What are the dangers of installing upside down license plates on a car?

What is the fine for unreadable numbers?

So, the very first part of Article 12.2 states that the driver is subject to a warning or a fine of 500 rubles for unreadable license plates. Please note that a fine is imposed only for driving a car with unreadable license plates or one license plate. If the car is stationary, there is no fine for this.

In what cases are numbers considered unreadable? The numbers will be recognized as such by the traffic police inspector if he fails to read at least one letter or number from a distance of 20 meters (note to Article 12.2). At the same time, the inscription “RUS” and the image of the flag may be unreadable, there is no fine for this. There is a difference in unreadability depending on the time of day. Since the front number plate is not illuminated in the dark, there is no requirement for its readability from 20 meters, but the rear number plate must be readable at any time. During daylight hours, both license plates should be readable - again, from a distance of 20 meters.

At the same time, the unreadability of numbers here does not include that due to their concealment and modification. The reasons for unreadability can be, for example, the following:

• the room is covered in dirt, snow, etc. (not on purpose, of course)
• the number has been erased (the black letters or numbers on the number have been erased),
• something accidentally stuck to the number (precisely by accident, but this may be a controversial point).

Common ways to hide a number

When it comes to questions of how to circumvent the law without breaking it, any science fiction writer will envy Russian ingenuity. In hiding car license plates from surveillance cameras, the “talents” of our compatriots flourish in an astonishing variety:

• Pasting several numbers or letters of a number
• Adding one letter, for example, C to O, using black adhesive tape, or, conversely, painting over the black stripes with white paint
• Installation of curtains that partially or completely cover the room
• Attaching someone else's number to magnets
• Installation of a design that allows you to turn the number over with the back side
• Covering the number with dirt
• Gluing a “random” piece of paper over the number
• Pinching of a cleaning cloth by the hood lid, “accidentally” covering part of the front license plate, while at the back, the license plate reliably hides the road pole to which the car is parked closely

And this is only a small part of the countless number of inventions used only to ensure that surveillance cameras cannot identify the license plate, since the inspector will easily establish the “original” license plates of the car, under any cunning disguise.

More on the topic: Fine for driving under a “brick” sign

What is the fine for license plates installed in violation of GOST?

The same part of the article provides for a similar fine of 500 rubles for numbers that are installed in violation of the requirements of GOST R 50577-93. The list of such requirements is quite broad, but quite understandable and memorable.

Let's list how it is prohibited to install license plates in order to get fined for incorrectly installed license plates:

• the number must be installed perpendicular to the length of the car with a deviation of no more than 3o;
• the number must be installed perpendicular to the road surface with a deviation of no more than 5o;
• the distance from the road surface to the bottom edge of the sign must be at least 30 cm, and for two-wheelers and snowmobiles - 20 cm;
• Visibility should be ensured at the following angles in the diagram below:

• the number can only be attached to the holes on it with light-colored bolts or other light-colored elements;
• you can attach the number to the frame, but the frame should not cover the letters and numbers of the license plate (as well as the bolts in the holes);
• It is prohibited to drill additional holes into the license plate.

The fine here is also provided only for driving a car with such violations.

How to leave license plates when selling a car starting in 2021?

This is not provided for by law. You can buy a car without license plates only in exceptional cases:

• If the car has never had license plates, for example, at a car dealership.
• The car was scrapped.
• The car was deregistered due to loss.

The first method does not raise any questions. But the rest allow you to sell the car without license plates and keep them. But it will be difficult for the buyer to re-register the car with the traffic police and will cause a lot of problems.

By law, the seller can keep his license plates if he wishes. This opportunity is provided by Order 399 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It describes the procedure for registering vehicles and replacing license plates.

Step-by-step instructions for leaving numbers:

1. The seller submits an application to the State Traffic Inspectorate with a request to replace the license plates.
2. The application must indicate a request to retain the previous numbers.
3. The seller receives new license plates and installs them on the car.
4. The car is sold with new license plates, and the old ones, recorded by the seller, are stored in the traffic police.

State numbers can be stored for up to 6 months.

