Illumination of the underbody of a car: fine in 2021, allowed or prohibited

Is it possible to install underbody lighting according to traffic regulations in 2021?

The requirements and responsibilities for the technical component of cars approved for participation in road traffic in Russia are covered by the List of Faults, which is an appendix to the Basic Provisions. And these provisions, in turn, are part of the Traffic Rules.

We are interested in chapter three of this regulatory legal act, paragraph 3.1 of which prescribes that it is prohibited to drive a car if the number, type, location and mode of operation of external lighting devices do not correspond to the design of the car.

Looking ahead, we’ll immediately point out that most violations of the List of Malfunctions are punishable by a fine of 500 rubles under Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. But this is not the saddest consequence. There is even worse - termination of state registration of a car for unauthorized changes to its design.

But let's first find out the legality of these punishments.

Basic Rules

Dear readers!
Our articles talk about typical ways to solve legal issues, but each case is unique. If you want to find out how to solve your particular problem, please use the online consultant form on the right or call. It's fast and free! Such lighting can be done in several ways, for example, with LED lamps or neon. The work is not difficult to do; you can do the tuning yourself. But many owners are interested in the question of a fine in 2021 for such lighting. Does it exist? We answered these questions in this article.

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Indeed, there is a fine for car owners. But, it can only be imposed if the tuning was done incorrectly. Carefully read the law and current regulations so that traffic police officers do not have any claims or grounds for imposing a fine.

First, let's turn to the requirements of regulatory documents for the operation of vehicles. The composition of optical devices (according to GOST) should be as follows: fog lights, low and high beam headlights, road train sign, license plate lights, as well as side, rear, front turn indicators, parking and side lights, reflective elements, additional spotlights.

As we can see, LED backlighting is not included in this list. It is not recognized as an optical instrument. But, according to GOST 8769-75, it should only be white, orange or yellow in front, and red in the back. You cannot install blue, red LED lamps in the radiator grille and bumper, or white lamps in the rear.

Next, let's look at the traffic rules document, clause 3.6. Here are the faults that prevent you from using the machine. You cannot install reverse alarms at the rear of the car, or use license plate lighting in colors other than white. All retro-reflective lights in any color other than white are not permitted at the front.

Although the law does not mention the rules for underbody lighting, from the above we can conclude what color lighting is allowed and which should be avoided.

Is the backlight an external lighting device?

As you can see, paragraph 3.1 of the List refers to external lighting devices (hereinafter referred to as “VSP”) of a car, motorcycle or other types of vehicles. But is the illumination of the underbody of a car what it is? Unfortunately, the traffic regulations no longer contain an answer to this question. You simply won't find a definition of VSP here.

However, the definition of this term is available in the closest related legal act, which is directly related to the design of vehicles. We are talking about the Technical Regulations on the safety of wheeled vehicles.

Its section 2 contains the following definition of GSP:

external lighting devices – devices for illuminating the road, state registration plate, as well as light signaling devices.

So, to find out whether it is possible to install underbody lighting in 2021, you should answer the following questions:

is such a device a road lighting device,
does it serve to illuminate the license plate,
Is the underbody illuminated for light signaling purposes?

And, obviously, the answers are negative to each of these questions. Our road lighting is provided by headlights and fog lights. We do not install lights under the bottom of the car to improve road visibility. The same applies to car license plate lighting. And the light alarm serves directly to signal the danger or inoperability of a particular entity, as the general definition of this term is given.

In addition, an exhaustive list of VSP is listed in the table of section 3 of Appendix No. 8 of the specified Technical Regulations. And here we also will not find decorative lighting elements.

Thus, in fact, the illumination of the underbody of the car is not an external lighting device, and therefore the requirement of paragraph 3.1 of the List of faults does not apply to it. And therefore it is formally possible to set it, and there should not be a traffic police fine, or any other punishment. But, unfortunately, in practice in 2021 it works completely differently!

How to avoid punishment

Consider the requirements for existing underbody lighting:

The light cannot go outside the car.
The light directed forward and reflected from the road should only be white, yellow, orange, the light reflected back should be red.
The lighting should not be similar to the signals of official vehicles.
Follow the rules for choosing the backlight color for your car.

Remember that the light should only be directed downward, not very bright. If you take into account the necessary requirements, you can safely tune your car and not be afraid of fines.

What is the fine for illegal underbody lighting?

But in practice, the inspector will issue a fine of at least the above-mentioned part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code in the amount of 500 rubles. This measure of liability will be assigned specifically for the number of external lighting devices on the car that does not comply with the design.

But even this is not the toughest thing that can await drivers on the road.

Other possible penalties under the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation for installing backlights

First, let's look at the likely penalties for installing underbody lighting on a car without even driving such a car. And there may be several of them.

If the lighting under the bottom shines forward with red lights, then you may face Part 1 of Article 12.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which entails a fine of 3,000 rubles with confiscation of such a lighting device.
And if the lighting is blue or red, as well as blue, violet and other colors and shades close to them, then the employee can attract part 2 of the same article, incriminating special light signals (like the emergency services). The fine will be 5,000 rubles plus confiscation.

What is the fine if you drive with the lights on?

Now let's move on to the issue of operating a car with such lights under it. There are even more punishments here.

