Are rights deprived for LED lamps?

Types of lamps

Before we talk about penalties for LEDs in car headlights, it is necessary to understand the difference between their different types. The following light sources are used in cars today:

1. Incandescent lamps. In them, light is emitted by a spiral that heats up when an electric current passes through it. Air is evacuated from lamp bulbs to extend the life of the filament. Such lamps are the most affordable, but have a short resource and burn out quickly.
2. Halogen. Incandescent lamps with the bulb filled with a buffer gas (a mixture of bromine and iodine halogens), which protects the coil from burnout. They are currently the most common source of headlights for cars.
3. Xenon. Gas-discharge lamps filled with mercury and xenon vapor, in which a luminous electric arc is formed. Xenon sources produce a more bluish and brighter glow, have a high-quality reflector and good focusing.
4. LED. Lamps in which radiation is emitted by a semiconductor when an electric current passes through it. They produce a stream of white radiation with a power of up to 6000 Kelvin. Today these are the brightest, most powerful and durable light sources.

Depending on the specific type of light source, headlights also differ. Thus, optics for halogen lamps are not suitable for LEDs, since they require a special lens to ensure correct focusing. If you install an LED in a headlight for halogen lamps, its glow will be too bright, with virtually no dispersion - it will hit the eyes of drivers of oncoming cars, which can ultimately lead to an accident. To make it easier to select lamps for headlights, the latter have special markings:

1. C, K and CR - for incandescent lamps;
2. HC, HR and HCR – for halogen;
3. DR, DC and VSK - for xenon.

These types of headlights are officially permitted and reflected in regulations. There is no special marking for LED automotive optics in Russian legislation, since it is currently installed only on new imported vehicles. However, the LED lamps themselves are marked L, so it is expected that in the future this will also be used to designate headlights adapted for them.

Technical requirements for automotive light sources are reflected in the “Technical Regulations of the Customs Union”, as well as GOST 8769-75, GOST R 51709-2001 and “List of faults and conditions under which the operation of a vehicle is prohibited”. It is these documents that must be used as a guide when choosing and installing certain lamps on a vehicle.

When is deprivation of rights applied for LED and led lamps?

You can lose your driver’s license for installing LEDs and led lamps in two cases:

• For installing LEDs in a car whose equipment does not include the initial installation of LED lamps. For example, if the manufacturer provides for the installation of halogen headlights, but the driver installs LEDs without permission to re-equip the vehicle.

According to clause 3.1. Russian traffic regulations consider this to be a violation of the car’s equipment, for which the driver, in addition to a fine of 500 rubles, risks losing his license for a period of 6 to 12 months. Regulates the procedure for punishment, Part 3, Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia.

• For the installation of red light lights, as well as their installation in special devices for retroreflection - reflectors. They should be understood as all types of reflectors, including stickers on windshield wipers or the side of the vehicle. In practice, there are often cases when, for installing red “eyelashes” on the headlights, the owner is given a protocol for an offense that entails deprivation of a driver’s license.

The color and mode of operation of such lights does not comply with legally defined standards, for which the driver is deprived of his driving license for a period of 6 to 12 months, including the confiscation of installed devices. The punishment procedure is regulated by Part 3 of Art. 12.5 Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia.

When is it legal to use LED lamps?

There are several situations in which the use of LED lamps is not illegal:

1. the vehicle is initially produced by the manufacturer with LED headlights - this applies to some foreign cars of the latest generation (Audi, Lexus, Ford, etc.);
2. this car model and the corresponding headlights are no longer produced - that is, it is not possible to replace the optics;
3. In this vehicle model, the manufacturer has provided the opportunity to replace the installed headlights with LED ones (in this case, the manufacturer itself installs LED optics on cars of this series, but released later).

In other cases, the unauthorized replacement by the owner of the car of “original” lamps with LED lamps is considered contrary to the law and is subject to administrative penalties.

Sanctions for illegal installation of LED lamps

If a motorist installs LED bulbs in a vehicle whose headlights are not marked to fit halogen headlights, he is breaking the law. To be more precise, the law will be violated only at the moment when the driver drives such a car onto public roads.

Legal punishment for LEDs

What is the punishment for this offense? Having analyzed the Administrative Code, it can be decided that for the installation of headlights that do not comply with the markings, sanctions should be imposed under Part 1 of Art. 12.5 – fine 500 rubles. It is this article that establishes liability for drivers who drive vehicles with defects. Let us remind you that the discrepancy between the types of lenses and lamps is in the official List of faults. However, in practice, more severe penalties are imposed for installing LED lamps.

Actual punishment for LEDs

Unfortunately, the theory and practice of applying sanctions do not always agree. In fact, drivers are often deprived of their license under Part 3 of Art. for discrepancies between headlights and lamps. 12.5. If you look at the text of this article, it will become clear that such punishment is illegal. Firstly, in order to be held accountable under Part 3, both conditions must be met: a change in color and operating mode. LED lamps, like any other basic lamps installed on the front of the car, shine in a standard white color. Secondly, even if we assume that the color of the headlights changes slightly, the error can be found in the second point. Russian legislation provides for 2 modes of operation of car lighting devices: flashing (flashing) and constant. That is, the operating mode does not mean the type of lamps, but the external way of their operation: blinking or continuous emission of light.