In addition, a similar application can be submitted on the State Services portal and the state fee can be paid. Moreover, this site provides a 30% discount on payments. The total duty is 2 thousand rubles, and with a discount it will be 1,400 rubles.

The procedure for saving numbers through State Services:

If the seller decides to keep the license plates of the car, he will have to pay for the services. The state has set a fee for this procedure in the amount of 2 thousand rubles. It will cost less on the State Services website, as indicated above.

But there is one more subtlety that not everyone knows about. When you come to the State Traffic Inspectorate to get your old beautiful license plates, you need to present another payment receipt for the same amount. It is provided for issuing your own saved numbers. That is, it turns out that you have to pay double the state duty - once for storage, and the second for issuance.

To transfer license plates to the traffic police for storage, they must be in perfect condition.

Numbers and letters must be readable, so that there are no additional holes, not wrinkled or erased. Otherwise, you will have to order a duplicate license plate and pay additional money for this by ordering the service from a private company. The State Traffic Inspectorate does not deal with such issues.

This can be done, but you will have to deregister the car. This procedure is carried out for disposal or loss. The first case is not suitable, since for this you need to actually dispose of the car and obtain a certificate from the company.

Withdrawal due to the loss of the car will add additional difficulties to the buyer during registration. It is unlikely that anyone will buy such a car.

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When reselling a car, you need to know the following nuances:

1. The seller is not obliged to deal with the procedure for registering the vehicle. Moreover, the presence of the seller during this procedure is not at all necessary. The burden of registering a vehicle with the relevant authorities falls entirely on the buyer. However, if you do not control this step, you can become a victim of a situation in which fines from auto-recording cameras and accrued transport tax will be sent to the name of the previous owner.
2. The new owner can change the license plates if desired. If the old license plates have obvious abrasions or are unreadable, the new owner will be required to purchase a new license plate plate that meets all the requirements.
3. You can register a vehicle in any region.

What is the penalty for hidden numbers?

Hiding numbers in 2021 is punishable by more severe penalties. And a fine is not the only punishment here. For a deliberately hidden license plate, a fine of 5,000 rubles or deprivation of rights for 1-3 months (by decision of the official or judge considering the case) is imposed under Part 2 of Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Only driving a car with hidden license plates is punishable in the same way.

Meanwhile, the line between hiding the number from being readable and making the license plate unreadable is quite thin. And the main factor here is precisely the intentionality of the concealment. If the room was deliberately splashed with mud or snow, then this is a cover-up; if by chance, then an unreadable number.

A reasonable question is how will a traffic police inspector determine whether the number is hidden intentionally or unintentionally? Alas, but at your own discretion. According to the Code of Administrative Violations, the composition of many violations and the driver’s guilt in them are determined by the body considering the case based on personal conviction, but having comprehensively and most fully considered all the circumstances and evidence (26.11 of the Administrative Code). You, if a decision is made not in your favor, can appeal such decisions.

Concealing a number includes such actions and circumstances as:

• use of curtains on rooms;
• the use of reflective film (the above GOST generally prohibits applying any coating to the number);
• covering the numbers with any objects (paper, rag, etc.);
• deliberately staining the license plates with mud, snow, clay, etc.;
• and another case described below...

Fine or deprivation of rights for upside down numbers

The fact is that such a “life hack” as inverted numbers, which allows you to avoid punishment from auto-fixation cameras, is practically not described anywhere in legislative acts. GOST for license plates also does not prescribe that the numbers must be placed so that they are not read upside down or that the back and front parts of the license plate must not be swapped.

And here the issue is not so easily resolved, including in practice. If the number is turned upside down, then the punishment for this can be either under Part 1 or Part 2 of Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. At the same time, logic dictates that there may not be a violation at all in this case. The fact is that an upside down number is quite readable, and the inspector doesn’t even need to break his neck to do this - everyone can read the text upside down.

On the other hand, GOST stipulates that the white stripe of the Russian flag should be on top and the red stripe on the bottom:

The image of the State Flag of the Russian Federation should be a rectangle with equal horizontal stripes: the top stripe is white, the middle stripe is blue and the bottom stripe is red.

