What does the AS mark on the driving license mean?

What is a mark AS in the 12th field of the driving license?

Innovations in the traffic rules, valid since 2014, touched the main document of motorists. The updated version of the driving license has changed noticeably and fully meets the international standard. New abbreviations have become a real surprise for car owners. One of such innovations is the marking AS in the driver’s license. What does as on a driver’s license mean at point 12?

Why and what does the AS mark on a driver’s license look like?

Older motorists have a lot of questions about the AS mark in point 12 on their driver’s license. The motorists, who replaced the old license with an updated one, mistakenly assumed that this mark allowed to drive a vehicle with an automatic type of transmission.

This abbreviation can be deciphered as “automotivesteering” or “automobile steering.” The basis of this inscription is that the vehicle being driven must have a car seat and steering wheel.

Before the introduction of the new rules, the requirements for the main document of car owners had to show special documents to be able to drive ATVs. Now, if the driver has a license with this special marking, he does not need to show additional documents.

At the beginning of 2011, the member countries of the Vienna Convention decided to change the old format of the driving license. The updated version of the document meets the international standard and allows driving vehicles on the territory of the countries participating in the convention. Now the citizens of the Russian Federation can move abroad (in the territory of some countries) by their own car or rent a car.

The improved version of the driver’s license looks like an ordinary plastic card. Despite its modest size, it has all necessary data about the motorist for Russian and foreign traffic services.

Also this document has several degrees of protection:

1. A special bar-code, which can be seen on the back of the document. The code contains full information about the car owner, as well as the presence of fines for violations.
2. Color shimmers without harsh transitions and stripes.
3. Changing the color of the license when the document is placed at a certain angle.
4. Hidden images.
5. Contour and defective microtext. The first one contains the data on the state organization that issued the certificate. The defective microtext contains the name of the certificate.
6. Patterned grid on the back.
7. The color of fluorescent ink changes to orange under the influence of UV rays. This ink is used to print the letters, numbers and series numbers on the document.

The police officer, using a special device, can easily scan the necessary data on the car owner and identify the fake.

AS place among the personal data of a car owner

The main (front) part of the license consists of the following list of data about the car owner:

• п. 1 – full name of the car owner;
• п. 2 – surname and patronymic;
• п. 3 – place and date of birth;
• item 4a – date of issue of the document;
• Item 4b – date of expiry of the document;
• Item 4c – code of the subdivision of the traffic police;
• Item 5 – series and serial number;
• Item 6 – color photo of the car owner in the size of 3×4;
• Item 7 – personal signature of the car owner;
• item 8 – address of residence;
• Item 9 – list of open categories.

The back of the document is presented in the form of a table with the following data:

• п. Item 10 – start date of the open category;
• п. Item 11 – date of termination of the open category;
• п. Item 12 – data on restrictions;
• Item 13 – bar-code containing encrypted data about the owner of the document;
• Item 14 (placed outside the tables) – also contains auxiliary information.

Supplementary 10,11 columns for special notes and column 12 for notes on restrictions for certain motor vehicle categories were added two years ago.

The AS mark on a new type of driving license is in Item 12. This occurs only if certain conditions are met, and if certain categories are open.

What categories do you need to have on your licence?

Categories and subcategories in the driving certificate has a separate place.

In 2014, in addition to the standard categories A, B, C, D, E, an additional classification of subcategories was introduced:

1. A1 – motorcycles.
2. B1 – tricycles, quad bikes.
3. C1 – vehicles with a weight of 3.5-7.5 tons. The weight of the vehicle must not exceed the index of 750 kg.
4. D1 – vehicles designed to carry from 8 to 16 passengers.
5. M – scooters, quad bikes, engine capacity up to 50 cm³. This category will be given to owners of vehicles with any open category or subcategory.
6. Also categories BE, CE, DE, D1E, C1E, allowing the vehicle owner to use a trailer.

Each of these groups of categories implies a limit on trailer weight. To qualify for Category E, the driver must have at least one year’s experience in one of the categories B, C or D.

Advanced licenses have Tb and Tm inscriptions. These individual categories are awarded after qualifying tests and special examinations for trolleybus or streetcar driving.

The AS mark on an advanced driver’s license may be issued with a valid category B. If category B and category A are both valid, the AS marking will not be shown.

A license with a valid category B1 and the inscription AS allows the motorist to drive an ATV or motorcycle with automobile type of control.

Other marks in column 12

What AS means on the driver’s license in item 12, we have sorted out. In addition to this inscription, column 12 of this document may have other designations.

