Bill Proposes Higher Fines for LED Headlights and Noisy Exhausts

The State Duma will consider a bill that increases the fine for driving a car with a number of defects tenfold: this includes unauthorized LED or xenon headlights, but not only that. The problem of blinding light, according to our surveys, also deeply concerns residents of Chelyabinsk. Meanwhile, a number of experts doubt the realism of the bill and propose more radical measures — a fine of up to 30,000 rubles (approximately $300 at current rates) and license suspension. Details are in the article from 74.RU.

What is Being Discussed in the Duma

The bill introduced to the State Duma proposes changes to parts 1 and 3 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.

The first part penalizes driving a car with defects, excluding problems with brakes and steering (which are covered by part 2 of the same article). A warning or a fine of 500 rubles (approximately $5) is imposed not only for driving with non-standard lighting, but also for off-season tires, unregistered LPG systems, and so on. The bill proposes to increase the fine tenfold — to 5,000 rubles (approximately $50).

Part 3 of Article 12.5 also penalizes illegal headlights and lamps, but in cases where their color or mode of operation does not meet standards (for example, red lamps installed at the front). Currently, this is punishable by license suspension for 6–12 months with confiscation of the equipment. It is proposed to supplement the punishment with a fine of 5,000 rubles (approximately $50).

Part 2 of Article 12.5 for driving with faulty brakes, steering, or coupling devices is not changed by the bill, meaning only the minimum fine of 500 rubles (approximately $5) remains. However, if such defects are identified, the operation of the vehicle is prohibited, which is a more effective measure than the fine itself.

In the explanatory note to the bill, it is noted: «At night, a significant proportion of accidents are caused by drivers being blinded by oncoming light. Moreover, based on data from the review by the Scientific Center for Road Traffic Safety of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, one-third of traffic accidents occur at night, with accidents occurring between 00:00 and 06:00 having the highest severity of consequences. The implementation of the bill will contribute to increasing the level of protection of road users from blinding.»

NAS: «This is Our Initiative»

Vice President of the National Automotive Union (NAS) Anton Shaparin believes that the bill in its proposed form will not pass.

«This is not an initiative of the State Duma, it is an initiative of deputy [Mikhail] Delyagin: he introduced the bill without government feedback, therefore, the apparatus of the State Duma will reject it even without deputies because the bill was submitted with an incomplete set of documents,» explains Anton Shaparin. «Undoubtedly, deputy Delyagin tried to latch onto the news hook: the appeal of the National Automotive Union to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.»

This refers to a letter sent this week by NAS leadership to Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev. The document notes that cars with excessively bright headlights that do not have a clear direction blind drivers of both oncoming and following traffic. NAS proposed increasing the fine for such offenses to 30,000 rubles (approximately $300) and adding the possibility of license suspension. Anton Shaparin emphasizes that in his proposal, such an act should be made a separate part of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, similar to how it is done with window tinting.

«This new article of the Code of Administrative Offenses should punish the problematic category of motorists who ignore the opinion of others and their safety,» continues the NAS vice president. «They install LED and xenon headlights, overly bright fog lights, and so on, so that they have more light. But as for the others — it doesn«t matter.»

Anton Shaparin clarifies that after the 2019 plenum ruling of the Supreme Court, driving with non-standard lamps is punished under the milder part 1 of Article 12.5, which has provoked the development of the problem.

Please, Don«t Make Noise

NAS proposes to separate the punishment for driving with a non-standard exhaust system into a separate article.

«The second problem is drivers who «cut» the exhaust. Such cars literally poison us because they remove the catalytic converters. And they also prevent sleep because they often install a straight-through exhaust,» says Anton Shaparin. «We propose to target precisely those categories of drivers who really disturb society, and Delyagin proposes to increase the fine for everyone.»

Anton Shaparin, in particular, considers the increase in the fine for driving with a gas cylinder equipment not registered properly to be excessive.

«This is the most popular type of vehicle modification in Russia, and there are up to two million such cars,» he explains. «We shouldn«t hit them: people save money, get more affordable fuel, and that»s only good. We consider deputy Delyagin«s initiative underdeveloped, plus it unbalances the Code of Administrative Offenses. Because the neighboring article penalizes with a fine of 500 rubles (approximately $5) for driving with faulty brakes.»

Does the Traffic Police Fine for LED Headlights?

Earlier, representatives of the State Traffic Inspectorate explained to us that installing LED lamps in headlights not intended for this is prohibited. Moreover, legalizing such modification is problematic: first, you need to get permission from the traffic police, and then contact one of the accredited laboratories. That is, essentially, go through the same procedure as when legalizing LPG and other «tuning».

Auto expert Yuri Panchenko says that the traffic police rarely deal with drivers with LED headlights, mainly — as a «demonstrative measure», in case the car owner has angered the inspector in some way. In the specialist«s opinion, work could be carried out more actively even with the current relatively mild Code of Administrative Offenses.

«LED headlights are clearly visible, and there is an established procedure for dealing with such drivers,» says Yuri Panchenko. «Yes, the fine is small, but the inspector can issue an order to bring the vehicle into compliance with standards, and within 10 days the driver will be required to present such a vehicle to the traffic police, proving that he has complied with the requirement. In case of refusal, the vehicle faces registration termination.»

In practice, such a procedure, as far as we know, is not applied.

Motorists often complain about the problem of blinding headlights: here are examples of opinions. LED lights can be made comfortable for others, but it is expensive — not only a lamp is needed, but also a special system with lenses and shutters that forms the light beam.