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Where to hang a spike sign on a car. "Spikes" sign and traffic rules - what should every driver know? How to properly install the “Spikes” sign

As soon as the cold weather begins, most drivers try to change summer tires to winter ones. This version of studded tires is much safer in winter weather, when the roads are often slippery. Many drivers are wondering whether it is necessary to stick a special sign with the letter “Ш” on the car window or can they do without it? We will try to answer this question in detail.

Why do you need the “Ш” sign on the car window?

The identification mark is triangular in shape with a red border, in which the letter “Ш” is inscribed in the center in black on a white background means thorns. It must be affixed to the rear of the vehicle.

With its help, drivers behind will know that this is a vehicle has studded tires. It serves as a warning to other cars to keep their distance as the vehicle has a shorter braking distance in slippery conditions.

Many drivers began to complain that traffic police officers fined them for not having a “spike” sign. However, employees may do this for two reasons;

The presence of the “Ш” sign on the rear window warns drivers of other vehicles that there is a need to keep their distance, since in the event of an emergency stop, studded tires significantly reduce the braking distance.
Rubber spikes can cause damage to surrounding vehicles as they can easily fly out. This is due to the fact that some drivers buy inexpensive tires instead of tires from well-known manufacturers.

The Technical Regulations of the Customs Union were recently ratified and entered into force. This document, important for all motorists, came into force in January 2015. Changes have also occurred in the traffic rules, for example, the rule for replacing summer and winter tires, as well as the possibility of their operation, the period for replacing summer with winter tires and vice versa.

Traffic police officers are obliged to ensure traffic safety on the roads. For failure to comply with the above rule, they may issue a fine to the driver of a car without a “Ш” sign in the amount of 500 rubles.

Often, drivers of cars without the “Ш” sign, outraged by the written protocol, then go to court. There are many cases when the court acquits motorists, since a fine can be issued in case malfunctions in the vehicle.

A sticker with the letter “Ш” is not a reason to assume that the vehicle is faulty. Still, it is better to have a “Ш” sign on the rear window, since it is recommended that all cars have one.

This is indicated in the paragraph on the admission of vehicles to operation, as well as officials who are obliged to monitor road safety.

When and how to use the sign with the letter “Ш”

The studded tire sign is triangular in shape with a red border. In the center of the sign is the letter “Ш” black on white background. Any side of the sticker has a length of at least 20 cm. The outline of the border is taken in the ratio of 1/10 of the prescribed size of the attribute.

The sign must be affixed if the vehicle has spikes on the tires. The sticker costs around 100 rubles. As soon as a car driver has changed his summer tires to a winter version with studs, he is recommended to stick a sign on the rear window of his vehicle.

In the spring, when there is no longer a need for studded tires, they are changed again to summer tires and the sticker can be removed. This attribute allows you not only to warn other car drivers about studded tires.

Often such a sign can come in handy when an accident occurs and prove your innocence. This little thing forces many motorists to be more careful and disciplined on the roads.

Some features of using studded tires on cars

Based on this, it can be assumed that the driver cannot be sanctioned for not having a sign with the letter “Ш”. The employee has the right to give a verbal warning to the driver. In some accident cases, the absence of a spike sign has resulted in the driver in front being found at fault for the accident.

Several rear vehicles collided with a vehicle in front that was not wearing a studded tire sticker. When a driver undergoes a technical inspection in winter and has studded tires, but does not have this attribute on the glass, he may not issue a vehicle inspection certificate.

If a driver is given a fine while driving because he does not have a sticker with the letter “Ш” on his windshield, he can appeal such a punishment, but it will take a lot of time to prove his innocence. For this reason, experienced car enthusiasts advise to stick a sign and safely drive your car in winter with studded tires.

All drivers should think about this sign and keep a certain distance when there is a car ahead, equipped with spikes. A motorist with spikes must remain vigilant and think about other vehicles moving on the road.

Before starting to move his car, each driver is obliged to check, as well as ensure good technical condition of your vehicle. Movement is prohibited in the following cases:

there are problems with the brake system and steering;
headlights and side lights in poor condition;
Driver's side windshield wipers not working.

Sign "Spikes" is an identification mark in the form of an equilateral white triangle with a red border and the letter Ш inscribed in it, which, in accordance with traffic regulations, is installed at the rear of a vehicle with studded tires. Driving a vehicle equipped with tires with studs without the “Spikes” sign is prohibited.