Additional marks are presented as Latin abbreviations:

1. MS (“motorcycle driving”). The right to drive a motorcycle with a certain type of seating and motorcycle handlebars. This mark is given if one of the categories A or A1 is closed and the other category or subcategory is open. If both categories A and A1 are open, no marking is made.
2. MC (“manual operation”). Driving a vehicle with manual steering (manual transmission).
3. AT (“automatic transmission”). Permission to drive vehicles with an automatic transmission only.For drivers who have been trained to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission, this rule does not apply. The mark may be put in both 12 and 14 columns of the document. If you put it in box 14, you are in all categories. If you put it in box 12, you are in a certain category.
4. APS (“mandatory acoustic parking system”).

It allows the driver to drive a vehicle if it is equipped with an acoustic parking system.

In addition to the above-mentioned records, you can find other marks in the license, which provide additional information. For example – about the state of health of the car owner.

What other marks can be seen on the new type of driver’s license

The license may contain certain restrictions and additional data about the document:

• a certificate from a medical institution;
• ML. Prohibition of the right to drive a moped for health reasons;
• HA/CF (“hearing aid/communication aids”);
• GCL (“contact lenses/glasses”);
• blood type;
• duplicate;
• driving record.

Certificate from a medical institution – indicated if the car owner has health problems. In this case, he can drive a vehicle, but is obliged to undergo regular medical examinations. It is prohibited for such drivers to drive a car or any other vehicle without a certificate from a medical center.

HA/CF entitles the driver to drive if he or she is wearing a hearing aid or other hearing aid.

If the driver wears these visual aids, a GCL mark is required.

The blood type and driving record are not important for the medical profession in the event of a motor vehicle accident. This information is more auxiliary than mandatory.

If you lose your original license, you will be issued a replacement license. In this case, the new license must be marked.

When replacing the license at the end of the period of validity, a mark about the driving record is placed.

Absence or ignoring of the necessary records in the license is fraught with bringing the motorist to administrative responsibility.

The amount of penalty is determined by the legislative bodies of the Russian Federation

The Code of Administrative Offences in its sanctions motivates drivers to be attentive to the valid marks of the driving license.

Judging by the size of the established fines, the legislator considers the fulfillment of the existing restrictions by drivers to be very important:

1. Driving a vehicle without the necessary E category tag. In such a case, there is an administrative type of liability, which provides for a fine of up to 15,000 rubles.
2. Ignoring the prescription of the medical commission. In the case of an accident, the driver of any vehicle will incur criminal liability. If there was no accident, the car owner will pay a fine of 5000-15000 rubles.
3. If the driver got behind the wheel of a car with a manual transmission, having the right to drive only in automatic transmission, it is equated to driving without the right to control the vehicle.
4. If a driver who is not authorized to drive a manual transmission vehicle got behind the wheel of such a vehicle, it is equated to driving without a license.

Ignoring other marks provided in the certificate of the right to drive a vehicle in any case, involves an administrative fine. By the decision of the court the violator may be assigned correctional work, as well as arrest for fifteen days.

The format of driving documents is constantly changing. But the ignorance of innovations and new rules is not the basis for exemption from responsibility.

What innovations await us in 2019

In January 2019, innovations are again expected in the traffic rules. The changes will affect owners of gyroscooters. From the beginning of next year, owners of this type of vehicle will be required to pass tests to obtain a category G.

In order to drive a gyroscooter, citizens will be required to apply to the traffic police and pass a special exam.

Gyro scooters themselves should be equipped with an emergency system module, similar to the GLONASS button in cars. Also under consideration is the provision on the technical inspection of gyro scooters and the introduction of compulsory car insurance policy for this category of vehicles.

Russian legislation almost every year makes changes or additions to the traffic rules. The updated format of the driver’s license is significantly different from the current version. To understand the innovations is not so difficult. However, a large amount of additional information in the form of marks still causes people a lot of disputes and questions.

All about the AS marking on a driver’s license

One of the most dynamic areas of Russian law is that which concerns cars and traffic. There is no doubt that the new laws being passed are a good thing, but for many drivers, as usual, any innovations are a headache. This is partly true for the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation number 365, which came into effect in 2014, and which regulates the type and content of the main document of the driver. The new license is now only plastic, and it is a significant step towards international standards. But at the same time new notes and marks appeared in the license, which, unfortunately, are still unfamiliar to a significant part of the car owners. The list of vehicle categories appeared to be more expanded; the part of changes touched upon the improvement of document’s protective functions.

In general, it is quite simple to understand the novelties, and the drivers are mostly interested in the new inscriptions, which are really difficult to understand because of Latin abbreviation. In particular, we are speaking about the AS marking. Let’s speak about it.

