A vehicle with a beacon turned on. Penalty for using special signals

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Published: 03/31/2021

Reading time: 5 min

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Is it possible to install strobe lights on a car?
What are the fines for strobe lighting?
How to use it correctly so you don’t get fined
Who can drive with a strobe light
How to get away with punishment

The penalties for strobe lights of certain colors are significant enough that many drivers believe that installing them is illegal. In fact, there are a number of nuances, knowledge of which will allow you to avoid deprivation of rights and receive the minimum possible penalty or even do without a fine.

What is the penalty?

Special signals can be light or sound . They are supplied using a special device, the installation of which requires permission. You can get it from the traffic police department. After reviewing the documents, the traffic police officer will put the necessary mark on the registration certificate, after which the driver acquires the right to use a special signal. Their use without permission is strictly prohibited and is subject to fines.

For installation on a car

Even if you simply install an unauthorized signal on your car, you will be fined (Article 12.4 of the Administrative Code, Part 2). Individuals who detect violations of this kind will pay 5,000 rubles. Officials are punished with a large amount - for them the fine will be 20,000 rubles. Legal entities will be required to pay 500,000 rubles.

For driving a car

A motorist who dares to drive a car with a signaling device without a permit issued in accordance with the rules risks losing his license for a period of 12-18 months (Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code, Part 4). The devices will be confiscated. Liability also arises if the devices are available but not put into operation. Otherwise, the punishment will be more severe.

When driving

If you turn on a special signal installed in violation of the rules, the deprivation of rights will be for a period of 18 to 24 months. Devices will be confiscated . Responsibility arises in accordance with Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code, Part 5.

For serving while driving

Using devices to signal using light or sound while driving a car, you risk getting a fine if you do not have special permission. If it is not registered with the traffic police, the responsible person may be deprived of the right to drive a vehicle for a period of 1.5-2 years, while devices that violate the rules are subject to confiscation. Responsibility is administrative; for imposing punishment, Article 12.5, Part 5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses is applied.

Reference .
If the fine is paid within 20 days from the date of the decision, its size will be halved. In situations where the execution of a court order is delayed or is carried out in installments, the fine is paid in full.

Is it possible to install strobe lights on a car?

To understand, you need to study several paragraphs of the Code of Administrative Violations. For simplicity, it’s worth looking at two of them that directly relate to stroboscopes:

Paragraph 3 states that it is prohibited to install any lighting or retroreflective equipment with red lights on the front of the vehicle. This also includes all other devices whose operating mode and color do not comply with the Regulations on the admission of vehicles to traffic. It should be noted here that all additional light sources not provided by the manufacturer are a violation. The penalty for this violation is confiscation of equipment and deprivation of the right to drive. vehicle for a period of 6 to 12 months.

This option almost always results in deprivation of rights.
If devices for emitting special sound or light signals are installed on a vehicle without the appropriate permission, they will also be confiscated. A In this case, the term of imprisonment will increase and will range from a year to a year and a half. But it is worth noting that special signals only include light sources of certain colors, so not all types of equipment can be punished under this point.

The size of the strobes does not matter; even small elements will cause disqualification.

Based on the operating mode of strobe lights, which blink several times per second, then they all violate the requirements of the law. However, there is no direct indication of this type of device, so the interpretation of the legislation may vary.

Concept of sound signal

In regulations, special signals are given the following definition - flashing beacons , can be blue-red or only blue, and can be equipped with a device for transmitting sound. A special signal is a combination of light and sound that foretells the approach of a police car, ambulance, or fire brigade. Equipment equipped with such a signal has a special status. If special conditions are met, all other vehicles are required to give way to them.

The GOST provision, which contains a description of the concept, applies to passenger cars, as well as motorcycles and buses belonging to operational services.

