What is the penalty for improper vehicle lighting? Tips: Is there a legal backlight? How to make a car license plate illumination Diode strip illumination of the license plate.

03.02.2021

License plate illumination, which is a mandatory attribute of cars, often raises questions among drivers related to possible changes or upgrades in its installation. So, according to GOST, you need to stick to illuminating the license plate of the rear of the car, while avoiding illuminating the front number.

If the light above the car’s “mini-passport” does not light up, or the lighting does not meet the standards, the driver vehicle When traffic police inspectors detect these violations, they are subject to a state fine. To avoid penalties, you should be fully aware of how to properly install and operate the lighting fixture.

Regulatory aspects

The Road Traffic Regulations state that every vehicle must be equipped with special lighting equipment for the rear of the vehicle that can be switched on during operation. side lights. Accordingly, it must be activated in the dark so that the traffic police inspector can easily distinguish the symbols of the vehicle’s “mini-passport” from a distance of at least 20 meters.

Penalty for lack of backlight rear number and, accordingly, its unreadability is 500 rubles.

Possibility of losing driver's license for a period of 6-12 months with confiscation of the lighting device is also present. The owner of a vehicle may be subject to such a penalty for illuminating the front registration plate, since regulatory documents it should be missing.

Improved lighting

License plate lighting is not a problem; it can be implemented by upgrading the standard lights. Today, LEDs are most often installed in the form of strips, rulers and modules. However, going overboard with the number of LED items can be regarded as a change in the design of the vehicle.

To avoid punishment, you should remember two things:

Firstly, a violation in the lighting of the state registration number can only be proven if the vehicle is in use.
Secondly, changes that have been certified by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate cannot be considered illegal.

About the intensity of the backlight and the permitted colors of LEDs

According to GOST, the light of the rear registration plates must be white or yellow color, or their shades. Thus, any other color of lighting may be regarded as a violation and subject to a corresponding fine of 3,000 rubles, since colored LEDs can confuse drivers following and provoke a traffic accident.

Taking into account the standards, it is possible to change the tonality and saturation of the lighting. However, this must be done without attracting the inspector’s attention by using too bright a light, which leaves a mark on the road surface, as well as using excessive amounts of license plate lighting of other colors.

Lighting Retrofit Attributes

The spiral number illumination used in factory flashlights can be replaced with similar ones LED bulbs more powerful spectrum. The standard size of the LED for a light bulb with a standard base ranges from SMD5050 to COB matrices. Main positive quality Such light bulbs are compatible with the on-board computer (BC), that is, it will not generate errors when installing LEDs. Lamp prices depend both on the desired power and on the manufacturer. On average, a set of LED devices consisting of two lamps can be purchased for around 300-400 rubles.

For illumination of registration symbols with an LED module, the vehicle owner will have to pay at least 600-800 rubles. But such an LED device also has an advantage: geometric dimensions Exactly repeat the standard lampshades, i.e. no need to redo the fastenings.

A budget-friendly way to solve the problem of license plate illumination is the ability to glue LED strip above the number or along the perimeter. It is important to remember that it can only be glued to a place that is free of dirt and oil, otherwise the durability of the tape is not guaranteed.

In conclusion, I would like to say that you should strictly adhere to the rules for operating the car and treat the car's lighting fixtures properly. Before leaving, always check that the headlights are working properly so that both the rear and front license plate lights are functioning - this will ensure easy readability of the license plates. Take prompt action to correct any problems.

Any vehicle that travels on the roads must have an illuminated license plate.

This is very important element general view car. It is this that ensures readability of numbers at night. But there are some nuances here - there is a fine for the lack of rear license plate illumination or if it does not meet the standards.

Light bulbs are required only for the rear license plate. There are no such requirements for the front.

The backlight applies to external network devices. Its absence or malfunction is a violation of traffic rules.

If a traffic police inspector discovers a violation, even if the driver corrects the problem on the spot, he will still pay the fine provided for by the Code of Administrative Violations.

In the case when the device works, but the car is so dirty that the lighting is almost invisible - this also applies to defects and is punishable by financial compensation. The size of the fine depends on different types problems.

If the license plate light does not light up at all, you will be fined. After all, in this way the sign becomes unreadable.

Such a malfunction is perceived as a deliberate obstacle to the performance of the duties of authorized traffic police officers.