How the AS symbols are deciphered

It is an abbreviation of the term “automotive steering”.

This mark may be present only on the reverse side of the license plate number 12. We would like to point out that the twelfth point is for stating the notes and marks concerning the limitations for certain vehicle categories. So, a more correct translation of the English term is “automobile type (round) steering”.

The AS mark is put only if the owner of the license of the new type has the category B or A. If both categories are present at the same time, the mark is not put.

So, what does the AS mark on the driving license mean, why some drivers have these strange symbols, while others do not?

Let’s try to understand this question.

Having addressed to the employees of the traffic police, you will not necessarily get an intelligible definition. Meanwhile, it exists – the presence of this pair of characters means that the owner of the driver’s license may operate only those vehicles whose steering wheel, as we have noted, round. Not square, not in the form of an arc or a stick, but round. Which is the main sign of a passenger car.

But here it is important to take into account some nuances. Say, if you do not have “A” category, but you have “B” category and AS mark, then you have the right to drive quad bike, but only if it is equipped with abovementioned round steering wheel (baranka in common parlance).

If there is no marking, you are likely to be fined unless you show special documents that legalize this type of vehicle for you.

As we can see, everything is simple, and various homebrew interpretations have no basis whatsoever. In particular, we are talking about a very common among illiterate drivers rumor that AS means automatic transmission. Actually, this term has absolutely nothing to do with automatic transmission.

If you have violated traffic rules in the part of driving a vehicle with the AS marking, you will face a penalty in the form of a fine with a fork of 5-15 thousand rubles with the right to expropriate the vehicle with its placement on a paid parking lot for the car owner.

Sufficiently weighty material punishment, isn’t it? And all because of ignorance, how the new marks are interpreted.

The AS mark in subcategory B1

As in the previous case, the mark AS in the driving license of category B1 is put only in the limiting 12th column. If category A is open at the same time, you will never see this mark, because in this case you can drive vehicles with both types of steering by default. If we’re talking about an open Category B, then say you would be allowed to drive a buggy because this type of vehicle is equipped with a car-like, round-shaped steering wheel. But this is not the case with ATVs/tricycles, because the steering is in the form of a stick.

But how many Russians who have in the garage buggy?

For those who are keen on ATVs, the AS mark is in subcategory B1 as well. However, the interpretation of this mark in this case is quite vague – the holder of such rights is allowed to drive vehicles equipped with an ordinary steering wheel.

But what is meant by such explanation? With open subcategory B1 in the list of permissible vehicles get and ATVs with tricycles (provided that they are equipped with motors of volume not exceeding fifty “cubes”). And it is already quite an extensive class of units, represented in the market by a large number of models.

What other marks are present in the new sample TS?

Alas, but the AS mark on the driving license is not the only innovation that causes questions. Most other marks are also put in the twelfth restrictive box. And only if you have all categories open without exception, you can not worry about this – box 12 will be pristine clean.

Let’s consider two more markings that were not previously present in the license:

• MS – stamped if you have B1/A categories and no B category;
• ML – indicates the limitations of the driver in driving due to his health condition.

The first note means that one cannot drive cars, as there is no basic category B. But he is allowed to sit behind the wheel of motorcycles or tricycles, but only with a motorcycle seat and a proper steering wheel. If you have a round steering wheel and an auto seat (a chair with a backrest), you already risk getting a fine.

Note also that with a closed category B you may have other categories legal, such as C/D/DE/CE. Thus, you will be able to drive the appropriate vehicles.

The presence of the mark MS means that the holder of such VU can not drive the most common mode of transport – a car. The situation will be corrected only by opening the category B.

If the results of the medical examination show that your state of health allows you to drive vehicles with certain limitations, you get a mark ML.

The following illnesses are among the body pathologies that are the reasons for the ML marking:

• poor eyesight. The driver may only drive while wearing glasses or contact lenses. The abbreviation ML in such cases specifies what the driver has to wear. But if for medical reasons he wears lenses and spectacles alternately, then he is allowed to drive regardless of which optical device he is wearing at the moment;
• Amputation of limbs means that the driver is only allowed to drive a manually operated vehicle, and a note is made about this as well;
• Hearing problems limit the driver to obligatory wearing a hearing aid with the abbreviation ML (domestic law does not prohibit issuing a license to a person who is deaf, regardless of its degree).

If the state of health is such that the person is not able to operate the vehicle normally, he will be denied the license on the basis of the conclusion of the medical commission.

In other words, the marking ML is essentially a restriction, but this restriction concerns the absence of the corresponding technical means to correct the defect.

Other new entries in the twelfth column of the driving license include the following: