There are lots of weird driving laws that you might never have heard of. The UK has some strange driving laws you should be observing when in the car, so we thought we’d point out some of our favourites. Which of these laws have you broken recently?
Splashing pedestrians
You can get up to three penalty points if you’re caught splashing pedestrians with puddles as you drive past. You’re charged with ‘driving without due care or consideration’ and if your case goes to court, you can be fined anywhere between £100 and £5,000.
Pets in the vehicle
If your pet is travelling with you, you need to make sure they’re safely restrained. If the police wanted to enforce the law, you could face nine points and a £5,000 fine for letting Fido sit unrestrained in the passenger seat.
Think about wildlife when you’re driving too. These tips help you avoid animal collisions.
Are you a confident motorway driver? Our tips make them seem much less stressful.
Swearing at other road users
If you’re caught swearing or making rude gestures at other road users, you can be charged for disorderly behaviour. You can potentially be fined up to 75% of your weekly income.
Dirty number plates
We’ve all left it a little too long to give our cars a wash. But, if your number place becomes so dirty it can’t clearly be read, you can be whacked with a £1,000 fine. You might even fail your MOT!
Driving too slowly
Driving too slowly can land you in as much trouble as driving too fast. Going slowly causes tension on the roads and punishments range from a verbal warning to nine penalty points.
Make sure you don’t tip over the speed limit though, or face these speeding consequences.
Check out these tips for avoiding distracted driving.
Distractions
There are lots of things you probably do in your car every day that count as a distraction in the eyes of the law. If you eat, drink, apply make-up or change a CD while you’re driving, you can get a £100 and up to nine points.
Phone payments at the drive-thru
You aren’t allowed to use your mobile if your engine is on. To legally be able to pay for your take away, you’ll need to put on the hand break and turn off the engine before you use your phone to make a payment. You could get up to six points and a £1,000 fine if the engine is still running.
Being a middle lane hog
If you like to sit in the middle lane on the motor way, you can get three points and a £100 fine. Use the middle lane to overtake and then get back on the left as soon as you’re clear.
Check out our safe motorway driving tips.
When did you last read the Highway Code? Check out these handy reminders.
Always clear your vehicle of snow
We’re sure you clear snow off the windows and wing mirrors of your vehicle before heading out onto the road. But, you also need to make sure the roof is free of snow too, or you could face a £60 fine and 3 penalty points. This is because the roof snow could fall and obscure your view as you travel.
Using your horn
You should only ever use your horn to let other road users know you’re there. You can be fined between £30 and £100 if you’re caught using your horn in stationary traffic.
Warning others about speed traps
Flashing other road users to let them know that there’s a police speed trap up ahead can land you a fine up to £1,000. You’re preventing police from doing their jobs and it’s a fairly serious offence.
Which of these strange driving laws have you broken? Let us know on Twitter!