For those that have been driving for a good number of years, or those who have just passed their driving test you will be fully aware of the main laws of the road. There are some laws that are less well-known where you need to be aware of them to ensure you’re not breaking the law and incurring fines or points on your licence, and putting others in danger. This goes for if you’re hiring a vehicle or driving your own.
Down Rex!
As enjoyable as your pet may find taking in all the sights and smells out of the vehicle window when driving along, you could end up having a significant fine and points for not having your pet suitably restrained in a vehicle may make it a lot less entertaining for you. Also, if you’re found to be distracted when driving with a pet on board, then it is deemed as driving without due care and attention and comes with a £5000 fine and 9 points on your licence.
Snow on the roof
Although snow isn’t often the biggest weather problem on UK roads, it can still cause trouble for drivers. If you’re driving a vehicle in the snow, ensure that the roof of that vehicle is clear before you set off on your journey. Although there is technically no law stating it is illegal to drive with snow on the roof, you could get a £60 fine and 3 points on your licence as it could be considered ‘driving without due consideration' or 'using a motor vehicle in a dangerous condition' if snow falls onto your windscreen or flies onto another vehicle.
Clean reg plate
As the specific identifier of your car, the registration plate needs to be clearly visible at all times. That means if you have any dirt or grime obscuring any part of the plate you could be handed a £1,000 fine under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994. Keep those plates squeaky clean!
Parking at night
Rule 248 of the Highway Code states, “you must not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space”. Vehicles parked against of the flow of the traffic pose a hazard as there is nothing to catch headlights. If you are caught parking like this, you could be fined up to £1000 for a car or up to £2500 for vans or vehicles with more than eight seats. This one seems to not be widely known about, so keep an eye on which way you’re parking.
Too slow
Nearly 2.4 million speeding offences were detected in England and Wales during 2018-2019, according to the RAC Foundation. You could find yourself with three points on your licence and an on-the-spot fine of £100 if you drive too slowly. It is considered as endangering other road users and is regarded as driving without due care and attention.
Flashing your lights
A flash of your headlights to warn other drivers of a mobile speed camera can leave you £1000 short as you’ll be in violation of section 89 of the Police Act 1996 that says you must only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there.
Turn the sounds down
There is no law against playing music loudly in any vehicle, but if it’s viewed as posing a distraction risk you will incur a £100 fine and potentially three points on your licence. On top of that, if you refuse to turn those tunes down you could have your vehicle taken away.
Big puddles
Driving through a puddle and splashing a pedestrian can cost you a £5,000 fine and with 3 points on your licence. You will find this rule under section 3 of the Road Traffic Act this act is classed as careless, aggressive, or inconsiderate behaviour on the road and should make you think twice about driving through those big puddles.
Switch it off
To try and prevent pollution you can now be subject to a £20 fine for leaving your engine running unnecessarily on a public road, this doesn’t apply whilst waiting in traffic. So may want to think twice about leaving your engine running or it could be costly. A wise thing to do anyway as you will be saving fuel!
The rules of the road do change, only in January 2022 the Highway Code introduced 8 new rules and 49 updates to existing rules. Make sure you keep up to date where the rules apply whether you're driving a hired vehicles or your own.