In accordance with clause 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, from April 4, 2017, the absence of a “Spikes” sign on a car with installed tires with spikes or non-compliance of the sign with the requirements of GOST entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of 500 rubles.

Sizes and colors
"Spikes" sign

According to the requirements, GOST R The “Spikes” sign must have a white background only and the shape of an equilateral triangle with side dimensions of at least 200 mm. The maximum size is not limited by law. The drawing of the “Spikes” sign is shown in the photograph.

The width of the border should only be red and 10 times smaller than the side of the triangle. For example, with a sign side of 200 mm, the border width should be 20 mm. When making a larger sign, the width of the border should be proportionally increased.

The letter “Ш” should be only black and inscribed in the center of the triangle formed by the border. The size of the letter should be maximum, but there should be a gap between its edges and the border.

Requirements for the installation location of the “Spikes” sign on a vehicle

The traffic regulations do not impose strict requirements on the location of the “Spikes” sign on vehicles. This is only a general guideline, which means that the sign should be clearly visible to drivers of vehicles following your vehicle.

Thus, each driver has the right to choose the place to stick the sign at his own discretion. The main thing is to fix the sign in a place that minimally impairs the view through the rearview mirror, is less dirty when driving on dirty roads, and is easy to clean. A good place is at the top of the rear window, inside (if it is not tinted) or outside. It is not prohibited to glue the sign anywhere on the back or bumper of the car.

Choosing a location for installing the “Spikes” sign

When choosing a location, you should take into account that the “Spikes” sign is installed only during the operation of studded tires, according to the rules from December to February, and when it is changed to a summer one, the sign will need to be removed. Local authorities, depending on the climate zone, have the right to extend this period of time.

If you install a self-adhesive sign on the inside of the rear window, from my point of view this is the best place; the sticky layer will lie on the heating threads, which are also glued to the surface of the glass. With repeated heating and cooling of the threads, it is quite possible that the sticky layer holding the sign may stick and subsequently, when removing it, these threads can be damaged. Therefore, I immediately postponed this option.

In winter, the outside of the rear window is often covered with ice and it may be necessary to remove it with a scraper. In this case, the sign can be easily damaged. If you stick a sign on the bumper or other place on the back of your car, then as a result of driving through melted, dirty snow, the sign will become covered with dirt and become unreadable.

But there is an optimal solution - installing a “Spikes” sign on the inside of the rear window using suction cups. In this case, the sign will always be clearly legible, it will not need to be scraped off in the spring, it can be used many times and the glass heating filaments will be safe. The “Spikes” sign on suction cups is sold in car dealerships, but it’s much nicer to make it yourself from scrap material.

Making your own “Spikes” sign

Traffic rules do not prohibit installing a homemade “Spikes” sign on a vehicle if it meets the requirements of GOST.

Methods for making the “Spikes” sign

At home, depending on your capabilities, you can make a homemade sign in several ways: ☞ print on a black and white laser printer and paint with waterproof paint; ☞ print on a color laser printer; ☞ Apply the design of the sign to a white base using colored insulating tape.

To make a sign using a laser printer, simply print the template on a thick sheet of white paper and cover the surface with wide tape. You can make a printout on thin paper and then glue it to a thick base. There is no point in printing on an inkjet printer, since the image will not be waterproof, and the humidity in a car can be high.

Free download of the template file in pdf format for printing the “Spikes” sign at black and white or in color You can print directly from my website.

Instructions for making the “Spikes” sign on suction cups

If you don’t have access to a laser printer, you can make a sign from scrap material. To do this, you first need to make a sign template according to the sketch provided.

Any sheet of white A4 paper will be suitable for the template base. At the edge of the sheet, a distance of 20 cm is measured (points 1 and 2) and the middle of this segment is marked (point 3). Then a perpendicular line is drawn from point 3. Next, bring the zero mark of the ruler to point 1, and by rotating it, align the 20 cm mark with the vertical line (point 4). The left side of the sign is applied. Next, point 2 is connected by a line to point 4, resulting in the right side of the triangle. The outer outline of the sign is ready. Further drawing of the template usually does not raise any questions.

It is convenient to round the corners of the sign using a compass; if you don’t have one at hand, you can circle any round object of suitable diameter with a pencil.