Driving a car with the license plate illumination not working during the day, if they are clearly legible, is not prohibited and is not a violation. But at night the numbers should be readable.

If at least one of several bulbs malfunctions and only part of the license plate is darkened, this is considered a violation and a fine is imposed. In this case, its amount will be 500 rubles or a verbal warning.

In some cases, a burnt-out device does not interfere with the readability of the license plate. This is possible if the second one works perfectly and is located in a place where there is the greatest advantage of lighting.

There will be no punishment for this. In accordance with the 2020 traffic rules, it is a violation to read even one character on a license plate at any time of the day from a distance of 20 meters.

There is one more rule, failure to comply with which will result in punishment. It is prohibited to operate a vehicle with defects, the presence of which would result in a ban on driving the vehicle.

However, it does not comply with the Basic Provisions for the approval of a car for operation. Violation is punishable by a fine of 500 rubles or an official warning.

Even if one light from the rear license plate illumination is not lit, but all symbols are visible and readable, the driver can be fined only for the non-working state of the license plate illumination.

Therefore, in the event of such a malfunction, it is better to quickly replace it in the daytime.

You can do this yourself or in technical center, which will cost much less than a fine. In addition, the driver's reputation will not be desecrated by an official warning.

The illumination of the front number plate does not matter, but if car enthusiasts want to illuminate it, then they can only install white or yellowish lamps.

Otherwise, you will face the following penalties provided for by the Code of administrative offenses:

the driver can be fined 3,000 rubles;
lighting equipment will be confiscated;
a ban on the use of this vehicle is possible;
behind repeat violation license plates will be removed.

Red lights or reflective devices must not be installed on the front of the vehicle.

Other lighting devices, the color of the lights and the operating mode of which are prohibited in accordance with the requirements of the Basic Regulations for Admission vehicles to operation and responsibilities officials for traffic support.

For such a violation, the fine amount is not the same as for the lack of rear license plate illumination - the driver will have to pay 3,000 rubles. This applies to individuals.

For officials, the amount of the fine is much higher, it ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 thousand rubles. And for legal entities - 400,000-500,000 rubles, while instruments and accessories are confiscated.

Many car enthusiasts use blue lights as tuning to make them brighter appearance car.

Blue lamps can be installed in headlights, side lights, daytime running lights running lights or in the backlight registration plate, as additional lighting under the bottom of the car.

A violation of the rules under which the operation of a vehicle is prohibited is the installation of certain colors of lighting devices that are not on the permitted list:

Only white, yellow or orange lights can be installed at the front of the car.
Only red, yellow or orange lights can be installed at the rear of the vehicle.
Regarding the rear license plate illumination and lights reverse, then only white color is allowed for use.

It is worth paying attention to important point relatively of blue color- it is not listed in the allowed list of colors. This means that the use of blue or cyan bulbs in any case is an offense for which the operation of the vehicle is prohibited.

The Code of Administrative Offenses does not provide for a fine for blue backlighting of license plates. The driver will immediately be deprived of the opportunity to drive a car for a period of 6 to 12 months.

Information about this violation was not widely publicized, unlike the installation of xenon. Therefore, sometimes you can see cars on the roads with the specified offense.

It is important for every driver who is going to install blue or cyan lights to understand what they are risking.

If, when purchasing a car, you discover blue backlight numbers, then you need to replace the lamps with standard ones as soon as possible.

The same punishment threatens when installing lighting fixtures of other non-standard colors, although it is much less common:

green;
purple;
brown.

It is important to remember that you can also lose your rights for using the following:

Red lights on the front of the vehicle.
The lights are white at the rear of the car, except for the license plate light and the reversing light.
Multi-colored lamps, in addition to white, in the rear license plate illumination and reversing lamp.

There are cases when the design of the car does not provide illumination of the rear license plate. If the car owner has a valid ticket technical inspection, then the traffic police officer does not have the right to impose penalties.

Thus, in the absence of rear license plate illumination or its malfunction in 2020, punishment in the form of a fine will follow. Its amount is 500 rubles.

For the first violation you can simply receive an official warning. The fine is not very large, but the very fact of its presence is not pleasant, in addition, the price of a new light bulb is much cheaper.