The above-mentioned part 1 of article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses with a fine of 500 rubles as the smallest sanction for this.
Part 3 of the same article will punish for driving with a red underbody light, which in one way or another shines ahead of the vehicle. Here the deprivation of rights begins - for up to six months.
For driving with blue or red lights, if employees see this as a semblance of special signals, you face Part 4 with deprivation of your license for a period of 1-1.5 years with confiscation.
And for using such “special signals” while driving you will be punished with Part 5 and deprivation of your license for 1.5-2 years, also with confiscation of the device.

Of course, equating the lighting under the bottom of the car with special signals, even if they are similar in color and mode of operation (that is, flashing), rarely happens in practice in 2021. Yes, even if the inspector tries to impute this violation, in the future the judge will most often cancel such a sanction. Nevertheless, the fact remains: on the roads, in rare cases, they can be charged with deprivation of charges for illuminating the underbody.

Something else useful for you:

Fine for non-working rear license plate light in questions and answers
How much are fines for wheels and tires? All possible violations
Rooms are covered in snow - fine or deprivation? The inspector threatens to revoke your rights

Cancellation of car registration

But this is a much more realistic initiative of the traffic police. Its essence lies in the fact that you have made changes to the design of the car by installing optional light sources in it (remember, we found out above that this is illegal).

And in this situation, the vehicle is not subject to registration with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (clause 4 of paragraph 1 of Article 20 of the Federal Law on Registration). At the same time, if the car is already registered with the State Traffic Inspectorate, then on the basis of subparagraph 6 of paragraph 1 of Article 18 of the same law, if the design is changed without the permission of the traffic police, such a car is subject to cancellation of registration on the initiative of the traffic police itself.

This happens in such a way that first you are stopped on the road with the underbody illuminated, they issue you a fine and send you on your way. But after about a week or two, you receive a letter at your residence address from the head of the MREO traffic police about the termination of registration on the specified grounds. Further in the text of the letter you will see a proposal to submit the car for inspection to the specified department in order to check the compliance of the design. Is it necessary to write that the lighting under the bottom must be dismantled for such a check?

By the way, all of the above does not quite apply to cases of lighting not external, but, for example, lighting the road from the door when it is opened (with the logo of your brand and/or model of car), as well as additional light in the car interior. This is so because there is a more compelling reason not to consider such lighting devices as “external”.

Varieties

Among the types of lighting used today, neon and LED can be distinguished as the most common ones. If neon lighting is made, as a rule, using a gas-discharge lamp, which is placed in a special protective tube and attached to the bottom, then the LED variety is a flexible diode strip, also located in a protective tube. LED lighting is a relatively new type, more convenient and practical, and therefore more expensive.

If we compare the main technical characteristics of the two types of illuminators, it should be said that for normal operation of the neon type of device, a diffuser is required that is responsible for directing the light, while LEDs themselves direct the light and have higher brightness. Both lighting fixtures are housed in high-strength housings that can withstand a fairly severe collision. The underbody lighting kit usually includes two side lamps, two lamps for illumination at the front and rear, as well as all the necessary fasteners.

To control the lighting elements from inside the car, a special unit is used, equipped with programs that can be used to adjust the brightness, change colors, make the backlight flashing, etc.

Thinking through the design

Of course, a car with neon lights looks amazing! And neon interior lighting, when installed correctly, can significantly change the interior of a car. Such lighting looks most advantageous in the dark, as well as on a snowy road in winter.

ADVICE! Think about the color scheme of your lighting in advance. Leading automobile designers, when choosing any type of lighting tuning, recommend choosing it not to match the body, but to contrast it. For example, if you have a blue car, then cherry-colored neon lighting will look much more impressive. Is it difficult to decide on colors? No problem! "Da Vinci's color wheel" can help you.

Let's start installation

You purchased a brand new neon kit for your car, brought it home and are ready to install. To get started, please read the instructions carefully.

If you decide to install neon lighting for the car interior, then the tape is attached starting from the rear of the car to the trim using superglue or a special adhesive strip included in the kit. Just glue the cord in the right place and connect the batteries to it - car electrics, regular batteries or an inverter for connecting to the cigarette lighter. Connect the wires in the correct sequence: from the + contact of the battery to the place where you plan to install the switch, and connect the negative contact to the body. For a neon cord up to 5 meters long, a 12-volt inverter is sufficient. It can be used to create designs, variations of shapes and colors that are limited only by your imagination.

If, for example, the bottom of a car is chosen as the location for installing the neon, then first you need to mark the fastening. And then:

Ready! Your car has been completely transformed. Now get ready for the admiring glances of passers-by and other motorists. Good luck on the roads.

Source

Price

The price of the backlight can vary greatly and depends on the type and installation method. The cheapest option is to buy single-color spool caps. In this case, you can decorate 4 wheels for 500 rubles, without redoing anything or overpaying for installation.

Backlighting based on LED strip will be more expensive. All the necessary parts are available for free sale, but the cost of a linear meter of sealing tape starts at $10. In addition, installation work will take a lot of time, and if you trust the service center, the total costs will double. If you use multi-color tape, then you will have to add another 1000–1500 rubles to the cost - this is the price of the RGB controller.

The LED projector is the most expensive of the presented backlights. When ordering from China, a programmable projection device will cost $50 for one wheel. The cost of the same device in Moscow with installation and warranty starts from $100 per wheel.