Five lesser known laws that you can be fined for
Written by: Abaranji Sivakumar, Last updated:14th February 2022
Speeding past speed cameras and parking illegally are a surefire way to receive a fixed penalty notice. But there are many other lesser known ways motorists can be slapped with a hefty fine, and one motorist group has just listed five of them.
It’s all part of an effort from road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist to warn drivers that it’s not just exceeding speed limits and using a phone behind the wheel that can bring them to the attention of the authorities.
“All road users should brush up their Highway Code knowledge to ensure that they are not putting themselves at unnecessary risk of a penalty ticket,” advises GEM road safety officer Neil Worth.
“After all, there is a safety reason why our laws are there, and the more we all know about our driving environment and the rules in place to keep us safe, the less we are likely to fall foul of them.”
So what are these more obscure offenses that can result in a fixed penalty notice?
Driving too close past a cyclist
It is recommended that any driver overtaking a cyclist should leave a distance of 1.5 metres. Anyone seen passing a cyclist too closely faces the possibility of a £100 fixed penalty ticket and three points on their licence.
Parking by a pedestrian crossing
Unless it’s an emergency situation or your vehicle has suddenly broken down, no one is allowed to park on the zig-zag lines found at pedestrian crossings. Disobey and risk a £100 fine and three licence penalty points.
Attaching a non-compliant number plate
There are several key rules to registration plates. For instance, they must show your vehicle’s registration number correctly and they must be made from a reflective material. At the front, they have to be black on white and black on yellow at the rear. Strict rules apply to the fonts, styles and letter sizes too.
Fall short of any of these rules and say hi to a £100 non-endorsable ticket. The DVLA could even forbid you from using your reg plate altogether.
Driving with a defective tyre
The minimum legal tread depth is 1.6mm across the all-round central three-quarters of the tyre. If just one tyre is below this, it could result in a £100 fine and three points. More than one faulty tyre could land you in court with the potential to be fined up to £2,500 and three points per tyre.
Items that may obstruct your view
Being able to see out of the front windscreen is a no-brainer, but if you don’t have a full view of the road and traffic ahead, you can be fined £200 with six points on your licence; so make sure your sat-nav and dashcam don’t get into the way.
Jez Strong, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “A lot of what goes into effective road safety is common sense, but fleet managers can ensure their drivers are on the right side of the law by introducing telematics to their company vehicles.”
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