To make the base of the “Spikes” sign, I took a sheet of white plastic taken from a broken TV matrix. It has a suitable thickness, is rigid and quite durable. Any other waterproof material, such as thin white organic glass, will also work. To apply the border and the letter “Ш”, insulating tape of the corresponding colors was used.

First, red electrical tape was glued to the base around the perimeter to create a border. The width of the electrical tape is two millimeters narrower than necessary, but this is not noticeable to the eye. Next, a pattern of the letter “Ш” was placed on the background of the sign and marked with dots at the corners.

The width of the sides of the letter “W” should be 12 mm, and the width of the electrical tape was 18 mm. I had to wrap a piece of electrical tape around a cylindrical can and cut it around the circumference with a sharp knife.

All that remains is to glue the pieces of electrical tape onto the background of the sign, guided by the dots marked on the template, and the “Spikes” sign will be ready.

To secure the suction cup, holes were punched in a pre-designed loop, although they can also be drilled with a drill.

All that remains is to attach the suction cup to the sign and you can install it on the car. The suction cup was taken from a sun screen for cars. There are four of them in the set, but I only use two.

To test the homemade “Spikes” Sign, I attached it to window glass. It hung there for several days, held tightly, and was clearly visible from the street.

After installing the winter tires with studs, it’s time to glue the “Spikes” sign. I placed the sign in different places on the rear window and, looking from the driver’s seat, chose the place in which, when installed, the sign least blocked the view when observed through the rearview mirror.

The place in the lower zone of the glass also turned out to be convenient for secure fastening; as can be seen in the photo, the lower edge of the sign is placed a couple of millimeters behind the plastic frame of the glass, thereby preventing the base of the sign from bending when opening the trunk door. In addition, the glass area in front of the sign on the outside is cleaned with a wiper blade, so the sign will be clearly visible in any weather.

This photo shows what a homemade “Spikes” sign with a suction cup looks like, installed on a car. If you don’t want to bother with making a template and gluing insulating tape, then you can stick a factory-made sign on the base. In this case, it can be installed and removed many times.

The design of the sign on suction cups can be useful for drivers who periodically have to transport children or people with disabilities. If there are children or a person with disabilities in the car, the sign can be installed, and when they are not present, it can be removed. As a result, without violating traffic rules, it will be possible to transport children or park a car in places intended for parking cars of disabled people without plastering the entire back of the car with signs.

The rules do not stipulate the number of signs that are allowed to be installed on a car. One of the car enthusiasts in our city took advantage of this and made a large letter “SH” from ten symbols of spikes. It is difficult to deny him a sense of humor.

Was the thorns sign abolished or not in 2018, is there a fine for not having a thorns sign, where to put the sticker.

Starting from April 2017, some changes have appeared in the existing traffic rules of the Russian Federation regarding the location of mandatory signs on vehicles. Where should such a Spikes sign be attached, what is the reason for such an innovation, and what fines can a vehicle owner expect if he ignores this mandatory requirement that has already come into force?

Reasons for installing the Spikes sign?

Why do you need the “Studded Tires” sticker? Installing a sign on a machine performs the following tasks and functions:

Providing information to road users that the vehicle in front of them is equipped with studded tires;
Possibility to undergo technical inspection;
No unwanted stops and document checks in winter.

Where should the Spikes sign be placed on a car?

So, having figured out the answer to the question “is the spike sign required or not,” it’s worth finding out where to put it according to the rules, so that neither the persons carrying out the maintenance nor the traffic police officers have any complaints against you. There is no clear regulation according to the placement rules. However, based on paragraph 8 of the Basic Provisions of the Regulatory Rules, its location should be the rear of the vehicle, and this should be done in such a way that drivers of both cars and trucks following you can easily see the sign at a distance of up to 20 meters.

Depending on what brand of your car you can choose a different location, but experienced drivers and driving school instructors advise placing it at the top of the rear window of the car. The side of placement can be any - on the right or on the left - in this case, the priority will be visibility for drivers driving behind you, and also that such a sign does not interfere with the driver of this car in terms of visibility and does not block the necessary visibility.

In the case of attachment to glass, it is no longer so important whether it will be located inside the vehicle or outside, however, if your car has tinted windows, then the best option would still be to place it on the outside of the car. It would also not be a mistake to mount such a sign on the body or bumper of a car in a visible place.