According to the rules, a device for delivering special sound signals is a device capable of producing sounds of a certain spectral composition. It does not apply to the structural elements of the vehicle - the special one differs from the usual sound signal in the spectrum of sounds (clause 11, article 3 of GOST). Installation is carried out according to a permit issued by the traffic police.

Flashing beacons - “flashing lights” are used to provide light signals and must have colors established by GOST , a certain duration of illumination and frequency of blinking (clause 12 of article 3 of GOST). The light device does not belong to the elements that are included in the design of the vehicle. For installation you must obtain a special permit.

Types of "flashing lights"

Blue (for services 01, 02, 03, 04).
Red and blue (traffic police, FSB, escort vehicles intended for organized convoys).
Orange and yellow (evacuation, road special equipment, vehicles carrying cargo of non-standard dimensions, dangerous, with considerable weight).
White-lunar signal (used for cash collection vehicles, FPS transport).

Orange, white and yellow “flashing lights” are not special signals and do not provide any advantage when driving on roads. Such signals are used only for the convenience of driving on roads. Drivers of special equipment equipped with such devices may not follow some rules when driving.

Who can drive with a strobe light

Several categories of vehicles can install strobes on a car; for simplicity, they are divided into 3 types. Each of them differs in color and application features:

First type . These include red and blue lights; they can be installed on police cars and some other categories of vehicles. Drivers are required to give way to vehicles with such lights, which is why they cannot be installed on ordinary cars, and for this violation the heaviest fine and deprivation of a driver's license are provided.
Second type. These are flashing lights and strobes of yellow and orange colors. They do not provide any benefits, but they warn other road users of danger and attract attention. A fine is also imposed for their use, but most often the rights are not deprived. And drivers of vehicles equipped with such devices can be fined for not turning them on while working or transporting children.

Special signals may only be used by appropriate services.
Third type . This includes white signals, most often used by collection services, postal transport and vehicles transporting valuable cargo. They do not provide any benefits and do not require registration upon installation. Most often, there is no fine for this option; in some cases, the penalty is 500 rubles for violations of the rules for using lighting devices.

Options of the third type are used at their own discretion; drivers of vehicles equipped with them turn it on at will.

Terms of use

The installation is considered legal if the owner of the car has bothered to obtain the appropriate permission from the traffic police . Transport belonging to official organizations undergoes the necessary checks in a timely manner to obtain documents. Devices called special signals and used to provide light or sound signals must be certified in accordance with the rules approved by Gosstandart.

The instructions for obtaining permission to use special signals are approved by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 194. This fact must be confirmed by a special mark in the vehicle registration certificate. When stopping such vehicles, traffic police representatives will be able to immediately establish the fact of illegal use of equipment.

Reference . A non-certified device cannot be called a “special sound/light signal”. It does not belong to the category of special signals. In controversial situations, lawyers can use this fact as a loophole to build a defense.

Who should?

Sound special signals can be used by drivers of vehicles of government organizations , such as the FSB, police, Prosecutor General's Office, Ministry of Defense, Ambulance, firefighters and other organizations that have the authority to carry out urgent actions to protect the lives of citizens and their health.

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation N 635 in paragraphs. b of paragraph 3 establishes on which vehicles a special signal can be installed, here it is necessary to take into account the amendments to this decree dated 04/06/2019 in connection with the publication of Government Resolution 408.

The changes affected passenger vehicles of professional emergency rescue services and professional emergency rescue units not included in the system of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief, devices for supplying special light and sound signals in the presence of special colorographic schemes on the outside the surfaces of these vehicles are not installed.

So, let's look at an excerpt from the Decree and see who is allowed to install a special signal.

The following equipment is equipped with devices for supplying special light and sound signals in the presence of special color schemes on the outer surface of vehicles:

vehicles of the fire department, police, emergency medical care, professional emergency services, professional emergency rescue units, military automobile inspection, military police of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, investigative bodies of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, used for the implementation of urgent actions to protect the life and health of citizens;
special operational and service vehicles of the penal system for transporting persons in custody;

What's the threat?

