does an increase in fuel consumption by 1-2 percent mean when compared with a possible reduction in the number of accidents?
In some European countries, driving with headlights on at all times has been mandatory for many years. And this is what the statistics from those countries say: the number of accidents could be reduced by 10-15 percent. And this is a good argument in favor of adopting a new law.
It must be remembered that a car with its headlights on is more visible on the road, and other traffic participants, as well as pedestrians, perceive this car completely differently. This happens on a subconscious level, and a car with its headlights on is perceived by the brain as a source of danger. In addition, your car, if it is not brightly colored, may simply blend into the asphalt, especially after dark.
Paragraph 19.5 of the Traffic Regulations regulates that during daylight hours all moving vehicles must have low-beam headlights or running lights turned on to indicate them. In case of violation, an administrative fine will be imposed under Article 12.20 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation - warning or fine 500 rubles.
Instead of low beams, it is recommended to use running lights (DRLs). They are most often LED and do not require a large load. Many modern cars are equipped with DRLs at the factory. It is also possible to equip your car with running lights yourself; a set of normal DRLs starts from 1000 rubles.
I don’t know how useful it is to drive with the lights on in the city, but when they forced everyone to turn on their low beams outside the city, I welcomed this innovation. Now, at a glance, you can see whether someone is approaching oncoming or whether someone ahead is overtaking.
Driving with low beam headlights is useful, first of all, for the drivers themselves. When a car is driving with its headlights on, it can be seen on the road. But some car enthusiasts still ignore this rule, or simply turn on the dimensions. Another thing is if the fog lights or daytime running lights are on. They make the car stand out in traffic, but don’t forget that they should be turned off at night, because... they can blind oncoming drivers.
Gentlemen, car enthusiasts, do not forget to turn on your low beams during the day; you should not skimp on light bulbs and other nonsense about fuel consumption. Safety on the road is much more important than spending an extra 50 grams of fuel.
I am glad to welcome everyone to our website! Today in the "" section we'll talk about this: isn't it a violation of traffic rules to use fog lights (FTL) instead of daytime running lights (DRLs) 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, low beam headlights or daytime running lights must be turned on on all moving vehicles for the purpose of identifying them.” In this regard, many motorists have counter-questions, namely: is it possible to use dimensions or PTF instead of DRLs and whether this would 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 the running lights, and even more so the low beam, during daylight hours? The fact is that studies have shown that when driving along the highway at high speeds, drivers react better to vehicles with DRLs or low beam headlights on. This allows you to notice approaching vehicles in time and perform the maneuver in time. In general, in a word, turning on the lights during the day is aimed at reducing accidents that occur during the daytime.
We seem to have sorted this out, but what about the differences between DRLs or side lights?
The problem is that the design of modern headlights sometimes seriously confuses car owners, who themselves do not fully understand that they have turned on the running lights or headlights. Why is this so critical? Yes, because DRLs are allowed to be used as a light source; this will not be a violation and will not entail penalties. What can’t be said about the “dimensions”; you can’t use them instead of daytime running lights, as well as low beam headlights! That's why this point is very important.
Why are side lights banned, what’s wrong with them? The fact is that “dimensions”, unlike DRLs, serve to designate a vehicle in the dark, but in the daytime they are of little use. The light they emit is not enough during the daytime, because it is very weak and invisible (power is about 5 Watts), so they are prohibited from being used instead of low beams, as well as daytime running lights. Brightness according to GOST (GOST R 41.48-2004) should be in the range from 400 to 800 candelas.
It would seem that everything is simple: there are no daytime running lights - turn on the low lights and live in peace... But, not everything is so simple. The fact is that constantly switched on low beam leads to premature failure of lamps, the price of which can reach several hundred dollars. In addition, it has been proven that headlights increase fuel consumption (about 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 low beam always on.
What about fog lights, can they be used instead of low beams and DRLs?
This question turns out to be of concern to many and here’s why. The fact is that not everyone has daytime running lights; as we found out, you can’t drive with the lights on, and turning on the low lights is not profitable from an economic point of view. But everyone has a mailbox, and 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 traffic rules.
clause 9.4. Fog lights can be used:
- in conditions of poor visibility with low or high beam headlights;
- at night on unlit sections of roads together with low or high beam headlights;
- instead of low beam headlights in accordance with paragraph 19.5 of the Rules.
The only caveat is that on some cars, fog lights work exclusively in conjunction with low beam headlights, so many refuse this alternative to daytime running lights.
Let's sum it up
As you can see, there is a way out. You can drive the neighbor if you are not too worried about fuel consumption and the degradation of the life of light bulbs. You can also use PTF if they are installed on your car, this will not be a violation of the rules and you will not have any questions from the inspectors. The third option is to install daytime running lights. DRLs consume significantly less energy compared to low beam headlights, as well as PTF, while they shine brighter than their dimensions and are clearly visible at any time of the day - therefore they are the most profitable and acceptable option!