What is the penalty for using LED lamps?

The liability of the car owner for the unauthorized installation of LED lamps is regulated by clause 3 of Art. 12.5 Code of Administrative Offences. In accordance with it, the following types of punishment are provided:

1. Fine in the amount of 500 rubles;
2. Deprivation of the right to drive a vehicle for a period of 6-12 months;
3. Confiscation of LED lamps.

Practice shows that until mid-2021, the main punishment for this offense was deprivation of a driver’s license. However, from June 25, 2021, the resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation No. 20 changed the procedure for imposing sanctions, and now mainly a fine is issued for the installation of LED lamps. This is due to the fact that the requirements state that the basis for deprivation of a driver’s license is violation of the specified color of lights and operating mode. At the same time, most LEDs emit in the same spectrum as halogens - the difference can only be determined with the help of special equipment, which is not available at every traffic police station. In addition, deprivation of rights for LED lamps is carried out only through the court - this complicates the procedure and often traffic police inspectors prefer not to complicate their lives, limiting themselves only to a fine.

Legalization of LED lamps for cars

You can avoid being fined for LED headlights and use them freely by taking the following measures:

1. purchase certified optics provided by the car model and allowing the installation of LED lamps;
2. install optics with LED lamps in the car;
3. write an application to the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate at the place where the vehicle is registered to change the design of the vehicle;
4. undergo a vehicle inspection with the appropriate note in its diagnostic card;
5. obtain a certificate of vehicle compliance with road traffic regulations.

If the automaker currently produces cars of your model with pre-installed LED optics, then you can also install LED lamps on your vehicle. Such changes will be considered to comply with the characteristics stated in the technical documentation and no punishment will follow.

Installing LED lamps in halogen headlights

To correctly understand the possible situation, consider the following case: if the vehicle is equipped at the factory with halogen lamps, then the driver can install LED lamps that fit the base instead of the indicated lamps.

In this case, there is a violation of the traffic rules, namely paragraph 3.1, according to which it is prohibited to operate the vehicle under the following conditions:

• when external lighting fixtures do not correspond to the design features of the vehicle in terms of quantity, type, color and location. For such an offense, the sanctions provided for in Part 3 of Art. 12.5 Code of Administrative Offences;
• when a vehicle is equipped with red light devices or devices of red color for retroreflection, as well as lighting devices whose light color and operating mode do not comply with the requirements of the Basic Regulations, which regulate the admission of vehicles for use in road conditions, and As well as the rights and obligations of officials who are called upon to ensure safety in road traffic, the violator is subject to an administrative penalty in the form of deprivation of a driver’s license for a period of six months to a year, with confiscation of such devices that are installed on the vehicle.

Therefore, the driver better think about what is better for him - to be deprived of his license for a period of 6 to 12 months, or to install fashionable LED lighting.

And judicial practice confirms that in case of such offenses, the driver cannot avoid deprivation of his driver’s license.

This is because the LED bulb does not match the reflector. Therefore, such changes are a punishable violation, and traffic police inspectors will certainly record an offense.

Deprivation of rights for xenon in 2021. How to return your driver's license early, read here.

Find out how to appeal the revocation of your driver's license at the following link:

What is the fine for LED lamps in 2021?

It was said earlier that there is no specific prohibition on installing diode optics if the lamps are installed in the headlight with the required marking. But if this clause is violated, then you need to be prepared for the consequences.

• According to the law in Part 1 of Art.
  12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation prescribes either a warning (and a ban on driving with such optics) or a fine of 500 rubles for incorrect installation of lamps.
• In fact, in Part 3 of Art.
  12.5 of the Administrative Code indicate that optics whose operating mode and color of lights do not comply with the requirements of the Basic Regulations are prohibited. Their use can even lead to deprivation of rights.

To explain operating modes, courts use Article 3.10.2 of the Technical Regulations. According to it, the alarm system is required to provide synchronous activation of the turn signals in flashing mode. In fact, this article simply explains the mode of operation, but not the type of lighting fixture itself

Penalty for installing LEDs in headlights in Russia in 2021

Also, do not forget about such a disadvantage as legislative restrictions on the installation of such diode lamps in headlights intended for halogens (or unauthorized installation of headlights in cars that also have LEDs installed on similar models).

photo: autoevolution.com

In this case, there is a violation of paragraph 3.1 of the list of faults and conditions under which the operation of vehicles is prohibited:

The number, type, color, location and operating mode of external lighting devices do not meet the requirements of the vehicle design.

In short, in 2021, after the published resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation No. 20 of June 25, 2021, in most cases the punishment for a driver using LEDs in headlights is a fine of 500 rubles. Deprivation of rights is imposed only if light bulbs are installed in which both the color of the lights and the operating mode do not meet the requirements.
see also

The Supreme Court clarified in which cases a fine should be issued for xenon, and in which it should be deprived of rights