Is rear license plate illumination required?

Fine for non-working rear license plate light

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

This is a very important element of the overall appearance of the 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 the different types of problems.

Complete absence of backlight

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 2019 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.

Penalty for malfunction

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 at a technical center, which will cost much less than a fine. In addition, the driver's reputation will not be desecrated by an official warning.

What kind of lighting should it be?

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 Offences:

• the driver can be fined 3,000 rubles;
• lighting equipment will be confiscated;
• a ban on the use of this vehicle is possible;
• For repeated violations, 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 the admission of vehicles to operation and the duties of traffic officials.

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.

Penalty for blue lighting

Many car enthusiasts use blue lights as tuning to brighten the appearance of their car.

Blue lamps can be installed in headlights, side lights, daytime running lights or in the backlight of the rear 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:

1. Only white, yellow or orange lights can be installed at the front of the car.
2. Only red, yellow or orange lights can be installed at the rear of the vehicle.
3. As for the backlight and reversing lights, only white is allowed.

It is worth paying attention to an important point regarding the color blue - it is not included in the permitted 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 a license plate . 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 a blue backlight for the license plate, 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:

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

1. Red lights on the front of the vehicle.
2. The lights are white at the rear of the car, except for the license plate light and the reversing light.
3. 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 rear license plate illumination . If the owner of the car has a valid technical inspection ticket, 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 2019, 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.

Fine for non-working rear license plate light

Good afternoon, dear reader.

In this article we will talk about the fine for non-functional illumination of the state registration plate.

Light bulbs are provided only for the rear license plate of the vehicle. This is due to the fact that the rear license plate of the car must be readable even in the dark. There are no such requirements for the front number plate, so there are no light bulbs in front.

Illuminated number in traffic regulations

First of all, I would like to note that driving a car with non-working external lighting devices is prohibited by paragraph 3.3 of the list of faults:

3. External lighting devices
.
3.3. External lighting devices and reflectors do not work in the prescribed mode or are dirty.

Light bulbs for illuminating state registration plates are classified as external lighting devices. Therefore, operating a car whose light bulb does not work is a violation of traffic rules.

Moreover, if the design provides for several backlight bulbs, then each of them should work. If at least one light bulb does not work, then this is a violation.

Fine for lack of rear license plate illumination

The lack of illumination of the rear registration plate makes it unreadable at night (Part 1 of Article 12.2 of the Administrative Code):

1. Driving a vehicle with unreadable, non-standard or installed state registration plates in violation of the requirements of the state standard, with the exception of cases provided for in Part 2 of this article -

entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of five hundred rubles .

Note. A state registration plate is recognized as non-standard if it does not meet the requirements established in accordance with the legislation on technical regulation, and unreadable if at a distance of 20 meters at least one of the letters or numbers of the rear state registration plate cannot be read in the dark , and in daylight hours of at least one of the letters or numbers of the front or rear state registration plate.

This fine can only be imposed at night if, due to the absence of a light bulb(s), the number has become unreadable.

For example, if one of two bulbs has burned out and the first letter of the number is not visible from 20 meters away, then the number is unreadable and the driver will receive a warning or a fine of 500 rubles .

Another example. If one of the two lamps is not lit, but the remaining lamp illuminates the number well and all its symbols are visible from 20 meters, then this fine cannot be imposed.

Fine for faulty light bulb

Let me remind you once again that the rear license plate illumination is an external lighting device. Operating a vehicle with such a malfunction is prohibited. In addition, for this violation there is a fine under Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses:

1. Driving a 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, operation of the vehicle is prohibited, with the exception of malfunctions and conditions specified in parts 2 - 7 of this article , —

entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of five hundred rubles.

Thus, a driver may receive a warning or a fine of 500 rubles . Moreover, this fine, unlike the one discussed above, will be imposed even if the number remains readable after the backlight fails.

In 2020, the fine for non-working rear license plate lights is not very large - a maximum of 500 rubles . Nevertheless, it is very unpleasant to receive it, especially since the price of a new light bulb is much less.

The license plate light does not light up - is it possible to drive at night?

Let's start with the fact that such a defect is not a reason to stop using it. The only real dangers are faults in the steering, braking system, towbar when there is a trailer, at night - unlit headlights in the front and side lights in the rear, as well as a non-working driver's windshield wiper in the rain.

License plate illumination is not included in the list; you can drive, but troubles are possible.

Let's remember what the rear license plate illumination is officially used for. This is “the ability to read a license plate in the dark from a distance of at least 20 m when the sign is illuminated by standard means of lighting, except for the inscriptions “RUS”, “TRANSIT”, and the image of the State Flag of the Russian Federation, to which this requirement does not apply.”

If this condition is not met, then the driver faces administrative liability in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (Part 1, Article 12.2) in the form of a warning or a fine of 500 rubles.

As you yourself understand, no one will catch you on the road with this defect. Moreover, the number is rear and cannot be seen from the front.

However, let's consider the real situation on the road. You are stopped by a traffic police officer, you, according to the direction of the baton, press yourself to the side of the road, while the inspector is behind you. And, of course, he sees that one of the license plate light bulbs or the only lamp (in very simple cars like the first generation Logan) has burned out. If he is in the mood to punish, there is already a reason. Reluctant to pay? Try to master the simple replacement procedure for most cars. If there is a lamp in the glove compartment, then replacing it directly in front of the inspector will most likely be appreciated and he will not issue a fine.