Now let's return to regular FSO flashes - without the blinking mode. There is a small fine for installing them. However, as a security measure, another procedure can be applied - much more unpleasant than a fine.

What's the fine?

As we indicated above, the installation of additional FSO headlights is a violation of the Basic Provisions and the Traffic Regulations Appendix. And Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation is responsible for this violation. According to it, the traffic police officer will issue a fine of 500 rubles, and in rare cases a warning.

Something else useful for you:

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Cancellation of registration

And now let's return to the Technical Regulations. We found out above that it is prohibited to use FSO flashes precisely because of the design requirements of the vehicle. This means that by installing them illegally, you are thereby making such changes to the design. And this is a separate violation of clause 7.18 of the Basic Provisions.

Paragraph 59 of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1764 prescribes that, by decision of the chief inspector of the region or the head of the traffic police, the registration of a car can be forcibly terminated if changes are made to its design without the permission of the traffic police.

In practice in 2021, this happens after a traffic police officer has drawn up a report on the road, which is then transmitted to his boss. And you can only find out about the canceled car registration from the corresponding letter from the traffic police with an offer to come and show the car with the missing violation. That is, you will need to remove the FSO flashes and show the car to the inspector. After this, registration will be resumed.

In addition, please note that if inspectors take action under the specified paragraph 59, your license plates will be invalidated - that is, you will have to replace them when you resume registration.

Controversial situations of traffic violations

If controversial situations arise, you can seek the services of an experienced lawyer to protect your interests in court. For example, if you are charged with the illegal use of special signals, the defense is sometimes based on the fact that the installed device is not one.

According to the characteristics, special signals include signals that, when turned on, change their tone with a certain frequency. Information about this can be found in GOST R 41.28-99. If the characteristics specified in the technical data sheet of the device do not comply with GOST, the person cannot be accused of using special signals.

Option - a device that does not comply with GOST may be called a dummy . If, for example, there are no structural elements in it, it does not apply to special signals. There is no liability for the installation of dummies.

The driver can also file a complaint against representatives of the traffic police if he believes that the procedure for bringing him to administrative responsibility has been violated. The complaint is submitted to higher authorities; it is better to go directly to the court. The decision will be made based on the circumstances surrounding the specific situation.

He winked and sat down.

Two bills directly affecting drivers have been submitted to the State Duma.

The first proposes to tighten penalties for the illegal installation of special signals on a car.

We are talking specifically about illegal special signals. According to one of the authors of the bill, State Duma deputy from the LDPR Yaroslav Nilov, regular checks carried out by the traffic police together with the FSO do not produce results.

Even officials do not hesitate to install illegal flashing lights on their cars. What can we say about businessmen who have a car park and more money for its maintenance? The problem is that the maximum that the driver of a car with a left flashing light faces—mind you, the driver—is deprivation of his license. And the owner of the vehicle - confiscation of the device, prohibition of operation with removal of license plates. That is, essentially nothing. If I, the owner, put a flashing light on my branded car, then my driver, who gave me a quick ride, may pay with his license. I will return the license plates to the car, fire the driver and hire another one. And again I will enjoy illegal privileges.

Thus, it is clearly seen that the law aimed at maintaining the status quo of specially protected objects on the road does not work. Because getting into the league of the specially chosen is very inexpensive.

All you have to do is go to the market and buy yourself a flashing light for five thousand rubles. If they stop you, it means bad luck.

That is why deputies propose to introduce a huge, almost unbearable responsibility for the installation of special signals. Namely, a fine of up to two hundred thousand rubles or arrest for three to six months. Initially, there was an idea to increase liability in the Code of Administrative Offences. But the administrative fine cannot exceed five thousand rubles. Therefore, Nilov proposed making this article criminal, so that the fine would really be affordable.

The project was sent to the Russian government and received official feedback. It's easy to guess that the review was negative. The government will not support the bill. And this is how it argues for this: “today, responsibility for installing devices for giving special light and sound signals on a vehicle without the appropriate permission is already provided for in Part 2 of Article 12.4 of the Code of Administrative Offences. The adoption of the bill will lead to competition between the norms of the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses, which allows us to state the presence of a corruption factor.”

It is noteworthy that this conflict between the norms of the two codes can be resolved by simply eliminating the competing article from the Code of Administrative Offenses. And there is a suspicion that most motorists will accept this amendment with a bang. But the chances that this bill will be adopted are minimal. For some unknown reason, any proposal to limit the spread of flashing lights is rejected by most legislators. Even if we are talking about illegally installed special signals.

A response to this bill also came from the Supreme Court. It states that in order to criminalize certain acts, a thorough analysis of law enforcement practice is required. However, the legislator has not provided confirmed data that the current norms are ineffective, violations are widespread, and as a result, the interests of a huge number of citizens suffer.

The second bill by the same deputy Nilov proposes to introduce criminal liability for fraud on the roads. Nilov proposes to expand Article 163 of the Criminal Code by adding Article 163 note: deliberately causing a traffic accident for the purpose of extortion. The proposed punishment for this is severe: imprisonment for up to four years with a fine of up to 300 thousand rubles.

According to Nilov, now, if they manage to catch such criminals, then investigators will have to prove that they committed fraud. This is quite difficult to do. Investigators will first have to prove that the suspects themselves created the emergency situation, and then that they tried to get money in an illegal way. All this, of course, is possible, but it’s difficult and no one needs it. Moreover, scammers, as a rule, have connections with traffic police officers and services.

According to Nilov, the introduction of the new norm will also have a positive psychological effect on the driver. Knowing that there is an article for standing up on the road, he is more likely to defend his rights, including involving law enforcement agencies in analyzing the traffic situation. Now he prefers to get off with “little loss” - that is, in cash on the spot. After all, he is sure that you can’t prove anything with us, and the scammers diligently support him in this.

In addition, according to Nilov, the very procedure for initiating a criminal case will change. If now, in order to open it, it is necessary to find motives and evidence that the accident may have been faked, then according to the new procedure, a criminal case is opened immediately, and only then the investigators will figure out whether there was fraud or not.

The government response to this project is also negative. “The bill does not take into account that liability for the above acts is already provided for in Articles 159 (fraud), 163 (extortion), 167 (deliberate destruction or damage to property) and 264 (violation of traffic rules and operation of vehicles) of the Criminal Code,” it says in him. The proposed wording will cause competition with the norms of the Criminal Code, and this is a corruption-inducing factor. In addition, this version increases liability in the form of a fine, but excludes some penalties in the form of restriction of freedom.

By the way

The other day, the State Duma rejected a bill that proposed to abolish the fine for turning right when the traffic light is prohibiting.

The authors of the initiative were deputies Igor Lebedev, Maxim Rokhmistrov and Sergei Ivanov. Currently, the sanction for this violation is 1 thousand rubles. “According to the traffic rules, turning right or left (as well as making a U-turn) during a prohibitory traffic light signal is permitted only if the green arrow in the additional section lights up at the same time,” the developers recalled. Numerous streets crossing the wide road are often equipped with traffic lights without additional sections, which leads to traffic jams. In most countries of Western Europe and America, “it has long been legal to turn right when the traffic light is prohibiting,” the explanatory note says. Meanwhile, the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building did not support this idea. Considering that the ban on making a right turn is associated with ensuring the safety of pedestrian traffic, as well as with the elimination of conflict situations with cars moving along the road on which the turn is being made, the established responsibility is well founded and aimed at ensuring guarantees of its implementation,” the statement says. conclusion on the bill. The first deputy chairman of the relevant State Duma committee, Vyacheslav Lysakov, recalled that according to traffic rules, when the traffic light is red, driving in any direction is prohibited.

