A ticket for a dirty car. Police are starting to control nationwide for 2025 holidays

For many drivers, especially during the autumn-winter period, a muddy car is almost everyday. Variable weather, rain, snow and ubiquitous road salt make it impossible to keep the vehicle clean. Most of us consider this a purely aesthetic problem, putting a visit to the car wash for a more favorable moment. However, it turns out that excessive dirt on the vehicle can have consequences far more serious than only unflattering opinions from another drivers. Police have the right to impose a fine for a dirty car., and the basis for this action is not a subjective assessment of aesthetics, but a hard evidence in a key paper for drivers. Talk about Article 66 Road traffic rights, which specifies the method conditions of the vehicle to be moved and its explanation may surprise many owners of the 4 wheels.

Article 66 Traffic laws – silent guardian order

Contrary to appearances, police officers, choosing to punish the driver for the condition of his vehicle, do not act on the basis of their own perceptions. Legal basis Article 66 section 1 points 1 and 5 of the Road Traffic Law Act. This provision, although not explicitly referring to "dirty", is the foundation for the enforcement of the appropriate method and visual condition of the vehicle.

What precisely does this article say?

• Point 1 states that ‘the vehicle active in the movement is to be so constructed, equipped and maintainedin order to guarantee that its usage does not endanger the safety of persons driving it or another traffic participants, does not violate traffic order and does not harm anyone."
• Point 5 It adds that the vehicle must supply ‘the driver with a adequate field of view and easy, convenient and reliable usage of the devices for driving, braking, signalling and traffic lighting while being watched’.

The key word is here. ‘held’. This means that it is the work of the owner not only to guarantee the efficiency of the brakes or suspensions, but besides to guarantee the external condition of the vehicle, which does not origin any danger and ensures full functionality of its key elements.

Which components of the vehicle must be absolutely clean?

The police officer will not be curious in dust on the roof or dried mud on the door. His attention will focus on those elements whose dirt has a direct impact on the safety and recognition of the vehicle. They're the ones that get interpreted. Article 66.

1. Registration plates: This is the most common and apparent reason for the mandate. The plates must be full legible and must not be ‘decorated’ in specified a way as to restrict their visibility. Dirt, snow and even a leaf that effectively covers the digits and letters makes it impossible to identify the vehicle, which is crucial for the operation of photo-radars, monitoring systems or in the event of collision or escape from the scene. The word of office for illegible plates may be extended up to 500 PLN.
2. Lights and direction indicators: Thick layer of mud on lamps lamps importantly reduces lighting efficiency. At night or during hard weather conditions ( fog, rain) the vehicle's visibility falls drastically, which poses a real threat to all traffic participants. The same applies to direction indicators – if another driver does not see our intention to turn, the hazard of collision increases rapidly.
3. Glasses and mirrors: This point refers straight to providing the driver ‘sufficient field of view’. A muddy windscreen, uncleaned side mirrors, or an illegible rear window prevent the correct assessment of the road situation. The police officer has all right to believe that this condition of the vehicle endangers safety.

The amount of the mandate and the consequences. What's the danger of the driver?

A driver whose vehicle is marked by negligence in key areas must be active in police intervention. The consequences depend on the officer's assessment of the situation.

• Instruction: In the event of a slight dirt which can be easy removed on the spot, the inspection may be completed by instruction and order to clean up the vehicle.
• Criminal term: If negligence is gross (e.g. completely illegible plates), a police officer may scope for a mandate block. The vehicle’s method condition shall be subject to fines. from 20 zł to 500 zł. That could happen. penalty points.
• Retention of registration: In utmost cases, where the condition of the vehicle clearly threatens safety in traffic, the police officer shall have the right to electronically detain the registration certificate.

Expert comment: Law versus common sense

Interpretation Article 66 Road traffic rights in the context of a dirty car is an excellent example, where the letter of law meets with common sense. This provision was not designed to harass drivers for insufficient attention to aesthetics. Its aim is to enforce the absolute minimum, which guarantees that the vehicle is safe for itself and for the environment.

Please note that responsibility for the condition of the vehicle rests entirely on the driver. The translation that "roads are dirty" or "just out of the woods" will not be an argument for a policeman. It is the driver's work to guarantee before and during driving that the key components of his vehicle are visible and functional. It is worth carrying a bottle of water and a cloth or moisturized wipes to rapidly clean the lights or licence plates if necessary. This is simply a tiny effort that can prevent us from being ticketed and, more importantly, will actually improve road safety. This is not a police malice, but a fundamental rule of liable participation in traffic.