Many drivers, without knowing it, move along roads with dirty license plates. As a result, they violate the rules of the road, even if they perfectly comply with all other requirements. The problem with unreadable numbers becomes especially relevant in spring, winter and autumn, when there is dirt, snow or slush on the street. A dirty windshield can still be cleaned by the wipers, but drivers forget to remove the dirt from the signs. As a result, the traffic police inspector writes them a fine for unreadable numbers.
And if someone doubts the justice of such a punishment for this violation, then in vain. Truly dirty and unreadable signs cannot be recorded in the event of an accident or violation, and this is a reasonably good reason for a fine. Unreadable numbers may not be punished if the employee simply issues a warning and asks for signs to be cleaned of dirt, but you should not hope so.
What does the law say?
There is a law on administrative violations, which states that in daylight or dark the sign must be legible. At the same time, it should be clearly visible from a distance of 20 meters, but there are other rules. In particular, numbers that:
- Not captured by video or camera equipment.
- Smeared with dirt on at least one side, which is why the number or letter remains incomprehensible.
Night and day time
Note that the readability of characters at night or daylight hours is determined differently. During the day, the verification method is standard: they try to examine the numbers from a distance of 20 meters. They are considered unreadable if they cannot be considered.
At night, only the rear number plate is checked for readability. The procedure is the same - they leave the car at a distance of 20 meters and try to read the number. If at least one digit is not clear, then the number is considered unreadable. It is important to note that inspectors can take advantage of the driver’s ignorance and check the front sign. However, it is not taken into account at night.
Penalty for unreadable numbers
According to article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for such a violation, a fine of 500 rubles is charged from the driver. In some cases, inspectors simply issue an oral warning and ask the driver to eliminate the violation (wipe the sign). This is possible if the pollution is not too serious.
The law also states that a penalty for unreadable numbers can be imposed only if one or more characters on the sign cannot be read. Consequently, the pollution of the white background on the panel, in which all the characters remain readable, cannot be considered a violation.
In cases where the car is very dirty, its true color is hidden behind a layer of dirt, and the sign is still covered with pieces of land, the traffic police inspector is simply obliged to write a fine for an unreadable state. number (500 rubles).
Traffic Fraud
It is important to know that traffic police inspectors may be dishonest. They take advantage of the driver’s ignorance and often try to convince them that a dirty license plate equals its absence. However, this is completely wrong. For the absence of a number, a fine of 5,000 rubles is imposed. In this case, deprivation of rights for up to three months is possible. Some naive drivers can be convinced, after which a protocol is drawn up on the absence of signs, although in fact they are, just soiled. But the size of the fine for an unreadable number is 500 rubles, and the deprivation of rights for such a violation is not provided at all.
If the inspector stopped
When the driver has a dirty sign, he is wrong in any case. Therefore, it’s not worth trying to prove your innocence, let alone show aggression. Many inspectors have a normal attitude towards this, so most often they just ask the driver to fix the violation on the spot and give him an oral warning.
Other inspectors can be principled and very harmful, and after stopping the driver they require payment of a fine. If there is no violation on the video or photo fixation, then you can quickly take a damp cloth, wipe the sign and "freeze." In this case, the inspector simply cannot prove that the violation took place. Yes, it will look very stupid and arrogant, but the driver will not have to pay a fine. But if the inspector nevertheless draws up a protocol without proof, then several options for the further development of the situation are possible.
- You can try to remind the inspector of article 2.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which states that he has the right to exempt the offender from administrative responsibility if the violation was minor. In this case, the inspector can be limited only by verbal remarks.
- Fix clean license plates in the photo, while capturing the inspector himself or his car in the frame. It is advisable that other signs that indicate the stopping place fall into the frame. Photos must be attached to the compiled protocol. In the protocol itself, it is necessary to indicate that the license plates are clean, and the photos attached to the protocol are proof of this.
Remember that inspectors are understanding people who themselves are drivers. Most of them behave normally until they begin to be rude. Therefore, you need to talk with a civil servant with a smile, and then you can just do with a warning. Aggressive drivers are often punished for their behavior and draw up a protocol of the offense, even in cases where you can do with the usual warning. Therefore, it is more likely that an aggressive driver will pay a traffic police fine for an unreadable number than a balanced and normal road user.
Unreadable bad weather sign
If the weather was bad on the day the protocol was drawn up (rain, snow), then the driver has a real chance to avoid the penalty of an unreadable car number. To do this, you need to attach to the drafted protocol a printout from Phobos (meteorological center). This printout will confirm the fact of bad weather, and it is an excuse for dirty rooms.
However, if the case goes to court, the listing will have no legal effect. You will need to send a request to the weather station to receive weather data on the day the protocol is compiled. But this is a lengthy procedure. Sometimes it’s better to just pay a fine for unreadable car numbers and end up with it. However, some prefer to seek justice from the principle.
Conclusion
Now you know what is the penalty for unreadable numbers, as well as ways to determine contamination. Finally, you can give practical advice: check the car signs before the trip, and if they are dirty, just wipe them with a damp cloth. It will take 5 minutes, but will avoid a possible fine in the future and save a lot of time.