How can the traffic police prove guilt?

A vehicle, when stopped by traffic police officers, can be checked for violations. Representatives of regulatory authorities can check whether they are installed in violation of accepted rules. The fact of illegal use of the device is very easy to establish - you just need to check the documents for the car.

Copies of documents confirming the violation can be attached to the protocol left at the place where the vehicle was detained - a vehicle registration certificate that does not have a mark authorizing special signals. At the discretion of traffic police officers, photos, videos, and witness statements may be attached.

Who is allowed to install special signals

Traffic regulations prohibit the installation of special signals on ordinary cars. The list of vehicles that can use special flashing lights and sounds is approved by Decree of the President of Russia No. 635.

These include machines:

Ambulance;
police, traffic police, road patrol;
firefighters, Ministry of Emergency Situations;
military prosecutor's office, FSB;
government structures at the highest echelons of power.

In case of official need, the specified vehicles must turn on special identification signals: sound and light. Employees of institutions should not use their advantage unless absolutely necessary.

Special signals are not a standard device on all cars; their installation requires permission from the traffic police. A note indicating the appropriate permit is placed on the vehicle registration certificate.

Useful video

The video below explains what fines are imposed for installing and using a special signal without permission.

The safety of all road users depends on the correct operation of headlights and signal lights. Read articles from our experts about what the fine is for violating the use of lighting devices such as: xenon, the presence of diode bulbs in the headlights, not turning on the turn signal and driving in the wrong direction, for tinting the rear lights or front optics, non-working low or high beams or driving in daytime with no lights on.

What are the fines for installing special signals on cars?

Among the forms of relevant traffic violations in 2021, 3 main groups can be divided:

installation of special signals for emergency services,
driving a vehicle equipped with flashing lights or special sound “quacks”,
use of these signals – both while moving and when the vehicle is stationary.

For the most part, fines are provided only for installing special signals on a car; other violations entail deprivation of rights.

For installation of prohibited lighting devices – 3,000 rubles + confiscation of the device

Part 1 of Article 12.4 provides for a substantial fine for installing one of these types of lighting devices:

with red lights (or red reflectors) at the front of the car,
if the color of the lights and operating mode do not comply with the Basic Provisions of the Traffic Regulations.

If everything is very clear with the red lights, then the second point requires clarification. The permitted color of lights according to the 2021 Russian Rules can be:

white,
orange,
yellow.

The operating mode (according to the Technical Regulations) is constant or flashing.

That is, a fine of 3,000 rubles is provided if you install lighting devices that will violate both the color and the established operating mode. Please note that we are talking specifically about installation, and managing them entails deprivation of rights (more on this below).

For installation of sound and light special signals – 5,000 rubles + confiscation

But Part 2 of the same article prescribes liability in the form of an even greater fine directly for the subject of discussion of our article - for the installation of special signals for emergency services.

Keep in mind, this is also just about installing, not managing and using them.

Types of special signals

Today, three types of special signals, differing in color, are used on the country's roads. Each of them deserves separate consideration.

Blue or blue-red

Used by representatives of law enforcement agencies, ambulances, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other government agencies or institutions. The flashing light is complemented by the sound of a siren. Their simultaneous inclusion provides the opportunity to violate some traffic rules. But at the same time, the driver is not relieved of the need to ensure traffic safety. The main advantage of a special signal is the obligation of other drivers to give way.

Yellow or orange

Yellow flashing lights are used by machines and mechanisms involved in construction, repair or road work. They do not provide additional sound signals. The presence of the device makes it possible not to comply with the requirements of markings and road signs, as well as to be located on the roadway in violation of established regulations. It is allowed to use special signals at night, which is necessary to create safe working conditions.

White

White flashing lights are installed on collection service vehicles. The special signal is supplemented by sound. It does not provide any benefit while driving and is intended to inform law enforcement in the event of an emergency.