Therefore, if such a malfunction is detected, it is better to immediately eliminate it in the daytime. This will not be difficult, but it will help to avoid an unpleasant situation when stopped by a traffic police officer.

According to current law, the license plate illumination must be sufficient to ensure its clearest visibility at night. At the same time, the license plate light cannot be absolutely any color that the car owner wants to see it. The law clearly regulates the acceptable colors of lighting devices located in front and behind the car. In particular, the color of the license plate illumination is allowed either white or pale yellow.

It is worth understanding that no matter how original and attractive the blue, red or green backlight of the license plate may look, if it is located in the front of the car, then this is a violation of the law, which entails deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle for a period of six months to a year, removal license plates and illegally installed lighting equipment. If the rear license plate is equipped with “wrong” lighting, there is no risk of deprivation of license, but the inspector has the right to issue a fine.

Attention! At night, the traffic police inspector has the right to assess the visibility of only the rear number plate, while checking the front number plate is unlawful.

Number plate light

The desire of many motorists to change the standard license plate light is understandable. If you frequently use the car in the dark, when the backlight must be turned on, the ceiling lamp quickly begins to deform, since it is strongly heated by a standard incandescent lamp. In addition, in many vehicle models, the simple procedure of replacing a burnt-out lamp often leads to damage to the ceiling mount, since it is located extremely poorly.

No matter what, the license plate illumination must be maintained in good condition, which will avoid problems with the traffic police. You should know that the inspector has the right to issue a fine in the amount of 500 rubles if the license plate number cannot be clearly identified at a distance of up to 20 meters from the car. In this case, the traffic police officer may limit himself to a verbal warning. In addition, a fine can only be issued when there is evidence that the driver knew about the defect and started driving anyway.

To avoid damage to the standard license plate lamp, it makes sense to replace the standard incandescent lamp in it with LEDs, heating up during operation significantly less. Naturally, the LED backlight of the license plate must comply with GOST requirements, i.e., be white or light yellow, especially on the front license plate. You need to know one more important point - at night, the inspector can check the possibility of identifying only the rear license plate.

Infrared room illumination

The development of technology in terms of video recording on highways has led to a sharp increase in the number of automatically sent fine tickets. Often, such fines come even to careful drivers who accidentally violated traffic rules. From here it becomes quite clear the desire of every car owner to use technical means in order to hide from the ubiquitous CCTV cameras, which are not only installed permanently, but have recently been equipped with them special vehicles Traffic police

It is worth immediately noting that obvious attempts to hide government number car are punishable. Therefore, many drivers expect that the installed infrared illumination of the license plate will help avoid recording the license plate by surveillance cameras. There is a certain logic in this step, since strong illumination by IR rays makes the process of clear video recording of the license plate difficult. But this measure is not always effective.

Illumination of a license plate with IR rays will only be effective at night if the installed surveillance camera operates in day/night mode. If the camera is more advanced, has an installed IR filter and a set of additional digital options, it is unlikely that you will be able to illuminate the number, even if a directional IR illuminator is installed. Therefore, before installing such IR license plate illumination, it makes sense to think about whether it is worth the money, because video recording equipment is becoming more and more advanced every day.

Correct state lighting numbers

Before making license plate lighting from an LED strip, you should decide whether this will be additional lighting or whether it will become the only lighting for the license plate. Using tape is the easiest and most in a fast way independent device additional lighting license plate. The advantages compared to other methods are obvious:

As already mentioned, it is better to purchase an LED strip in white or light yellow, especially for the license plate located on the front of the car. As practice shows, for high-quality illumination of the rear license plate you will need approximately 0.5-0.6 meters of tape. When choosing a specific manufacturer, it is worth considering that little-known and cheap samples of LED strip can easily disappoint and not justify the money spent, so the cost of the strip cannot be too small.

Installing an LED strip, which will be used as additional lighting, is not labor intensive:

A piece of tape is cut to the required length.
Carefully cleaned pieces of pre-prepared wire with a cross-section of 0.75.
Using a low-power soldering iron, the ends of the wires are tinned using rosin.
Using caution, the wire is soldered directly to the tape; the soldering points must be insulated.

After this, you can connect the tape to the car's electrical network. Single-color tapes are connected directly - plus to plus, minus, respectively, to ground. If multi-color tape is used, between its plus and battery you will need to install a controller. To attach the tape, you can use small plastic clamps, double-sided tape or glue.

