One of the problems that a motorist may encounter is unreadable license plates on the car. Anything can make them unreadable - even banal dirt. Let's figure out in what cases you can be fined, and how to avoid punishment.
○ How a traffic police officer assesses the unreadability of a license plate.
First of all, you need to figure out which numbers are considered unreadable. Here you need to refer to the rules established GOST 50577-93. According to clause 4.7 of this regulatory act, it establishes that the license plates installed on the car must be clearly distinguishable from a distance of 20 m. There are also different rules for daytime and nighttime, established directly by the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation:
- During daylight hours, it should not be possible to see at least one letter or number of both numbers from a distance of 20 m.
- At night, at least one of the letters or numbers of the rear license plate must not be clearly visible. The different approach is due to the fact that the rear number is usually illuminated constructively.
Usually the numbers become unreadable due to dirt. However, in addition to this, often the reasons for unreadability are:
- Deformation of the license plate (for example, if it hit an obstacle).
- Peeling paint.
- Using special measures to prevent photo or video recording of license plates. Some overly clever drivers are trying to avoid fines for speeding and other violations recorded by automatic cameras - and attach light filters, transparent plastic overlays, meshes, etc. to the license plates. As a result, although the license plate can be recognized by the human eye - but the camera no longer registers it. Needless to say, such measures are completely illegal.
○ Penalty for unreadable numbers by law.
In the event that the numbers turn out to be unreadable, the perpetrator will face punishment in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. In this case, the following rules apply:
- Part 1 art. 12.2 – if the license plate is simply dirty, or bent, rusted, paint peeling, etc. In this case, the driver may face a fine of 500 rubles. However, often traffic police inspectors simply demand that the dirty license plate be cleaned, after which, limiting themselves to a warning, they allow you to drive on.
- Part 2 of the same article - if the numbers are missing at all, or have been modified or equipped with the same grilles or light filters. In this case, the culprit will face a fine of up to 5 thousand rubles. It is also possible here deprivation of rights for a period of 1 to 3 months.
○ Can you be fined for dirty cars or wheels?
It is worth talking separately about whether a fine is possible not for dirty license plates, but for dirt on the car itself.
It should be noted that the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation does not provide for a fine for this: if the license plates can be read, no one cares about the cleanliness of the car itself or its wheels. However, quite often traffic police officers try to bring drivers who drive dirty vehicles to justice.
To some extent, Art. helps them in this. 12.33 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. It provides for liability for damage to the road, including through its pollution, and the punishment here is quite substantial: for citizens - fine from 5 to 10 thousand rubles. However, the norm provided for by this article can be applied to owners of dirty cars only in one case - if the car is so dirty that the dirt from it falls in pieces onto the road surface.
In all other cases, for dirt on the body or dirty wheels you They have no right to fine you!
There have always been. This is a pressing problem that many drivers may face who do not keep their car clean. How much fine will a driver have to pay for a dirty license plate and how to determine the degree of pollution? This is what we are talking about.
Criteria for a dirty room
The vehicle's license plate must be clearly visible at any time of the day and from different angles. There is a similar requirement in the law on administrative offenses. If the license plate is not visible from a distance of 20 meters, then this is a violation. By the way, this is the main criterion that can be the basis for a fine for a dirty number. There are other rules according to which a number can be readable, but still fall under certain violations.
Violations occur in the following cases:
- A dirty number that can be distinguished from a distance of 20 meters, but which is not recorded by photo and video equipment.
- There is a lot of contamination on only one side. It happens that dirt makes it impossible to clearly distinguish at least one number on the sign. And although the sign can still be identified due to its convexity, the traffic police inspector has the right to issue a fine for a dirty license plate.
- For any other reason, it is not possible to distinguish at least one character on the license plate from a distance of 20 meters.
It is worth noting that in the dark, only the cleanliness of the rear license plate of the car is taken into account. And if the front sign is dirty, then this violation is not taken into account. Remember this when the traffic police inspector issues a fine for dirty license plates at night. However, practice shows that quite rarely drivers can receive a fine. Most often, such a violation is corrected by the driver on the spot within five minutes, and everything ends only with a verbal warning from the inspector.