The dimensions of the sign according to GOST must be at least 20 cm (one side of the triangle), the triangle itself must be surrounded by a red border, the width of which is at least 10% of the length of the side of the figure itself. The letter “Ш” is written in black in the center of the triangle. When purchasing or making it yourself, please note that it must meet certain parameters.

Fine for missing the Spikes sign in 2018

Violation of current traffic regulations is punishable by fines of various sizes. The fine for the absence of a spike sign also exists and is 500 rubles and can be imposed on the driver of a vehicle in the following cases:

in its absence;
when placed in a location that restricts or makes it impossible for motorists following you to see;
for failure to comply with the requirements for the basic parameters of the sign.

Thus, placing such a sign, which has now become necessary, will protect you from the possibility of a car colliding with another vehicle, will allow you to pass a technical inspection and will prevent the possible imposition of a fine.

According to the amendments to the “Road Rules”, effective from 04/04/17, in Russia it is mandatory to use the “Spikes” sign on cars with installed studded winter tires.

However, not all car owners know about this and the vast majority drive without this sign, which is fraught with certain troubles for them with traffic police inspectors.

From this article you will learn:

What determines the mandatory installation

The mandatory installation of the “Spikes” sign on a car is determined by clause 7.15 of the “amendments to the traffic rules” dated April 4, 2017, which lists a list of malfunctions for which the operation of the car is prohibited. The following is written verbatim in paragraph 7.15:

There are no identification marks that must be installed in accordance with paragraph 8 of the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles to operation.

At the same time, in paragraph 8 of the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles to operation, the following is written verbatim:

The following identification marks must be installed on vehicles:
- “Spikes” - in the form of an equilateral triangle of white color with the apex up with a red border, in which the letter “Ш” is inscribed in black.

That is, driving without a “Spikes” sign on a car with installed studded winter tires has been considered illegal since 2017. By the way, now everyone can easily identify a car by license plate using the current database.

What is it for?

It must be said that the need to install a sign is determined not only by legislation, but also by common sense.

Today, the choice of winter tires is huge; (Velcro) are being chosen by an increasing number of car owners. However, even in big cities there are many situations where they have a shorter braking distance than Velcro.

A clearly visible "Spike" sign can actually warn the driver behind you that the stopping distance may be much shorter than he expects. That is, the presence of a sign is, in fact, an additional factor that reduces accidents on the roads. There is no need to neglect them.

Penalty for the sign "Spikes"

Since the absence of the “Spikes” sign is now considered a malfunction, according to Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code, traffic police inspectors have the right to impose a fine of 500 rubles on the car owner.

Literally, part 1 of Article 12.5 reads like this:

Driving a vehicle when there is a malfunction...

...incurs a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of five hundred rubles.

That is, if the car owner is very lucky and the traffic police inspector is in a good mood, then he can count on a warning. But with a high probability we can say that there will be a fine.

Where to put the “Spikes” sign on a car

Many car owners also often have a question: where to put the “Spikes” sign? It can be difficult to independently determine the place where it should be installed (there are many options - on the door or trunk lid, on the bumper, on the rear lid of the body, on the awning, someone even glues it to the trunk attached to the roof rack).

It should be noted here that except for paragraph 8 of the “Basic provisions for the approval of vehicles for operation,” the location of the sign on the car is not specified by any other documents, including the “Road Rules.”

The following is written verbatim in paragraph 8 of the “Basic Provisions”:

The sign must be installed at the rear of motor vehicles.

That is, the sign simply must be visible and clearly readable for those road users driving behind your car.

As for the sign sticker itself, you need to remember the following:

Since the sign should be placed only for the winter (it is not needed in the summer), you need to keep in mind that the sign pasted in the fall will have to be removed in the spring. But this may not be so simple and can even lead to damage to the paint or the glass itself on the car if the wrong place is chosen.
There are two types of signs - with glue on the front side of the sign and with glue on the back side of the sign. Accordingly, those signs that have glue on the front side are glued from the inside of the car, those on the back side are glued to the outside of the car.
Signs are produced by many manufacturers; for many of them, the adhesive base can grip too tightly, which will create a lot of difficulties when peeling off the sign in the spring. On the inside of the car glass, its heating filaments can be damaged, and on the outside, even the paint on the car body can be damaged.
To prevent this from happening, it is best to choose places where you know you won’t be able to damage the car. For example, car glass is perfect for any glue, since scraping off sign and glue residues from it will be much easier than from any other surface. However, if the sticker is supposed to be applied from the inside, it is necessary that there are no heating filaments on the glass.
When sticking a sign on the car window, do not forget about visibility. The sign must be pasted in such a way that it does not block the view to the rear. The most optimal places for placement will be the upper corners of the rear window of the car. The top left corner works best because it interferes least with your view. The upper right corner can also be used if there are already some stickers in the upper left.
Also, do not forget that many cars have tinted rear windows, so the sign pasted on the inside will be difficult to read. For tinted cars, an exterior sticker is more suitable. Also, a sign glued to the outside is convenient because you can ask to peel it off at any car wash in the spring.
There are also a lot of options for “Spikes” signs for internal installation “on suction cups” and other “Velcro”. Here it must be said that the installation of such signs must be checked from time to time, since all these “Velcro” and “suction cups” tend to come off over time.

What should the “Spikes” sign be like according to GOST

It should be noted that in addition to the presence of the sign on the car, it is also necessary that it comply with GOST.

According to GOST, the “Spikes” sign must be an equilateral triangle of white color with a side measuring at least 20 cm, with a black letter “Ш” inscribed in it and a red border along the edges of at least 2 cm (10%) thick.

There are many different signs sold in stores and not all of them comply with GOST; when purchasing, it is better to check the length of the sides of the triangle with a ruler or tape measure.

You can also print the sign yourself; to do this, just download the picture from our website:

Absence of the “Spikes” sign in an accident

As for the responsibility of the driver of a car without an installed “Spikes” sign who is involved in an accident, the following should be said here:

In the vast majority of cases, the guilt of a driver who does not keep his distance and drives into the car in front is determined by the traffic police officers even when registering an accident.

However, the presence of the “Spikes” sign has now become mandatory and its absence on the back of the damaged vehicle may become an additional factor that the culprit of the accident can use to his advantage. And under a certain set of circumstances, even turn the case around in court in such a way that you become completely innocent.

The smartest thing to do is not to give the potential culprit of a possible accident such an excellent chance to confuse the matter, and stick the “Spikes” sign where it should be by law.

A person who has recently completed a driving course and passed the traffic police exam is considered a novice driver. He must be fully prepared for any road situations, understand the Road Driving Rules and be able to drive a vehicle perfectly. In fact, all this comes only with experience - you are unlikely to be hired as a driver in an organization if your experience is less than two or three years.

In addition, anyone will agree with the thesis that under the supervision of an experienced driving inspector, it is much easier to drive along the streets of Moscow, St. Petersburg or some small city of regional significance. When an inexperienced amateur goes out on the road for the first time, he very often gets confused in a simple road situation: he forgets about the order of passage of intersections or the traffic controller’s signals.

To inform motorists that they do not have enough experience, a special sticker-sign - “Inexperienced Driver” or “Beginner Driver” – is glued and hung on the glass.

Section eight of the “Basic provisions for the approval of a vehicle for operation” says that the sticker is placed on the windshield and rear window when the driving experience is less than two years. Moreover, without this designation you cannot pass a technical inspection.

However, from April 4, 2017, for the absence of a sticker, a fine is provided under Article 12.5. Part 1. in the amount of 500 rubles.

Possible mistakes

First of all, let's say that this plate has a form specifically approved by GOST - a yellow square with a side of at least 15 centimeters, and an exclamation mark is depicted on a yellow background. It is this that indicates that you recently passed your license. Other signs are undesirable.

Where should the sign be placed?

The traffic rules do not specifically indicate where the novice driver sticker must be displayed, only that it must be placed in a visible place.

Therefore, the sign should be hung in the following places:

on the rear window in any corner - left, right, top, bottom;
on the front glass - in the lower or upper corner on the passenger side;
directly on the trunk near the license plate or rear lights.

You also need to take into account the fact that in the case of snowy winters or after a long journey on roads covered with mud and slush, the car will be sufficiently smeared, so that not only additional information plates will not be visible, but also the license plates themselves.

That is, hang the sign so that it is not hidden by dirt and snow.

When can the sign be removed?

According to the traffic rules, the designation must be valid for two years after receiving a driver’s license.