Replacing standard backlight bulbs with LEDs

If you don’t want to “tinker” with the LED strip, you can simply install a diode in the license plate illumination. It is quite possible to do this yourself, spending very little time on this procedure. To replace the standard incandescent lamp, you must remove the lampshade. To do this, you will first have to carefully remove the saber (if any) from the bumper.

When unscrewing standard lamps, you should be extremely careful not to damage the mounting of the lampshade. Using a knife and a flat-head screwdriver, the lampshade is disassembled. Before installing the light bulbs, it is advisable to treat the internal surfaces of the lampshade with gasoline. Assembly is carried out in reverse order. Light efficiency LED backlight The numbers can be seen in the video:

If you do not want to change the standard backlight, You can also “organize” auxiliary lighting for the license plate using LEDs mounted on plexiglass. For implementation this method To illuminate the license plate with diodes, you will need to cut a piece of plexiglass of the appropriate size, the thickness of which is approximately 3 mm. Having placed at least 8 LEDs on the glass, they are covered with foil, which acts as a reflector, and the edges are filled with sealant. Such a system can be connected either directly or through a separate switch.

Installation of LED strip lighting

An illuminated license plate frame always looks more original than its standard version, which determines the high interest of car owners in this method of providing additional license plate lighting. Most widespread received three-matrix diodes. The steps for self-installation are not particularly difficult, the main thing is not to rush:

After this, it makes sense to turn on the new license plate light for testing, and only after that proceed with installing the lamp in its permanent place. If there is no time/desire for independent creativity, a frame for a car license plate with backlight can be purchased ready-made - the main thing is that the color of the lamps complies with current standards, remembering that blue illumination of the number located in front will inevitably result in deprivation of rights.

By traffic rules requirements, the vehicle must have high-quality license plate illumination at night - cars that do not have it can be stopped by a traffic police inspector.

The rules say that only rear license plate illumination is needed - it is not necessary to illuminate the front license plate.

Let's take a closer look at what the license plate illumination on a car should look like. Being informed will allow you to avoid fines for rear license plate illumination and be aware of how you can resolve a misunderstanding with the traffic police if the license plate illumination is not on.

What the rules say

The traffic rules state that the owner of the car is obliged to ensure that the state license plate is legible.

In this case, rear license plate illumination is required at night - it is not needed at the front. White or yellow light must be used for lighting - blue backlighting of the license plate is not allowed. The license plate illumination must be sufficient to ensure its clearest visibility at night.

The readability of license plates is explained as an opportunity for a traffic police inspector to view them from a distance of 20 meters. It is believed that a broken light bulb or incorrect lighting does not provide this opportunity.
The reason for the fine for “unreadability” may be one of the following factors:
The number plate light does not light up;

blue number plate illumination;

use of means to impair the readability of license plates.

If the license plate light on your car does not light up, and you were stopped by the traffic police, you can claim that you left with an illuminated license plate, but a breakdown occurred along the way.

In the case where the license plate illumination does not work, a fine will be issued if the police can prove that you knew about it when leaving the garage.

If you managed to convince the inspector that the breakdown occurred on the road, no fine will be charged for the lack of rear license plate illumination. In this case, you will be given a warning and will be required to fix the problem within 24 hours.

The color of the license plate illumination is either white or pale yellow

Means and methods for reducing the readability of license plates
folding state signs - when the vehicle speed exceeds 50 km/h, the sign simply collapses from the oncoming air flow. Such a violation entails administrative liability and a fine;
magnetic frame - it is controlled from inside the car. When you press the button, the license plate is covered with a curtain and is impossible to read. It is not difficult for a traffic police officer to prove the fact of deliberate concealment of numbers and bring the driver to justice;
infrared lighting - it is generally accepted that at night, CCTV cameras cannot read data in the light of infrared rays, however modern equipment still gives such an opportunity;
mesh and transparent overlays - all this can also impair the visual perception of the state sign, so the use of such means is the reason for a stop by the traffic police;
additional stickers and badges - it is prohibited to put any extraneous information on the plate with the license plate; it should only contain what is provided for in the rules. The presence of extraneous symbols and pictures is a reason for bringing to administrative responsibility;
Dirty license plates are one of the most common ways to make them difficult to read. The rules provide for a warning to the driver and a fine if intent can be proven.

