Do you need a stud sign on a car in 2021: if the tires are studded

The information that drivers will no longer be fined for not having a “Spikes” sign in Russia in 2021 is completely true.

Despite the fact that numerous studies and accident analysis found that the presence of such a sticker did not improve road safety or could even cause an accident, drivers were still forced to place it on the rear window of the car, as required by law. . However, as it turned out, the final version of the amendments has already been adopted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is binding throughout the Russian Federation.

When will the fine for not having a “Spikes” sticker be lifted?

At the beginning of summer, information appeared in the press that from June 1, 2018, fines for the absence of the “Spikes” sign on a car would be abolished in Russia. However, this did not happen at the appointed time. Then representatives of the traffic police department posted an explanatory note on their official portal, which explained the current situation. Until the law abolishing this fine has been officially announced, cars with studded wheels must have a special sticker. For its absence, a fine of 500 rubles is imposed.

So is it necessary to stick such a sign on a car at the end of this year?

If it has studded tires, then yes. The sticker can be placed on the rear window or any other part of the body where it will be visible to other road users. For its absence, a fine of 500 rubles is imposed.

The sticker itself is small and costs no more than 170 rubles when finished. Drivers can print it themselves using a color printer by downloading the templates of this road sign from the Internet. The fine for the absence of such a sign is several times greater than its cost. Installing a notification on a car is not difficult for anyone. The traffic inspectors commenting on the current situation sincerely do not understand what caused this problem.

Until this fine is officially canceled, it remains in force. Therefore, it is easier to comply with current legal requirements. This will help you avoid:

penalties;
stressful situations that arise when communicating with a traffic inspector;
emergency situations that will not be covered by MTPL and CASCO insurance.

Will you need to put a spike sign on your car in 2021? There is no exact information yet. Judging by the comments on the official website of the Russian government, this bill is still under consideration, and there is no exact information about its adoption.

The problems of sticking and removing the sign are, in fact, not worth a damn. The sign itself costs a penny. You can stick it on in a couple of minutes. Such a sign is removed even faster. When the law abolishing fines for not having a sign indicating the presence of studded tires on a car is officially announced, car owners will simply remove it from their car.

Installation of the Spikes sign according to traffic regulations

It was said above that the Studded Tires sign is necessary to warn other road users that the car is equipped with studded tires. The amendments to the traffic rules contain a rule stipulating that this sticker must be installed on the vehicle if the car has studded tires. The main purpose of putting a sign on a car is to warn drivers about the shortened braking distance and the need to maintain a maximum distance.

Where to glue

There is no strict standard for the placement of the badge, but the vehicle operating rules roughly indicate where to place the Spikes sign. The sticker should be placed on the rear window of the car (if we are talking about a passenger car), and it should be clearly visible to other road users. The exact location of the icon can be adjusted at your discretion and depending on the characteristics of the vehicle.

A motorist has the right to use not only a purchased badge, but also a homemade badge, which can be downloaded from the Internet and printed on a color printer. This attribute sticks well with double-sided tape, and the sign should be laminated first. There are other options for fixing the badge on the car, for example, using suction cups (then the triangle can be used many times and there will be no traces of glue left after removal).

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Dimensions of the sign according to GOST

If a car owner makes a triangle himself, he must adhere to certain traffic police requirements. According to GOST, the sign must:

look like a white triangle with a red border and a black letter “Ш” in the center;
be dense, for which the triangle is printed on special photographic paper (the optimal density indicator is 120-150);
be glued in a place visible to other road users.

What are the dimensions of the Spikes sign according to GOST? Each cocked hat should be at least 20 centimeters, and the optimal width of the red frill is 10 times less than the side of the figure (at least 2 cm). As a rule, car dealerships sell stickers of the required size. There is no point in purchasing and gluing a small triangle, since legally it will not be considered valid, and the driver may be fined in this regard.

Why are “spikes” needed?

In theory, a triangle on a car's rear window should alert other drivers that it is equipped with studded tires, which affects its braking distance. With such information, the driver of a vehicle moving behind can calculate a safe distance, which will help avoid a collision even in the event of emergency braking. But in fact, the “spikes” sign does not always fulfill its intended function, given that it does not inform about the exact length of the braking distance, since it can vary depending on the ambient temperature and weather conditions. And in the event of an accident on the road, the presence of a triangle sticker does not relieve the driver of liability and is not taken into account by the court when considering the case (as a rule, a decision is made on the joint liability of the participants in the accident).

At the same time, the rules do not stipulate the conditions for placing the “Spikes” sign (there are no exact instructions on where it should be pasted and from what distance it should be visible to other drivers). But this did not stop traffic police officers from fining drivers for installing a triangle on something other than the rear window, despite the fact that this is not a mandatory requirement of the traffic rules.

Where should the sign be?

Motor vehicle regulations do not require drivers to place a sign on the rear window. There is no specific location for placing the warning sign on the vehicle.

But an important detail is prescribed - it should be installed and glued only in the rear of the vehicle and it should be visible to other road users.