What is the fine for dirty license plates?
Dirt on the license plate is not a serious violation. Therefore, there is no liability for drivers who are driving a car with dirty license plates. However, liability is possible if the number is completely unreadable. There are penalties for this:
- Simple verbal warning followed by on-site treatment. In this case, there is no penalty for dirty rooms. In 90% of cases, traffic police inspectors do exactly this. This is normal practice, because they understand that the driver could simply not notice how he stained the license plate.
- Fine. Drivers are rarely fined. If the number cannot be determined due to dirt, then the traffic police inspector has the right to fine the driver 500 rubles. This is exactly the size of the fine for dirty license plates in 2017.
Deliberate pollution
There are drivers who deliberately stain license plates so that in case of violation, the camera will not be able to record the car number. For this, the punishment may be more severe:
- A fine of 5,000 rubles.
- Deprivation of rights for 3 months. This is the maximum period of deprivation of rights that is possible for such a violation.
The difficulty in this case lies in proving the driver’s intentional contamination of the license plate. He can deny everything and say that the room was dirty naturally. So it is quite rare for drivers to receive such serious fines for this violation.
Avoidance of responsibility
There is an opinion that you can avoid liability for an unreadable license plate if it was raining or snowing when the violation was detected. In this case, the driver has a chance to prove his innocence in court and not pay a 500 ruble fine. To do this, he needs to make an official request to the weather center, obtain weather data on the day of the violation and provide this data to the court. In this case, there is a chance to avoid punishment, but this cannot be guaranteed. However, this practice is not catching on, since it will take a long time to wait for data from the weather center, and no one will sue over 500 rubles.
What to do if an inspector stops you because of unreadable license plates?
If a traffic police officer stops the car and asks you to clean the license plate from dirt, then you should do what he asks. Driving a car with an illegible sign is a violation. Most often this is exactly what happens, but in some cases traffic police inspectors insist on drawing up a report, which will entail a fine. In this case, it is worth asking the inspector if he has photo or video evidence of the violation. If there is, the driver has the right to ask for it. If the inspector refuses to show proof of the violation or immediately admits that it is missing, then the driver can quickly clear the license plate on the spot. The traffic police officer no longer has the right to detain the driver, since the license plates are clean and there is no evidence of a violation. Therefore, most often, traffic police inspectors make do with a verbal warning.
If there is evidence when drawing up a protocol, you should not interfere with the traffic police officer, since he acts in accordance with legal norms. In this case, liability cannot be avoided unless the court finds sufficient grounds to cancel the fine. The weather can be such a reason, but this is rare.
Drawing up a protocol
When drawing up a protocol, you should be vigilant. Sometimes inspectors take advantage of drivers’ legal ignorance and indicate in the protocol that the driver deliberately hid the license plate with dirt. In this case, the fine will be 5,000 rubles, and even the possible deprivation of a driver’s license for a period of 3 months. Therefore, before you sign the protocol, you must re-read it carefully.
Some cunning drivers add their comments to the protocol, pointing out violations that occurred when the driver was stopped. However, this can be done by experienced drivers. A novice driver most often does not even read the protocol and signs what he is asked to sign.
Conclusion
Now you know what fines for dirty license plates are possible in 2017. Most likely, this norm will remain in 2018. Such a small fine is due to the fact that it’s easy to dirty a room in the city, and even more so outside the city. At the same time, drivers cannot know whether their license plate is dirty or clean at the moment, and for many, its unreadability is indeed a surprise.
Fortunately, traffic police inspectors take the drivers' position and ask to eliminate the violation on the spot, after which they wish them a safe journey and let the driver go. This reaction occurs often, but there are harmful and principled inspectors who draw up protocols on violations. Therefore, before getting into the car, it is worth checking the condition of the license plates and washing them if they are so dirty that they are completely unreadable. This will help avoid a fine.
