Law on winter tires: fine for summer tires in winter in 2020-2021 in Russia

To the list of useful itemsAll news

Category: Summer Tire Tests

49109 views49109

Winter has arrived and with the first serious cold, a massive re-shoeing of tires or the purchase of winter tires begins. But such an event cannot be called a whim of car owners. Changing tires is a procedure regulated by law. The nuances of exactly how to carry out such work are described in regulatory documents. The law that regulates all this is called “Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 018/2011 “On the safety of wheeled vehicles.”

When to change your shoes for the summer?

Tires need to be changed to summer ones in Russia in June 2021.

This is what current legislation says, and only if you have studded tires. And even this is relative - we will find out why below. And this issue is not regulated by traffic rules, as many believe. The rules for the use of tires on wheels are regulated by Section 5 of the Basic Provisions (Appendix to the Traffic Regulations), and not a word is said here about the seasonality of the use of rubber.

The prescription of the seasons when it is necessary to install winter tires, and when to install summer tires, is contained in the Technical Regulations - this is today a variation of GOST on the technical equipment of modern cars. But there is not a word in it about the date when you need to switch to summer tires according to the law. It only talks about prohibitions on using winter tires in certain seasons and only with studs:

5.5. It is prohibited to operate vehicles equipped with tires with anti-skid studs in the summer (June, July, August).

Thus, the legal acts of 2021 do not establish a rule at all when to install summer tires after winter. Only one of them stipulates that you cannot drive in the “winter” during the 3 summer months – from June to August inclusive.

But there is an important subtlety!

It consists in the fact that the same Technical Regulations contain a note indicating that in each city it is possible to change such a ban, but only upward:

The terms of the operation ban may be changed upward by regional government bodies of the member states of the Customs Union.

Regional bodies are regions, subjects of Russia. You can find out whether such changes have been made specifically in your region from the official websites of road services or the traffic police of your city. But, as a rule, their appearance is widely covered in the local press.

One thing we can say for sure is that in March, April and May of this year there are none in the largest cities.

In Moscow, there is a general rule for the Russian Federation - you can legally switch to summer tires in June 2021.
In St. Petersburg, the ban period was also not changed, and here it operates according to the general rules of the Technical Regulations.
Even in the warm Crimea and Sochi (as well as throughout the Krasnodar Territory) the period has not been increased.

Law on winter tires in the Stavropol Territory

The southern part of the European part of Russia, the center of the Ciscaucasia and the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus is occupied by the Stavropol Territory. Due to the changeable topography, the nature and weather here are varied, the main zone being the steppe.

The temperate steppe belt provides a mild climate. In winter it is moderately cold, in summer it is hot and dry. There are frosts in the first half of May.

Due to this location of the region, it is better to wear winter tires from November 15 to May 15. And choose the type of tire according to the terrain. In the steppe and foothills, different tires are needed. The height of snowdrifts outside the city and how roads within the city are cleared also play a certain role. The car owner knows in which area he travels most often.

Law on changing tires to “summer” from March 2021

However, a number of media outlets are disseminating incorrect information about the obligation to switch to summer tires as early as March 2021, citing local legislation as the reason for this rule.

But, as we mentioned above, no local laws have been adopted. You can check this, for example, by requesting an official comment through the traffic police online reception and selecting your city (region) in the address field.

And since April?

And in this case, too, there is no new law that would oblige one to change tires to summer ones in April of this year. The procedure for setting “winter” to “summer” today is regulated only by the consciousness of citizens, since driving on studs in wet weather is more dangerous than driving on summer tires.

Moreover, according to the law, there is no need to change tires in May 2021. As we have already commented above, only from June it is forbidden to ride on studded wheels.

Law on winter tires in the Krasnodar region (Krasnodar and Sochi)

In the southern regions of Russia there is often wet snow and snow crumbs, in which Velcro behaves better. A studded tire handles well on snowy roads, while a Velcro tire is more effective on wet asphalt.

Therefore, in Krasnodar, Sochi and the region it is recommended to use all-season tires, which do not need to be changed with the onset of calendar winter. You can travel on these tires all year round.

Studded tires are not recommended for use in these areas. Spikes ruin wet asphalt. Tires designed for severe frosts wear out faster in warm winters. Traffic police officers can fine a driver 500 rubles for driving on an icy or snowy road on bald tires with a tread depth of less than 4 millimeters.

Fine

It’s no joke, but as of 2021 there is no punishment for violating clause 5.5 of the Technical Regulations, just as there are no fines, no deprivation of rights, or other types of punishment for any non-compliance with this regulatory act. The current Code of Administrative Offenses simply does not provide for such.

The only fine in the amount of 500 rubles or even a warning can be issued for violations of the operating conditions of vehicles according to traffic rules under Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code. But these two regulatory documents should not be confused - the obligation to change shoes is not stated anywhere, and driving on spikes in the summer is in the regulations; in the Rules there was not a word about the seasonality of using rubber.

You can check the current version of all traffic police fines yourself by searching, and you will not find here a single sanction that would be applied for violations of regulations, as well as GOSTs, in force in Russia.

Expert opinion

Yuri Panchenko

Driving instructor, human rights activist, author of books. 10 years of experience.

The Technical Regulations of the Customs Union on the safety of wheeled vehicles contain all the requirements for all vehicles that are produced and operated on the roads of the Russian Federation.

Unfortunately, since its adoption, the corresponding amendments to the traffic rules have not been adopted. The result is a legal conflict: on the one hand, malfunctions for which operation is prohibited are listed in the Basic Regulations for Permission to Operation, and no one has been looking into this list for years. On the other hand, a similar, but more complete list is contained in the technical regulations.

Today, alas, the operation of a car is punishable only with those faults that are given in the Basic Provisions for Admission. Therefore, there is no penalty for driving a car with winter wheels in the summer and with summer wheels in the winter, and, apparently, it will not appear soon. And therefore, drivers continue to drive on the roads, risking not only their lives, but also the lives of those around them.

Ask a Question

Law on winter tires in the Rostov region

In the east and north of the Rostov region, the first frosts were recorded on November 15 and the first snow fell in some places. To avoid accidents on the roads, the State Traffic Inspectorate strongly recommends changing summer tires to winter tires early.

Of course, if the temperature drops below 7 degrees so early, the braking distance of summer tires increases, the rubber hardens, and the car becomes practically uncontrollable. The replacement of tires must be done in advance, preferably on November 1, so as not to stand in tire service queues and not celebrate Tinsmith's Day.

But there are requirements for any type of rubber

And they are already stated directly and clearly in the Rules of the Road, specifically in the List of conditions under which the operation of a car is prohibited. This application has a whole section containing a list of faults that prevent you from driving your car on public roads.

Wear

For summer and winter tires, different levels of possible wear apply, at which you cannot drive.

For “summer” you can’t drive on tires with the following tread depth:

less than 0.8 mm for motorcycles, scooters and mopeds,
less than 1 mm for trucks over 3.5 tons and trailers for them,
less than 1.6 mm for passenger cars and trucks less than 3.5 tons and trailers for them,
less than 2 mm for all types of buses (with more than 8 seats).

But for winter there is no division into categories of cars - the permissible wear for them is the same - at least 4 mm, and here it no longer matters whether you have spikes. Therefore, if the wear of winter tires is less than 4 mm, then they need to be replaced with summer tires, unless, of course, your summer tires comply with traffic regulations for wear.

Damage

It is also prohibited to drive a vehicle whose tires have operational defects, including the following:

torn damage and cuts (including side ones), if the rubber cord is visible,
peeling in the tread area,
peeling on the side,
punctured tires.

Different tires

You cannot ride on wheels in the following cases, when the tires on them are different on the same axle (one at the front or rear on the left, another on the right):

by size (radius, profile width and height),
by design (radial and diagonal),
one with a camera, the other - tubeless,
different models,
along the tread.

It is also important to know that it is prohibited to use wheels with different tires based on the presence of studs: if all are studless and at least one with studs, and vice versa.

Does not match the vehicle

And the last prohibition is if the tires do not match the car in terms of load or size.

How will the inspector determine the wheel size? Everything is very simple. If, for example, you install 16-radius wheels on a Lada Granta, the inspector may issue a fine under Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of 500 rubles, since the design of the model does not provide for such tire sizes.

Same with the load. The table for the correspondence of the load index to the vehicle weight is contained in Table 5.2 of the regulations.

Thus, if you have winter tires, at least one of the parameters of which does not comply with traffic regulations, then you need to switch to summer tires by law, if the latter is new enough and the same enough to satisfy all the above conditions. Otherwise, the only thing left to do is buy new tires.

Law on winter tires in the Astrakhan region

According to the Federal Hydrometeorology Service, environmental monitoring shows that weather conditions are different every year. In addition, on the territory of our country I; II; III climatic zones.

Temperatures in different regions vary from 3 degrees to 50 below zero in January and from zero to 35 degrees in July. Average annual temperatures range from 15 to 30 degrees or more.

Given the serious difference in temperatures, the law on restrictive measures should be more seriously developed. As for Astrakhan, you should clarify which climatic zone it belongs to.

It is believed that this area belongs to the southern regions of the country. Winter here begins on November 15, spring from the first days of May. Therefore, it is recommended to use rubber from November 1-15 to May 15. If there have been no high snowdrifts this year, you can drive on all-season, studless tires with deep tread and the M+S mark, mud plus snow.

Some Astrakhan residents change summer tires already in October to studded ones. They note that summer tires become tanned at temperatures below 5-7 degrees Celsius and hold the track worse, and their grip characteristics decrease.

Winter tires must be marked with a symbol in the form of a mountain with three peaks and a snowflake in the middle.

The tires must be marked:

Are studded tires required by law in winter?

Taking into account some regional weather conditions, there are the following temporary periods for the use of rubber by law:

Summer tires not marked M+S, etc., are used from March to November;
Winter tires with studs and marked M+S can be used from September to May;
Drivers successfully use studless winter tires marked MS, etc. all year round.

Thus, if you have summer tires on your car without markings and have winter tires with studs in stock, then you need to replace them in the fall, from September to November.

Tires should be changed during the spring, from March to May.

In Chapter 12 of the Code of Administrative Offences, there is no reference to the technical regulations of the Customs Union. Therefore, a fine for not having winter tires cannot be imposed by law.

There is currently only a draft of such a fine. When it is approved and adopted by the State Duma, only then will it be necessary to fear a fine. Then its size and conditions will be clarified.

At the same time, responsibility is not relieved from the driver who caused the accident if in winter he drove a car with summer tires on the wheels.

Law on winter tires in the Belgorod region

Are you fined for wearing summer tires in winter? Stories about heavy fines for not having winter tires turned out to be greatly exaggerated. So far, the maximum that a motorist can face for a bald tire is 500 rubles.

The reason for concern is the draft law submitted to the State Duma in January 2013. Vadim Tyulpanov, a member of the Federation Council, proposed introducing a fine of 5 thousand rubles if winter tires are not installed on a car from December 1 to March 1.

In the explanatory note, the senator noted that individual regions of the country can set their own deadlines for changing seasonal tires. The bill has not yet been adopted, so it has no legal force.

At the same time, a fine ten times smaller can be obtained if you use cars in December, January, February, on all wheels of which tires marked M+S, three mountain peaks, with a snowflake inside, are not installed, when the tread is worn below 4 mm. This rule applies to the tread pattern of all-season tires.

The rest of the time, the driver must be guided by weather and temperature conditions. Everyone should remember that at temperatures below 6 degrees Celsius, the material of summer tires becomes tanned and the car skids. This is fraught with accidents.

Is there a fine for summer tires in winter in 2021?

No. But everything can change one day. Below we will explain in more detail what this is all about.

In the meantime, you only need to know one thing - there is no fine for using out-of-season tires as of May 28, 2021.

The fact is that the obligation to change the car’s shoes for the “winter” is regulated by the Technical Regulations. In particular, its paragraph 5.5 of Appendix No. 8 indicates that driving on summer tires is prohibited in the winter months.

However, there is an important subtlety here. Technical regulations are essentially GOST, which regulates the design and completeness of vehicles that are put into circulation, as well as those in operation. That is, the obligation to wear winter tires is not specified in the traffic rules at all. So the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in force today does not provide for fines for violations of the Technical Regulations (except for the case of tinting).

But there is a duty!

That's right. This is exactly the case when a legal requirement is established, but there are no sanctions for its violation. Moreover, this state of affairs is also observed with other violations:

no fine for summer tires in winter, since the requirement is stated in the regulations, and there is no punishment for this in the Code of Administrative Offences,
no sanctions for exceeding the speed limit by less than 20 km/h, although this is prohibited according to traffic regulations,
Another non-fine requirement of the Rules is dangerous driving; legislators simply did not have time to introduce liability for this into legal force.

What is the difference between winter and summer tires

It is wrong to think that winter tires are specially created by manufacturers to extract money from car owners. Tires for winter and summer use are fundamentally different from each other. Here are the most significant differences:

heterogeneous rubber composition;
different tread depths and designs;
different characteristics depending on the influence of ambient temperature.

Winter wheels are softer. Their elasticity is not lost even in severe frosts. Summer tires, on the contrary, become hard at low temperatures. The tread depth of winter tires provides good cross-country ability, and the studs cut into the icy road surface. If the wheel structure does not have studs, contact is provided by lamellas on the tread blocks (typical of Velcro). Summer road tires with a shallow tread that gets clogged with snow and cannot clean itself. A sliding effect appears.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation (Article 12.5 Part 1 of the Administrative Code), in winter all cars must be equipped with tires with deep tread. The depth of the gutter should not be less than 4 mm. Otherwise, the car owner will face a fine of 500 rubles for using worn wheels.

Is it dangerous to drive in winter on summer tires?

You can drive on winter tires in winter, but the consequences can terrify even experienced drivers.
If you are caught by bad weather on the road, then you can get to your destination, and for this you may at most be given a warning. But it’s better not to drive constantly on summer tires in winter. Rubber manufacturers adapt a certain type of rubber to specific operating conditions. Most of all this concerns temperature conditions. It is usually recommended to change your car's shoes when the average daily temperature is +5 Celsius or drops below. As a rule, summer tires become hard in winter, and the tread features do not guarantee stability on the road. The first thing a car driver on summer tires may encounter is the braking distance; on snow or ice, and even in cold weather, it will be at least twice as long as on winter tires. In this case, even with good experience, it is very difficult to calculate the braking distance, which will lead to an accident and unpredictable consequences. Secondly, summer tires become hard in cold weather, which leads to rapid wear and cracks in the tires. Considering the tread pattern and rigidity, it will be difficult to crash on ice or snow; in such a situation, sliding movements will simply tear the tires and wear will be significantly noticeable until the end of winter. According to experienced drivers, the wear formula is 1:3, one winter season of driving on summer tires is equal to at least three years of driving in the summer. In addition to these two main problems, in winter a car on summer tires significantly loses its technical characteristics, especially in handling. Some safety systems also stop working, since they simply cannot recognize skidding or sliding, and this is an inevitable accident. The conclusion is quite simple: before you start driving in winter on summer tires, you need to think a hundred times whether you can handle the road and whether it’s worth it.

If you decide to drive on summer tires in winter, then you should remember the basic rules. The speed should be minimal and optimal so that they can react and make a maneuver at any moment. Do not forget to keep a greater distance from the car in front, as the braking distance increases at least twice. Never make sudden movements with the steering wheel, everything is done doubly smoothly, both turning the steering wheel and pressing the gas pedal.

When driving on summer tires in winter, you should keep the speed at medium or slightly above average. On cars with an automatic transmission, you need to be especially careful, since the automatic system independently adjusts the speed, so it is better to switch to lower gears or even to manual mode. Regardless of the gearbox, you need to take turns smoothly, without unnecessary jerks. In the event of a skid, you should not press the brake; it is better to release it completely and turn the steering wheel in the direction of the skid, and press the gas pedal jerkily. It is better to turn off auxiliary systems such as ABS and ESP, otherwise the system will block the brakes, which will undoubtedly cause you to skid.

How to avoid ending up on summer tires in winter

Let's get acquainted with paragraph 5.5 of Appendix 8 to the technical regulations of the customs union TR CU 018/2011 “On the safety of wheeled vehicles.”

5.5. It is prohibited to operate vehicles equipped with tires with anti-skid studs in the summer (June, July, August).

During the winter period (December, January, February), the operation of vehicles of categories M1 and N1 that are not equipped with winter tires that meet the requirements of paragraph 5.6.3 of this annex is prohibited. Winter tires are installed on all wheels of these vehicles.

A period different from that specified in paragraph one of this paragraph may be established by the legislation of a member state of the Eurasian Economic Union due to climatic and geographical factors characteristic of member states of the Eurasian Economic Union.

What conclusions can be drawn from this situation?

In summer, tires with studs should not be used. This applies to all vehicles.
In winter, cars must have winter tires. These can be tires with or without studs. The rubber must be marked “M+S”, “M&S” or “MS” and a picture (picture on the left). This requirement applies only to cars of the category (passenger cars M1 and trucks N1). This restriction does not apply to other vehicles from November 11, 2021.
Federal or regional legislative power may increase, but not reduce, the period of prohibition of exploitation. For example, in your area it is illegal to use spiked wheels from May to September. In this case, the regional authorities do not have the right to reduce the ban period. Thus, from June to August in all regions, cars can only travel on studless tires.

How to properly drive in winter on summer tires if the need arises

Is it possible to drive on summer tires in winter? After all, it’s not always possible to change tires on time, and at some point you may find yourself wearing summer tires on an icy road.

This can happen if the trip is long and you have to cross several time zones, which entails a change in climate and temperature. Or, for example, you just bought winter tires and are going to a service station to have them installed. There is a high probability of an accident here, so it is best to seek help from a driver with extensive driving experience. Otherwise, read the recommendations on how to drive a vehicle on summer tires in winter.

It is not worth mentioning driving at low speeds, since the car will skid on the first incline, even if you are driving slowly, and the brakes will not help in this case. But we still advise you not to overclock.

A suitable option is to take a road that involves heavy traffic. Thanks to the flow of cars, the coating will be rolled out, which guarantees minimal adhesion to the surface. To avoid disturbing other road users, keep to the right.

In winter, you can drive on summer tires if you take the popular advice and use chains and hang them on the rims. This will allow you to move safely on slippery roads. But in any case, be careful.

Never put winter tires on the same axle. Drivers with little experience constantly make this mistake. This is fraught with the fact that the car will skid with every braking, and any turns and maneuvers will become extremely dangerous. This, however, also applies to summer tires. Therefore, always change all four wheels.

1. Getting out of a skid

Driving on summer tires in winter assumes that you know how to handle drifts. There is a lot of information about this on the Internet. This is also taught in driving schools. But not all drivers understand what to do in such a situation.

If the car is front-wheel drive, then during a skid it will seem that the rear of the car is floating away. If you feel this, then under no circumstances release the accelerator pedal or press the brake. Such actions can lead to a sad outcome. How should you behave when skidding?

keep pressing on the accelerator pedal, this will allow the car to pull the rear out of the skid using the front part;
the steering wheel should only be turned in the direction of the skid;
continue the maneuver after the car brakes.

In this way you can pull your car out of a skid if you find yourself in icy conditions on summer wheels. If you do not have such practice, then it is better not to drive a car that has shoes that are out of season.

Law on winter tires in Crimea

Manufacturers of summer tires advise removing summer tires at +4 degrees. According to the law, there is no specific deadline in Crimea for changing tires to winter tires. But the traffic police management advises doing this on November 1, because the weather conditions of the peninsula are difficult to predict. For the safety of travelers, it is advised to ride on winter tires until March 31st.

The maritime climate makes its own adjustments, sometimes unexpectedly and dramatically. In late autumn and early winter, there is often ice on the roads here, both in the city and outside the city.

The terrain is mountainous in many places. Climbing up an icy serpentine road to Mount Ai-Petri, for example, is practically very difficult and dangerous. On summer tires, without studs and chains, this is tantamount to suicide.

On the territory of Crimea, the owner of a car is not brought to administrative responsibility for not changing summer tires to winter ones.

Although the inconsistent weather begins here already in mid-October, when in the morning the air temperature is zero, and in the afternoon it heats up to 10 degrees Celsius. If the weather is still warm during the day, then at night the material of a summer tire becomes dull and does not hold the road. Drivers should take this fact into account.

Driving in summer on tires equipped with studs

In clause 5.5. Appendix 8 to the Technical Regulations TR CU 018/2011 clearly states that you cannot drive a car in the summer (June, July, August) that has tires with anti-skid spikes installed.

It turns out that such tires can be used 9 months a year - all autumn, winter and spring. The deadline for motorists to remove winter studded wheels from their cars in 2020 is May 31.

However, you should not wait for the specified date. It is recommended to change tires with studs to summer tires, all-season tires or Velcro tires when the average daily temperature for several days is from plus 5 to 7 degrees Celsius and only after the icy and snow-covered surfaces have completely disappeared from the roads.

Replacing winter tires with summer tires for trucks

More recently, owners of trucks were required to change tires at the same time as owners of cars, motorcycles, buses, etc.

That is, when driving in winter on studded tires, you had to change them to summer tires before May 31 (or earlier). And if there was Velcro, you could ride it all year round without changing it at all.

But on November 11, 2018, amendments to the Technical Regulations TR CU 018/2011 came into force, which allowed owners of all categories of cars, except M1 and N1, to drive in winter on any tires at all:

all-season;
“Velcro”;
summer;
winter

It turns out that owners of trucks of categories N2 (from 3,500 to 12,000 kg) and N3 (over 12,000 kg) can simply buy summer tires and drive on them all year round without “changing shoes.” But for those who have a car of class N1 (trucks up to 3500 kg), for the winter they still need to install tires designed specifically for use on snowy or icy surfaces.

As for the summer, the ban remained unchanged for everyone - that is, if the truck owner has tires with studs, they must be removed before May 31 - driving in the summer on such tires is prohibited. It will be possible to put on studded tires again on September 1st. No. 1, No. 2 and No. all other types of tires in June, July and August without any restrictions .