Such requirements imply the use of the sign for its intended purpose, when it fully fulfills its practical purposes.

On the other hand, a sticker on the rear window in the center, with a slight offset to the right or left from the center of the glass, will interfere with the driver’s view of the situation on the road.

Assessing the surrounding situation while driving along the highway occurs not only thanks to rearview mirrors and parking sensors (sonars, parking radars, rear view camera).

But you can also inspect what is going on behind the car, using just the rear window of the body. But if a sign is pasted on it, it will greatly interfere with normal visualization.

The most optimal sign placement option:

on the rear window directly behind the driver;
on the rear window in the lower right corner;
on the rear of the body, but in such a way as not to cover other important designations - car brand logo, car license plate, etc.;
from inside the passenger compartment on the rear window, so that the sticker’s image is not quickly damaged by exposure to weather conditions.

The rules for towing a car on a flexible hitch according to traffic regulations are discussed in the article: towing according to traffic regulations. Read about the car first aid kit according to traffic rules here.

Where it all started

Last year, the Chairman of the Russian government, Dmitry Medvedev, publicly stated the need to adjust traffic fines due to their lagging behind technical progress and fundamental changes in automotive production. After the deputy head of the Main Directorate of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vladimir Kuzin, said that fines for the absence of the “Spikes” sign on a car would soon be abolished, many relaxed. He said traffic wardens would limit themselves to verbal warnings and would not issue a fine for such a violation.

Kuzin pointed out that today this sign has lost its information content and that modern cars have long had special technical equipment that ensures road safety in any difficult conditions.

At the same time, the Duma was working on a bill to introduce amendments to abolish this fine. Information about him appeared on state portals and on the website of the State Duma. On May 21 of this year, it passed the first hearings, but has not yet received a number and has not been signed. The press secretary of Deputy Russian Prime Minister Maxim Akimov, Aliya Samigula, explained to reporters at a press conference that the bill to abolish fines for the absence of the “Spikes” sign is still being finalized by the government.

So should car owners put a spike sign on their cars in 2018? Probably yes. The law will come into force only after it is signed by the President of Russia.

Position of the traffic police

The lack of consensus on this issue for a long time did not contribute to making changes to the current law. But in the spring of 2018, at the next meeting of the traffic police, a proposal was made to figure out how justified the use of “Spikes” is, taking into account the technical capabilities of modern vehicles and the statistics of emergency situations.

In the course of studying this issue, it turned out that other drivers rarely pay attention to the presence of a triangle and do not take this information into account when planning their maneuvers. As a rule, this is now irrelevant, since modern cars are equipped with instruments and devices that make it possible to reduce braking distances as much as possible, regardless of the condition of the road surface and weather conditions. Moreover, a large triangle on the rear window only increases the risk of accidents: it partially blocks the driver’s view and prevents him from adequately assessing the current situation on the road.

After analyzing the information received, the traffic police decided to reconsider their attitude to this issue. This means that from 2019 it is not necessary to use the “Spikes” sign and no fines will be issued for its absence: as lawyers explained, the management of the traffic police did not limit itself to an oral statement and not only declared its readiness to make changes to the current law, but also prepared the corresponding amendments.

Legislative innovations

Not all drivers yet know that the spike sign has been canceled since 2019, despite the fact that the latest news has repeatedly mentioned that the document has not yet been adopted and is under consideration. This means that owners of vehicles with studded tires do not have to worry about traffic police sanctions and fines for not having the appropriate sign. Let us remind you that this requirement was provided for in paragraph 8 of the current rules, which define the list of conditions for the admission of vehicles to operation. This legislative norm applied to all types of passenger vehicles and was mandatory without any exceptions. But as of December 8, 2021, it has been abolished, as provided for by Resolution No. 1414 of November 24, 2018.

Read the full text of the Decree on:

As follows from the explanatory note, based on the results of the research, it became obvious that the sign had lost its information content. In modern vehicles, the dynamic characteristics are determined by a combination of other factors and depend on the use of innovative systems that reduce braking distances and stabilize the vehicle on the road during emergency maneuvers. And due to the fact that the “Spikes” sticker has lost its relevance, no longer contributes to increasing the level of safety on the roads, and in some cases can even cause an accident in conditions of limited visibility or difficult weather conditions, the traffic police came to the conclusion that it should eliminate the use of this sign and relieve drivers from having to comply with this obligation.

The "Spikes" sign has been canceled - is this true?

Yes. As of July 16, 2021, this obligation to install this sticker has been canceled.

Current traffic rules have lost this obligation since December 8, 2018 - the corresponding law was adopted, that is, the sign was canceled, and on the specified date it came into force.

The obligation was stated in paragraph 8 of the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles to operation (Appendix of the Traffic Rules):

8. Identification signs must be installed on vehicles: ... “Spikes” - in the form of an equilateral triangle of white color with the apex up with a red border, into which the letter “Ш” is inscribed in black on the back of motor vehicles with studded tires.

Thus, the latest news for July 16, 2021 - the “Spikes” sign has been canceled for today.