I was fined yesterday because the tires on my Volkswagen Golf have tread at the 1.6 mm legal limit, according to the police. But they passed inspection 3 months ago. Can I contest this fine if the car is technically in compliance?
I disagree with folks here - if your tires are proven to be at 1.6 mm and you have proof of a recent inspection, it's totally worth contesting, because the law is objective on this point and doesn't leave room for the officer's interpretation. What you do is gather the inspection documentation, take photos of the tires with something showing the measurement (like one of those tread depth gauges), and file an appeal with the police station or relevant authority - lots of people have gotten results this way.
The problem is that being at the legal limit doesn't protect you from a fine if the officer decides the tread is insufficient. The law is a bit tricky here: technically 1.6 mm is the minimum, but many officers interpret that as "it's reached the end of its useful life" and fine you anyway. It's not fair, I agree, but that's what happens. A technical inspection from 3 months ago isn't a shield because tire tread wears continuously, especially if you drive a lot on the highway or on poor roads.
You can try to contest it, but you need to know what you're getting into. First, request a copy of the fine with all documentation - photo, police report, everything. Then, get the technical inspection receipt you passed and keep it safe. If you can prove the car passed 3 months ago and that the wear since then is normal, maybe you have arguments, but honestly case law doesn't favor you much on this point.
Your best move is really to find a traffic lawyer or contact a consumer protection association. They know the precedents and can tell if it's worth fighting or more sensible to pay. Some manage to overturn fines like these for procedural flaws - maybe the officer didn't measure correctly or didn't record it properly. But don't count on miracles: tires scraping the limit almost always get you busted.
Don't try to argue that you passed inspection because that won't protect you legally - what matters is the tire's condition at the moment you're stopped, and while 1.6 mm technically meets the legal minimum, police can interpret it as inadequate wear for safety. It's worth contesting though - bring your inspection certificate and take clear photos of the tire to show it really is at 1.6 mm, not below.
Actually, being at the legal limit doesn't protect you much here. The law says the minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm, but that doesn't mean you can drive around with worn tires down to the last tenth of a millimeter. The police can fine you if they consider the tires "unsuitable for traffic conditions," even if they technically meet the minimum. The fact that you passed inspection 3 months ago is irrelevant - the car's condition has changed, the tires have worn down, and now they're at the limit or below.
That said, you have the right to contest if you think the measurement was wrong. Ask for a copy of the fine report and check whether the police recorded the exact values. If it really was 1.6 mm and you have inspection documentation showing it was higher not long ago, you can argue that the measurement was done in a questionable way or that there was an error. But you'll need proof - photos, inspection report, something concrete.
The most practical thing is just to get your tires replaced. If they're at 1.6 mm of tread, they're ready for the bin anyway - they won't last much longer and especially in the rain they're a hazard. A new set of tires costs less than the fine and you can stop worrying about it.
It's not worth contesting based solely on the 1.6 mm limit because the police have a lot of room for interpretation on this, and courts usually side with them. What happens is that even if the tire is technically legal, if it looks visually worn or there's any doubt about the exact measurement, they can argue it's dangerous for road safety - and that argument sticks.
The best thing is really just to change the tires, especially if they're at that limit. It doesn't cost much and it avoids future problems. I've known people who got into arguments about this and ended up paying more in legal costs than they would've if they'd just bought new tires in the first place.
The law is clear: 1.6 mm is the legal limit and your car complies on that point, so you're absolutely right to contest it! What a lot of people don't know is that the fine is only valid if the tread is below that limit, and if the police measured and confirmed it's exactly at 1.6 mm, that's documented in your favor. Ask for the measurement report (you have the right to it), get photos of the tire with a coin or caliper to prove the tread depth, and present everything in court - courts usually overturn fines when there's proof of legal compliance, contrary to what others here say about police having free rein to interpret things however they want. Your argument about the inspection from 3 months ago is secondary, but it doesn't hurt; the main thing is having the documentation of the fine's measurement and being able to prove it was legal at that moment!
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