But here again, with the violation, not everything is so simple. This note in GOST refers to the installed types of license plates themselves and has nothing to do with the requirements for their installation on a car. That is, the flag still remains in the correct position relative to the top and bottom edges of the number itself - it’s just that the number is hung upside down on the car. Simply put, the white stripe of the flag is on top of the number (but from below towards the road), and this GOST clause refers specifically to the position relative to the number.

But having an upside-down license plate with the front side facing the car, when its back side is visible, can be punishable by Part 2 of Article 12.2 with possible deprivation of rights. This is because in this case there is a deliberate intention to hide the number. That is, the official examining the case, in practice, usually concludes that a license plate deliberately directed with its front side towards an obstacle is an obvious concealment of the number.

Liability for counterfeiting or concealment of marks

In the past, registration plates for cars were issued exclusively by the traffic police service. This provoked theft of signs with subsequent extortion of hefty sums for return. Now signs are made by private companies that have permission to produce duplicates. The main thing is that GOST R 50577-93 is observed. There is no penalty for installing such numbers.

Fines for other violations are established by Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation

1. Paragraph one of this article provides for an administrative fine of 500 rubles for driving a car with signs that:

• They are not readable from 20 meters behind - at night and in front - during the day.
• Signs made or installed in violation of GOST R 50577-93 (except for the cases provided for in the second paragraph of this law).
• Non-standard signs.

This may include an “accidentally” stuck piece of paper, a dangling rag, dirt and similar “unintentional” violations.

1. Point two threatens with the deprivation of a driver's license for 1-3 months and an administrative fine of 5,000 rubles for driving a car without state signs (or one of them), with deliberately altered signs (or one of them).

This item includes:

• Curtains
• Reversed numbers
• Adding or filling in the markings on the number
• Magnetic mount of someone else’s license plate on top of your own and similar devices

1. The third paragraph provides for liability in the amount of:

• 2500 rubles - for individuals
• 15,000-20,000 rubles - for officials
• 400,000-500,000 rubles - for legal entities

For installing (even in a garage) deliberately false/fake license plates on a vehicle.

1. The fourth point provides for the deprivation of a driver’s license for a period of 6-12 months for driving a vehicle with deliberately false/false license plates.

The conditions for payment, and in some cases the amounts, of administrative fines are regulated by Articles 32.2 and 20.25 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

More on the topic: Punishment for driving on the side of the road

So, according to paragraph 1.3 of Article 32.2, if you pay some fines within 20 days, then their amount can be reduced by half, and the first paragraph of Article 20.25, on the contrary, doubles the fine; in case of failure to pay the entire amount on time, arrest may also be applied for 15 days or forced labor for 50 hours.

Recently, traffic police officers promised to take action against all manipulators with license plates. Since, according to them, the cameras are capable of providing enough information to target cars with poorly readable or fake license plates. And soon all violators detained based on the orientation will be held accountable.

What is the fine if numbers are placed on glass?

For driving a vehicle whose license plates are installed outside the place provided by the design, in 2021 you will also be punished under Part 2 of Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Including if you put the license plates behind the glass in the car, and even if they are clearly visible from 20 meters away.

But what to do if there are no places provided by the design of the car at the moment. For example, if you removed the bumper or it was broken, and the numbers are installed on the bumper? Unfortunately, it is prohibited to travel in this case. Dura lex - sed lex (from Latin “the law is harsh, but it is the law”).

What is the penalty for false numbers?

But the most severe punishment in terms of car license plates awaits the driver for driving with false license plates. Let’s imagine a not very common situation: entry into the closed territory of an organization using passes issued for a car number, and a camera that records the number and automatically opens the barrier, if there is one in the database. You arrived in a different car, but took with you the number registered in the database and put it on top of the current number in order to drive through the barrier.

If such an action is seen by a traffic police officer, then you will face two punishments at once: the first - for the very fact of installing false license plates, the second - for driving with false license plates. For installation you will face a fine of 2,500 rubles, but for management you will be deprived of your rights for a period of six months to a year.

