Drivers are scared by new fines from June 1: where is the truth and where are the "scare stories"?

Drivers are scared by "new fines from June 1", but there are far fewer real changes than it seems. From the beginning of summer, it is forbidden to drive on studded tires. This entails a warning or a fine of 500 rubles. But reports about emergency signs, Europrotocol, oncoming lanes, dirty license plates, and non-standard lights mainly concern rules that are already in effect, or require separate explanation.

You need to change tires before summer

If a car has studded tires, they must be replaced before the beginning of June: from June 1 to August 31, the operation of a car on studs is prohibited.

The prohibition itself is stipulated in the List of Malfunctions and Conditions under which Vehicles Cannot Be Operated. This is an appendix to the traffic rules. Paragraph 5.2 states that studded anti-skid tires cannot be used in summer - in June, July, and August.

For driving on studded tires after June 1, the driver faces a warning or a fine of 500 rubles under Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

Velcro tires are not subject to the ban, but the tires must still comply with general requirements for condition, size, and wear.

Emergency sign and Europrotocol

At this point, the real changes actually end. Everything else that is now actively circulating on social networks and in the media under the guise of "new fines from June 1" requires a separate analysis.

One of the rumors is that from June 1, drivers will be fined for the absence of an emergency sign in the car and a paper form for registering an accident under the Europrotocol. In fact, there is no fine simply for the absence of an emergency sign in the car in 2026. It was removed from the List of Malfunctions back in 2023.

Traffic rules require an emergency stop sign to be displayed in the event of an accident, as well as during an emergency stop in places where the car may be noticed late by other drivers. If a driver gets into an accident and does not display a sign, he may face a fine of 1,000 rubles for failure to perform duties in connection with an accident. This rule has been in effect for a long time, not since June 1, 2026.

With a paper accident notification, the story is even simpler. There is no fine for the absence of such a form. Insurance companies only advise keeping it in the car in case an accident has to be registered under the Europrotocol, and mobile internet works poorly.

Oncoming lane and dirty license plates - these are not new fines

Another rumor concerns driving into the oncoming lane. Some media outlets write that from June 1, the penalty will become stricter: if the violation is recorded by a camera, the fine will be 7,500 rubles.

But these rules are already in effect. The fine for driving into the oncoming lane was increased from 5,000 to 7,500 rubles on January 1, 2025.

The same applies to dirty license plates. Some media outlets claim that from June, drivers will allegedly be separately punished for unreadable license plates regardless of the weather. For unreadable license plates, a warning or a fine of 500 rubles is already imposed.

If the driver deliberately made the license plate unreadable - for example, covered it, smeared it with dirt, or used an overlay so that cameras and inspectors could not recognize it - the punishment is more serious. For this, they can be fined 5,000 rubles or deprived of their license. But this rule is also in effect now.

LED and xenon in regular headlights: what's wrong here

Rumors are also spreading about non-standard lighting: it is alleged that traffic police inspectors will check illegal optical tuning, especially the installation of LED or xenon lamps in headlights designed for other light sources. But here, too, it is not about a new rule from June 1: requirements for external lighting devices are already in the current List of Malfunctions.

If a light source of a different class than that provided by the manufacturer is installed in the headlight, this may be considered a violation. In a normal situation, this entails a warning or a fine of 500 rubles. But if the color of the lights or the operating mode of the lighting devices is violated, the punishment can be stricter, up to deprivation of rights.