How can you try to protect yourself from such troubles on the road? In addition to the banal advice of checking the condition of the car before leaving, you can also take preventive measures. The fact is that LED lamps are prohibited and can only cause problems in the front part of the car. At the rear, the requirements apply only to the color of the lamps. Therefore, by installing one or two white LED lamps from trusted manufacturers such as Philips or Osram in the license plate illumination, you can forget about the problem until the car is sold. Another solution is to use incandescent lamps made using Long life technology. These are also found in the lines of reputable manufacturers.

Is rear license plate illumination required?

Stopped. The documents were checked. There is nothing to complain about. He asks: “why is there no backlighting”? I told him: “not provided for by design.” He told me: “Do it, they must have frames with built-in light bulbs on foreign cars without backlighting,” and he let me go in peace. So I’m thinking: should I change the frame and stretch the wires or hammer it in? If I score, then what will happen to me if someone who is not so kind comes across me?

Regulatory framework on the topic:

List of malfunctions and conditions under which the operation of vehicles is prohibited (Appendix to the Basic Provisions for the approval of vehicles for operation):
clause 7.15. The state registration plate of the vehicle or the method of its installation does not comply with GOST R 50577-93

GOST R 50577-93:
Appendix I
“Requirements
for installation of state registration
plates on vehicles”
p.I.4.6.
The relative location of the registration plate and the registration plate lighting lamp(s) on the vehicle must comply with GOST R 41.4. p.I.4.7. The registration plate must be installed in such a way that in the dark it can be read from a distance of at least 20 m when illuminated by the standard vehicle sign light(s).

Unfortunately, I did not find GOST R 41.4-99 “Uniform regulations concerning the official approval of devices for illuminating the rear license plate of motor vehicles (except motorcycles) and their trailers”

However: the sign must be illuminated! Those. I have to do some backlighting. However, in paragraph 3.1 of the “List of faults. “, it is stated that the operation of vehicles is prohibited if “The number, type, color, location and mode of operation of external lighting devices do not comply with the design requirements of the vehicle.” What is meant by “vehicle design” requirements? Are the requirements of the regulatory documents of the Russian Federation regulating what lighting devices should be installed on all cars, or are they the standards that are specified in the design documentation of the developer company? If the second option, then it’s a paradox: if there’s no lighting, you violate it, but if there’s lighting for the rear license plate, that means you’ve made changes to the design, i.e. “the number, type, color, location and mode of operation of external lighting devices do not comply with the design requirements of the vehicle.”

What is the fine for not having license plate lights?

Drivers’ responsibilities include ensuring that state registration plates are fully legible and monitoring the technical condition of their own vehicles. In 2019, the fine for lack of license plate illumination according to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation remains unchanged, however, you should familiarize yourself with situations where appropriate sanctions may be applied to drivers.

Requirements for license plate illumination

Some car owners prefer to modernize lighting devices without taking into account the requirements of GOST-8769-5. It is this legislative act that regulates the features of external lighting units.

What are the requirements for license plate illumination:

• The lamp is installed only on the rear of the car. Installation in the front is optional, but if the driver wants, he can install white or yellow lamps.
• Rear license plate illumination is required. It should only be white. The use of blue, red and other bright colors is not allowed.

If a light bulb burns out, it is recommended to change it immediately. Otherwise, even if one lamp is missing, the inspector may be held liable.

A fine for non-working or missing lighting is issued only if a violation is actually detected by the inspector. There are no devices yet that detect such deficiencies.

If there is no backlight

The complete absence of illumination means the deliberate dismantling of the device to install light bulbs. This also refers to a completely non-working lighting fixture.

Such a violation is interpreted as an obstacle to reading license plates and is punishable under Part 1 of Art. 12.2 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The fine in this case will be 500 rubles.

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If the lights do not work during the day, the driver cannot be held liable. The key condition is that the number is unreadable at night.

Penalty for faulty lighting

If at least one light in the backlight is not lit and the inspector discovers this, the driver will have to pay a fine of 500 rubles. (Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

This malfunction prevents the legal driving of a vehicle in accordance with the Basic Rules for the Admission of Vehicles to Operation. The same applies to the above case, when the backlight is completely absent.

Are you fined for blue lighting?

Many car enthusiasts are engaged in styling and, for the sake of beauty, change the lamp in the rear license plate illumination from white to blue.

It is worth considering here that only a limited list of colors is allowed:

• Front license plate: orange, white or yellow.
• Rear: white only.

As can be seen from the above, there are no blue shades in the list of permitted shades. However, there is no fine for drivers using them: having discovered an offense, the inspector immediately draws up a protocol, and by a court decision, the citizen can be deprived of his rights for a period of 6 months to 1 year.

In some older car models, the factory design does not provide rear license plate illumination. If the car owner has an up-to-date diagnostic card, this confirms the absence of significant faults, and the inspector has no right to hold him accountable.

It is also worth considering that upon the first violation, the inspector may issue a warning. If the driver is “caught” with a similar defect more than once, pay 500 rubles. still have to. If a protocol has already been drawn up and the car owner is again stopped by a traffic police officer for lack of illumination, there is no need to pay a fine twice.