Tinting headlights: when is it legal and allowed?
- May 17, 2023
- 0
After February 24, 2022, the activity of traffic police officers falls under the well-known art. 12.5.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations – “tuning” – has been greatly
After February 24, 2022, the activity of traffic police officers falls under the well-known art. 12.5.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations – “tuning” – has been greatly reduced. However, military personnel periodically conduct corresponding raids, and connoisseurs of self-improvement of cars regularly unscrew the numbers on the side of the road. The most popular reason for nitpicking by the traffic police is, of course, headlights and lanterns, or rather their modifications. However, there is a case when the inspector simply has no right to demand the abolition of “improve”. Details are on the AvtoVzglyad portal.
Headlight tinting became widespread at the end of the “tithe” and was an indispensable part of “sports cars” at the beginning of the century. Inexpensive, easy to implement, but stylish solution that many people liked. Over time, the optics became darker and darker, and at the time of the mass appearance of LEDs it just turned black. No traffic cop can miss such an opportunity to punish the tuner, because the mentioned art. 12.5.1 – on the face. We remove the numbers and eliminate. However, this argument of the servant of the law does not always hold true.
The fact is that tinted headlights were invented not by Russian motorists, but by the German company Hella, which in the 1990s and 00s equipped a large number of cars with optics under the eloquent name Hella Black. Here BMW with the legendary 34-body, and Mercedes, VW and Audi were noted. True, it was only about the lanterns, since the Germans did not think to paint the headlights. Naturally, the tinted optics have passed all possible tests, received certificates and regularly installed on cars. Directly on conveyor belts.
A similar situation arose with the headlight mask, the inner part of the front optics, which, for example, was painted black in some modifications of common models. To coordinate? No factory. If the car has an “modification” installed during production, and it doesn’t matter which version of the model, then the car owner has the full legal right to use the car with a specific “improvement”.
Whether it’s Hella Black tinted headlights, Mitsubishi’s red hood bar, spoiler or whatever. And don’t be shy about talking about it: a police officer is not obliged to understand the intricacies of the design of all vehicles on the road, but he is obliged to provide clarification during his shift. You don’t have to be rude, it’s much more functional to tell, helping not only yourself, but also your colleagues in the car club.
By the way, Art. 12.5.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations does not only concern the technical equipment of the car, but also the sign “handicapped” that many people stick on the glass without any justification because of free parking in the designated places . This sticker requires the availability of relevant documents and inclusion in a certain database, and if such mandatory conditions are not met, a fine is imposed and a demand for immediate removal is imposed. Fortunately, it’s easy to peel a piece of plastic off glass. However, this is also a violation of the “alignment” article of the Administrative Code.
Photo from open sources.
Headlight tinting became widespread at the end of the “tithe” and was an indispensable part of “sports cars” at the beginning of the century. Inexpensive, easy to implement, but stylish solution that many people liked. Over time, the optics became darker and darker, and at the time of the mass appearance of LEDs it just turned black. No traffic cop can miss such an opportunity to punish the tuner, because the mentioned art. 12.5.1 – on the face. We remove the numbers and eliminate. However, this argument of the servant of the law does not always hold true.
The fact is that tinted headlights were invented not by Russian motorists, but by the German company Hella, which in the 1990s and 00s equipped a large number of cars with optics under the eloquent name Hella Black. Here BMW with the legendary 34-body, and Mercedes, VW and Audi were noted. True, it was only about the lanterns, since the Germans did not think to paint the headlights. Naturally, the tinted optics have passed all possible tests, received certificates and regularly installed on cars. Directly on conveyor belts.
A similar situation arose with the headlight mask, the inner part of the front optics, which, for example, was painted black in some modifications of common models. To coordinate? No factory. If the car has an “modification” installed during production, and it doesn’t matter what version of the model, then the car owner has the full legal right to use the car with a specific “improvement”.
Whether it’s Hella Black tinted headlights, Mitsubishi’s red hood bar, spoiler or whatever. And don’t be shy about talking about it: a police officer is not obliged to understand the intricacies of the design of all vehicles on the road, but he is obliged to provide clarification during his shift. You don’t have to be rude, it’s much more functional to tell, helping not only yourself, but also your colleagues in the car club.
By the way, Art. 12.5.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations does not only concern the technical equipment of the car, but also the sign “handicapped” that many people stick on the glass without any justification because of free parking in the designated places . This sticker requires the availability of relevant documents and inclusion in a certain database, and if such mandatory conditions are not met, a fine is imposed and a demand for immediate removal is imposed. Fortunately, it’s easy to peel a piece of plastic off glass. However, this is also a violation of the “alignment” article of the Administrative Code.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
