2.37. Is a driver allowed to operate a vehicle if the license plate is dirty?
UAЧи дозволено водієві керувати транспортним засобом, якщо номерний знак забруднений?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns safety and control over the operation of a vehicle in road traffic. A legible state license plate is needed not "for formality," but for the identification of the car by the police, automatic recording cameras, and other road users in the event of an accident or violations. That is why the traffic rules pay special attention to this, and the theoretical exam checks the understanding of when operation becomes unacceptable.
The question tests knowledge of the section General Duties of the Driver, specifically clause 2.9 (c) of the Traffic Rules. According to this clause, the driver is prohibited from driving if the license plates are covered or so dirty that the characters cannot be clearly identified from a distance of 20 meters (it is also a violation if the plate is improperly attached, inverted, or unlit at night). The key idea: what matters is not the mere fact of dirt, but the consequence in the form of the loss of legibility of the license plate.
Options that allow driving only within populated areas or only outside them are incorrect, because the Traffic Rules make no exceptions based on location: the requirement for license plate legibility applies everywhere. In practice, this means a simple action for the driver: if after rain, snow, or mud the characters cannot be read from 20 meters, you must stop in a safe place and clean the license plate, and only then continue driving.
Clause 2.9 (c)
The driver is prohibited from operating a vehicle if it is not registered (not re-registered), if the identification numbers of its components do not match the records in the registration documents, have been destroyed or forged, without a license plate or with a license plate that does not belong to this vehicle or does not meet the requirements of standards, or with license plates that are attached in places not intended for this, covered by other objects or dirty, making it impossible to clearly identify the characters of the license plate from a distance of 20 m, inverted or not illuminated, as well as vehicles that are subject to mandatory technical inspection but have not passed it, and in cases provided by law; without a valid compulsory civil liability insurance policy for owners of land vehicles (Green Card insurance certificate) valid in Ukraine.
Application: if the license plate is so dirty that the characters cannot be clearly identified from a distance of 20 m, operating the vehicle is directly prohibited by this clause.
That is, the correct answer is "Prohibited.", given that according to the definition of the Traffic Rules, the driver is prohibited from operating a vehicle with a dirty license plate when the dirt does not allow the characters to be clearly identified from a distance of 20 m.
The state license plate on a vehicle must be such that it can be read without hindrance. This is required not “just for formality,” but for the identification of the car by the police, surveillance cameras, and other road users in the event of an accident or violation.
The Traffic Rules explicitly prohibit driving a vehicle if the license plate is so dirty that the characters cannot be clearly recognized from a distance of 20 meters. That is, what matters is not the word “dirty” itself, but the consequence: when due to dirt, snow, or wet residue, the numbers and letters are unclear or not readable at all.
For example, after driving in the rain on a dirt road or in winter during snowfall, the plate can quickly become covered with mud or snow. If the characters are no longer visible from 20 meters, you do not have the right to continue driving in such a condition. The correct action for the driver in this situation is simple: stop in a safe place and wipe/clean the license plate so that it becomes readable again.
Therefore, the correct answer is “Prohibited,” since the Traffic Rules prohibit driving a vehicle with a dirty license plate when it is impossible to clearly identify its characters from a distance of 20 meters.