Fine for undervaluing a car
Punishment and fine amount for lowered suspension in 2018/2019
In every city you can find a car that attracts attention with its excessively low ground clearance. Perhaps those who are not car enthusiasts will not even pay attention to such a nuance. But every driver knows for sure that lowering the car is a popular tuning among young people.
Moreover, despite the design changes, such tuning is considered external. It does not impart beneficial characteristics to the suspension and does not adapt it to specific operating conditions. The low landing of the car evokes a purely associative perception.
It is known that GT-style tuning, characterized by its body kits and moldings, gives a sporty character to the car, since cars participating in rallies have always been equipped with devices that increase aerodynamic properties.
Lowered suspension has become an alternative solution to give the car a kinetic look. Let us note right away that not every driver has the desire for such changes. And how the traffic police officers don’t like the modifications will be fully felt starting this year.
In principle, the legislative framework allowing the operation of cars has not changed, with the exception of minor amendments. But if earlier the traffic police inspector often “turned a blind eye” to his own “adjustments,” today he will see serious violations in this.
This also applies to Lowrider-style cars with air suspension, the so-called dancing cars.
Punishment for lowered suspension
In regulatory documents there is no concept of high or low suspension. The law defines the operation of vehicles that comply with the basic approval provisions. Any deviation from the established standards adhered to by the manufacturer is classified as a violation.
As you know, the set of regulations is represented by the Code of Offenses of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. There is no separate article that specifically covers lowered suspension on a car, installed independently. In the future, the text of the existing document will also not be revised. But the existing document clearly states that a discrepancy between the actual ground clearance and the technical data of the car by more than 5 cm is considered a malfunction.
Operation of such a vehicle is not prohibited. This means that the vehicle will not be sent to the impound lot. But the driver is obliged to go to the place where the fault is repaired. He is given 24 hours to do this.
The original text can be found in Article 12.5 of the Code of Contraventions. The document is dated December 30, 2001 and has registration number 195 of the Federal Law. Currently, it is interpreted in the latest edition dated 02/05/2018.
Article 12.5, which determines the degree of administrative punishment, contains a reference to the “Basic provisions for the admission of a vehicle to operation.” These provisions, together with the provisions “On Traffic Rules”, were approved by Government Decree No. 1090, as last amended on February 13, 2018. In the above provision there is no separate paragraph devoted to the condition of the suspension. But paragraph 7.18 states that “Changes have been made to the design of the vehicle without the permission of the State Road Traffic Safety Inspectorate...”.
The traffic police inspector, having discovered a discrepancy in the suspension parameters, will consider this situation as a violation of Government Decree No. 1090 under paragraph 7.18, as a result of which, according to the Code of Administrative Offenses and Article 12.5, the driver faces a warning or a fine. The amount of the fine today is minimal, as it is 500 rubles. All speculation about the detention of the car or the removal of license plates has no basis. And such actions of a traffic police officer are considered unlawful.
How to get a warning?
The specificity of the work of traffic police officers is such that, given the available alternative to administrative punishment, they often resort to the most severe penalties. A warning or fine is provided for tuning the suspension. Tacit agreement with the protocol will certainly lead to loss of money. The reason is insufficient information to the driver regarding this violation.
Knowledge of the laws can sometimes significantly reduce the punishment. So, if the driver reminds the inspector about a possible warning, and also hints at the absence of administrative fines in the next six months, then he may well count on the “mercy” of the government representative.
Is there a discount?
How to legally make changes to a design?
As we have already seen, the car owner, despite the fact that the car is his property, cannot make changes to the design without the appropriate permission from the traffic police. Sometimes life situations force the owner to take such a step, since the age of the car does not allow it to be repaired in accordance with the requirements. It is necessary to change components or entire units.
A design change means any re-equipment involving the removal of individual components or their replacement with similar ones, often with excellent characteristics.
The law provides for the following changes:
- replacement of body parts or the entire body;
- change car color;
- re-equipment of the power unit;
- changes in the number of seats;
- installation of an additional fuel tank;
- change in dimensions;
- improvement of lighting devices.
A separate item is changing the suspension parameters. Here the sawn springs influence the suspension travel, so such transformations can be registered. However, the popular air suspension is also considered a design change if installed independently.
To register it, it is necessary to provide tests for controllability and reliability. The driver cannot cope with such procedures on his own, and traffic police officers will refer to the lack of appropriate equipment. In simple words, it is theoretically possible to register air suspension in the PTS, but in practice it is very problematic.
Returning to reducing the stroke, let us present an algorithm of actions for registering changes. On the website of the Economic Commission for Certification you should find information about the centers where the examination of the installed equipment will be carried out. If the expert allows changes to be made to the design, then the next step will be to submit an application to the traffic police. This application indicates the owner’s passport data, data from the car’s title, as well as the parameters of the installed equipment.
It is important to remember that the vehicle must be registered before conversion is carried out. Typically, all work must be carried out at a specialized station that has the appropriate certificate. Only in some cases will the expert allow you to make changes yourself. Next, the owner will have to pay a state fee and undergo an extraordinary technical inspection. Before the final march to the traffic police department, you should obtain an opinion from an expert.
Necessary or advisable?
Suspension tuning – changing the external content. But at the same time the factory settings are lost. Even if the car gains stability on the highway, it will lose traction on a dirt road. It cannot be denied that the factory tunes the suspension with the ability to vary the parameters. But moving away from average values is fraught with a loss of indicators in marginal conditions. In simple words, suspension tuning is not technically justified and is irrational in terms of documentation.