There are a number of requirements for state registration plates and their installation on a vehicle, violation of which leads to liability under the law provided for by the Code of Administrative Offenses. Therefore, if a car has an unreadable license plate that is not recognized by the traffic police inspector’s locking device, this becomes a reason to stop the vehicle and apply certain sanctions to the driver under the Code of Administrative Offenses (fine and more).
When is a number considered “unreadable”?
If you look at the situation from the point of view of the law, then license plates are recognized as unreadable when, being at a distance of 20 meters from the car, it is impossible to see at least one of the symbols (number, letter), and:
- at night this applies only to rear signs;
- in the daytime - either rear or front.
Most often, symbols become unreadable due to contamination (which cannot be avoided, especially in slushy and rainy weather); the problem can also arise over time due to natural abrasion of the paint. There are also more serious violations when the driver deliberately tries to hide the sign with reflective film or mesh, not wanting it to be recorded by video cameras.
What punishment does the law provide?
Punishment for unreadable numbers is provided for in Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences. In the first part, sanctions are provided for cases of driving a car with illegible or incorrectly installed license plates, and this can be:
- warning;
- a fine of 500 rubles.
The second part of the article concerns more complex cases when there are no signs in the right place or they are modified (for example, as mentioned above, they are covered with a mesh that prevents their identification). In this case, the fine for an unreadable license plate is provided in the amount of 5 thousand rubles, but at the same time, the driver may be deprived of the right to drive a vehicle for up to three months.
Important! The third and fourth parts of this article concern the use of deliberately false license plates, providing for more severe penalties. But they do not apply to driving with dirty license plates.
What are the consequences of legal ignorance for a driver?
There are cases when traffic police officers take advantage of the legal illiteracy of drivers and attribute to them a violation under Part 2 of Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, according to which, instead of a warning for the primary violation or a fine for a dirty license plate (more precisely, unreadable) in the amount of 500 rubles (if the incident is repeated), they will have to pay ten times more.
There are also frequent situations when they try to hold people accountable for polluting the national flag on the sign or mark “RUS”, “TRANSIT”. But here, too, it should be remembered that the Code of Administrative Offenses does not provide for punishment for a dirty license plate. If you noticed, it was said above that letters and numbers are unreadable. That is, the law provides for liability specifically for unreadable license plates on a car, and these are different things.
What to do if you are stopped by traffic police for driving a car with a dirty license plate
Finding himself in such a situation, the driver has every right to double-check under what legislative acts, articles and parts the claims are being made against him and how justified they are. To do this, it would be useful to have a brochure on the road in which the current Traffic Rules and a separate statement on various fines are printed. In practice, the latter is more difficult to implement, so it is better to have on hand the telephone number of a lawyer who will advise you on the issue of interest and can explain what fine for an unreadable license plate is acceptable in your case, and advise you on what to do next.
For example, you can immediately put the rooms in order by cleaning them with a damp cloth, and insist that the violation is minor and does not contain malicious intent. Then you'll get off with a warning. You can also disagree with the accusation, indicating in the Protocol that the car was stopped illegally, due to the fact that driving with dirty license plates is not prohibited if the numbers and letters are readable at a distance of 20 meters. But in any case, when choosing a tactic of behavior, you need to look at the situation.
Before you start driving, be sure to check that the license plates are legible and free of dirt. If compliance with this rule becomes a habit, then the risk of the described situations can be minimized and a fine for an unreadable license plate can be avoided.
Of course, in slushy weather, pollution can occur at any time, but according to paragraph 2.3.1 of the Traffic Rules, every driver is obliged to immediately eliminate it upon detection of pollution before continuing to drive. To do this, you should always have wet wipes or a rag and a bottle of water in your car.
When driving in bad weather, don’t be too lazy to look at the license plates at each stop, because you can wipe them in a couple of seconds, but the situation can cause a lot of problems.
Important! In any collision with a traffic police officer, if you did not openly violate the traffic rules, consult with a lawyer.