At night, the traffic police inspector has the right to assess the visibility of only the rear license plate

Penalties for violating the rules on license plates

The law talks about liability for failure to comply with the rules regarding registration plates:

driving a car with license plates that are unidentifiable, non-standard or placed without complying with the requirements of state standards entails a fine of five rubles or a warning;
the absence of state signs on a car, placement in places not provided for by the rules and the presence of means that make their identification difficult, entails a fine of 5 thousand rubles or deprivation of the right to drive a car for a period of one to three months;

Installation of knowingly false government signs involves the following fines:

2500 rubles for individuals;
from 15,000 to 20,000 rubles for officials;
from 400,000 to 500,000 rubles for legal entities.

Rear license plate illumination is a mandatory attribute of every car. For the content of this external lighting device in a faulty condition or in a condition that does not comply with the law, there are several types of administrative punishment: warning, fine, deprivation of rights. This article will tell you what a rear license plate light should be like, how to modernize it and what rules should be followed.

Legal aspects

In accordance with the regulations of the Road Traffic Rules (SDA), each car must have a rear license plate light, activated when turned on. side lights. This external light fixture is mandatory turns on while the vehicle is moving when it gets dark. In this case, the brightness of the lamps must be sufficient for the inspector to be able to identify the state. car number from a distance of 20 meters. The absence of illumination or an unreadable car number for any reason is regarded as a violation and, in accordance with Article 12.2 Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, entails a warning or a fine of 500 rubles.

The situation can be corrected and thereby improve the illumination of the registration plate by upgrading the standard lights. The most common way is to install LED light sources: modules, rulers, strips. However, this innovation can be regarded as a change in the design of the car with all the ensuing consequences.

The Appendix to the Traffic Regulations of the Russian Federation states that it is prohibited to make changes to the design of a vehicle without permission from the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation (clause 7.18 - Other design elements). This point can be interpreted as follows. Firstly, if the car is not involved in traffic(not in operation), then the violation cannot be detected. Secondly, if the changes made have been certified by the traffic police and have documentary evidence, then the modernization was carried out according to the law.

GOST 8769-75 (updated on August 1, 2013) in paragraph 2.8.2 states that the rear registration plate of the car must be illuminated by traffic white light. According to this clause, a ban is automatically established on illuminating the license plate with any other light, with the exception of shades of white. It turns out that the bright and rich colors of LEDs (blue, red, green) according to the law cannot be used in organizing rear license plate illumination. They can add ambiguity and confuse drivers of vehicles following behind.

This violation is interpreted by the inspector under Article 12.5 Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation with a warning or administrative fine 500 rubles. Another thing is the backlighting of the front license plate. According to all regulatory documents, it should be absent.

Penalty for installing state lighting. numbers in front will be more stringent - deprivation of rights for 6–12 months. with confiscation lighting fixtures(Article 12.5 part 3).

Taking into account the current standards and rules, we come to the conclusion that it is possible to convert the rear license plate lighting to LED with your own hands, but without unnecessary fanaticism. The main thing is not to attract the attention of officials with too bright a light, illuminating not only the sign, but also part of the roadway, and not to make a multi-colored decoration out of the car license plate illumination.

Ways to modernize license plate lighting

The spiral bulbs used in rear license plate lights are easiest to replace with similar LED bulbs. In the standard C5W base you can buy LED lamps of different sizes: from to COB matrices. Their main advantage is that they do not cause errors in on-board computer. Prices for the kit vary greatly and depend on the type of LEDs installed, their power and manufacturer. On average, 2 pieces can be purchased for $5. The standard license plate backlight can be easily replaced with ready-made LED modules specifically designed for this purpose. Their geometric dimensions exactly repeat the standard lampshades, that is, there is no need to redo the fastenings. The cost of a set of two budget series modules is $10-15. A cheaper option is license plate lighting based on a sealed LED strip with IP67 or IP68. In this case, you don’t even have to dismantle the standard lights. The LED strip is glued over the state. number or along its perimeter onto a clean, grease-free base. All that is required from the driver is to switch the power from standard lamps onto the LED strip, observing the polarity and ensuring the tightness of the contacts.

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