How to leave license plates when selling a car

Only license plates that are in excellent technical condition are taken into storage at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. If they have defects, flaws, chips or are difficult to read, then the owner of the car may be refused to accept them for storage.

• 09/06/2021 08:31 #11 Message from Dr.Drom You and your brother are preparing a circus program “Brothers are in the arena again...”. Car from customs? not an ordinary car. In my city it’s local Oh, yes, right now life in the country is amazingly rich in nuances, especially when communicating with the police...) here, yes, it can be anything, so I would like to know in more detail)
• 09/06/2021 08:31 #12 What prevents the car from being officially registered? We are here to make a contribution to this world.

1. the seller applies to the traffic police with an application to replace the license plates,
2. in the application, the seller also indicates the need to retain the old GRZ for him,
3. receives new ones and installs them on the car,
4. sells a car with new license plates, and the old ones remain with the traffic police for safekeeping.

If everything is clear with the first case, then with the next two it is more complicated - this gives the right to sell a car without license plates and in this case you can keep them, but it will be very difficult for the buyer to register such a vehicle back with the traffic police. Therefore this is not an option.

When the re-registration procedure is completed, a person will be able to legally use the received state signs. The sold number will no longer be registered with the previous owner. Moreover, he cannot return it in any way or influence it in any other way. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about this.

• MTPL policy;
• civil passport;
• registration certificate;
• receipts for payment of state duty for PTS, registration certificate, license plates.
• statements;
• technical equipment passports;
• purchase/sale agreements;

In addition to the cases of purchasing a car, when 10 days are allotted for its operation without license plates, it is possible to drive without registration plates in the following cases:

• If for various reasons the signs are removed by traffic police officers, in this case 24 hours are given to travel in this vehicle without state registration plates.
• If the license plates were stolen during a trip, then you can only use the car to your destination, for example, home.

If the license plates are stolen, then you must go to the nearest traffic police station without a car, register this case, and only after that you can drive your car to your destination without license plates.

Issued in the name of the head of the inspection service. There is also a sample compilation there. They are drawn up in a free format, with a clear indication of your desire to keep the table-number for yourself when selling your car on which they were previously placed.

Registered:

• Personal information about the owner.
• Vehicle code - VIN.
• Model and brand.
• State number.
• Add the current date and signature.

If you sold your old car and bought another one, it won’t be difficult to bring a registration plate. This procedure is outlined by the law of the Russian Federation, everything is absolutely legal. You need to go through the following procedure:

• Fill out the application form, register the car and assign a work order.
• Indicate that this particular sign is reserved for you.
• Pay the state fee on site or at the terminal. If there are none, find the nearest bank and deposit funds. Be sure to present your receipt afterwards.
• Next, with confirmation of payment, attach a package of documents.
• The inspection employee studies all the data and then carries out registration.
• As a result, the owner is given a title with a record of the new owner and a set of license plates. Difficulties can only arise because the department is busy and you will have to spend time waiting.

Selling a car with everything that comes with it is very simple, just sign the papers and make an entry in the car’s passport about the new owner. But the situation becomes more complicated if the former owner plans to keep his data. You need to start by collecting documentation for the car. With these papers, the subject must go to the State Traffic Inspectorate department, where he will be given a form to fill out an application for data storage.

In order to start using the State Services portal, you need to find its official page on the Internet and go through a quick registration. After this, in your personal account you can find various functions that will help you complete the operation of saving license plates. After familiarizing yourself with the site, you need to find a service for registering a vehicle with the State Traffic Inspectorate. After this, the system will generate a form that needs to be filled out. You can also see the prices for services provided on the website.

Until 2021, the storage period for license plates did not exceed six months, but drivers who wanted to preserve their data managed to extend this period to a year. This innovation has greatly simplified life for car enthusiasts and saved the “life” of many license plates. It should be taken into account that the driver has the right to receive them after storage only at the State Traffic Inspectorate to which he handed them over. In addition, documents confirming deposit are not issued, so to be on the safe side, it is better to take a photograph of the application.