One of the common traffic violations that drivers commit involves dirty license plates. This problem is especially relevant in spring and autumn, when the roads are a real mess - slush, dirt and snow. The numbers become clogged with dirt and become unreadable even in rainy summer weather and during snowfall in winter. It is very problematic to read and identify signs on it that are hidden by a layer of mud and installed video recording devices, which is why traffic police officers like to stop drivers and issue fines.
It is also worth noting that the equipment for recording traffic violations has high reading parameters, and thus is able to identify numbers and letters by unreadable numbers, since they are not only painted in black reflective color, but also embossed and protrude noticeably. A serious difficulty for them is the weather, for example, a snowstorm or heavy rain. In such situations, it can be very difficult to identify not only the license plate, but also the car itself and its color.
All are manufactured in accordance with GOST and must be clearly visible at any time of the day or night. These are the legal requirements that drivers must comply with for good readability of numbers and letters.
The number is considered unreadable if the following conditions are not met:
- During the day and during daylight hours: letters and numbers on both the front and rear license plates are clearly legible from 20 m;
- At night and in the dark: all symbols on the rear number plate only must be readable from 20 m.
If the license plate is smeared with dirt or one of the letters or numbers on it is poorly visible, hidden by something, or the paint on it has been erased, then it is automatically considered unreadable. This is a traffic violation that carries a fine. So, what is the traffic police fine in 2018 for a dirty license plate?
Penalty for dirty room
The driver is responsible for an unreadable license plate. So, on the basis of Article 12.2 Part 1:
If the license plate on the car is not legible, is non-standard, or is installed in violation of mandatory requirements, then a fine of 500 rubles or a verbal warning is provided.
Bad weather is no reason not to wipe your license plates. However, in such situations, traffic police inspectors are usually less picky about ensuring that the rooms are perfectly clean. So, if the roads are dirty, then it is enough to check and wipe them before each departure, or stop to wash them if the trip is very long. In such cases they will be more or less visible and not dirty. If they are not monitored for a long time, this will lead to an administrative fine.
The number may also be unreadable in cases where drivers deliberately cover it completely or only one number or letter. Such violations are punished more severely. So, on the basis of Art. 12.2 part 2:
If the car does not have a license plate or it has been modified using secondary means, due to which it cannot be read and identified, then a fine of 5,000 rubles or deprivation of rights for 1-3 months is provided.
What to do if stopped by a traffic police inspector?
It often happens that traffic police officers want to make money and charge the driver as much as possible for an unreadable license plate. In order to minimize the liability incurred in such cases, the following instructions should be followed.
1. If a car is stopped for having a dirty license plate, then you must not wait to hear all the violated legal acts and possible consequences from it, pick up some kind of rag or brush to clear the snow and wipe both state signs from adhering dirt.
In this case, the identified malfunction will be corrected on the spot and you can only receive a verbal warning from the traffic police. If this procedure did not help, and the inspector persistently wants to draw up a protocol and issue a traffic police fine for an unreadable number, then he should be reminded of Art. 2.9:
In case of a minor offense, the traffic police officer may make a verbal reprimand.
2. If it still doesn’t help and the inspector has drawn up a report for the dirty number, then the following should be done. First, you need to go up to the license plate and take a photo of it. It is advisable that the policeman also be included in the frame.
Secondly, you should note and indicate in the explanation that you absolutely do not agree with the violation, since all the signs on the license plate are clearly visible and easy to read, so the violation was issued illegally. Everything is captured in the photo.
As a rule, all police officers realistically and adequately assess the situation from the very beginning of the conversation. If the driver starts swearing and accusing him of illegal actions, then most of them, as a matter of principle, will want to draw up a report on the driver with a dirty license plate and issue the maximum fine.
Bottom line
Some drivers believe that in bad and rainy weather inspectors do not have the right to stop a car for unreadable license plates, check and issue fines. To challenge such cases, confirmation and receipt of a conclusion on the weather forecast from Phobos will be required, which does not necessarily indicate 100% rainy weather, but, for example, variable precipitation. The court may also not consider such evidence to be significant. Therefore, when stopping, it is better to immediately wipe the dirty number and continue on.
