What Can You Be Fined For?

When it comes to carrying things in your vehicle, overpacking could land you a  £100 – £2,500 fine and invalidate your insurance. When Christmas shopping, it’s easy to overstuff the car to get everything in, but drivers could face a fixed penalty for over-filling the car, exceeding the weight limit or obstructing the view of the road. It’s worth noting that decorating your car at this time of year could also risk obstructing your vision! 

In serious cases, the possibility of being banned from driving or receiving three points on your licence is possible if your car is deemed to be being driven in a dangerous condition. This can in turn invalidate your vehicle insurance and ruin Christmas!

With the colder weather during this time of year, snow and ice can cover up your number plates. Your number plate is an important feature for Police to ascertain when and where it’s registered and insured, so it needs to be visible at all times! Under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, drivers who have dirty, obstructed or hard-to-read licence plates could face a fine of up to £1,000. Save yourself the financial headache, and take a few minutes to scrub any snow, ice or dirt from your plates!

It’s tempting to leave your vehicle running for a few minutes in the morning before jumping in for a cosier drive, but this is actually illegal under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Idling causes air and noise pollution, which is why this is a chargeable offence, with those offending at risk of a fixed penalty notice of £20 or penalty charges of £40-80. Similarly, leaving your car running while you head inside is a great way to attract thieves – and doing so could invalidate your insurance, making it a very expensive demist!

It’s common to celebrate at this time of year, and the celebrations often involve alcohol! If you are drunk and in need of a place to sleep, never opt for your car. Sleeping in your car under the influence can result in a £2,500 fine, even if you never even touch the wheel! Call a cab or ask a sober friend to drive you and your car home instead, our designated driver insurance can sort you out in these scenarios.

Having snow on your roof is not a crime in itself – but snow can easily fall onto your windscreen, or fall off of your vehicle into the path of another driver. This could result in accidentally breaking the law, with a charge for  ‘driving without due consideration’ resulting in three points in your licence and a £100 fine or educational course.

The legal limit for tread on tyres is 1.6mm and unfortunately, there’s a fine for ‘bald tyres’ that are thinner than this. As a result, tyres below that depth can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 per tyre – and even three points on your licence. If every tyre’s bald, you could be facing a bill for up to £10,000! Additionally, all four tyres should be at the correct pressure (which you can usually find on the sticker inside the driver’s door). It is especially important to make sure your tyres are meeting the standards at this time of year, with icy roads increasing the chances of losing grip.

Driving with an existing medical condition (that appears on this list) and not informing the DVLA could land you with a hefty £1,000 fine. DVLA estimates there are more than 1m motorists on the road with an undisclosed health issue – make sure you’re not in that group.

The Highway Code says dogs have to be ‘suitably restrained’ whilst they are in the car, and failure to do so could land you with a fine of up to £5,000! Dogs shouldn’t be able to freely move around the car, both for their safety and the driver’s. Ideally, dogs should be in a crate, carrier or harness. If they are in the boot, dog guards should be in place so they can’t jump through to the front. If you’re taking your dog home for Christmas, or heading out for a festive walk, make sure they’re properly restrained.

The Dutch Reach method for opening car doors has been a recommendation of The Highway Code since Jan 2022. It encourages drivers and passengers to check for cyclists, walkers and other traffic before opening car doors, by using the opposite arm to the door when opening. In case of an accident, you won’t be fined for not opening your door following the Dutch Reach method, but you could face a fine of up to £1,000 for ‘Car Dooring’ which is an offence.

This shouldn’t come as an unexpected fine, but being deemed to not be concentrating on the road whilst driving could land you with a £5,000 fine. Playing Christmas tunes too loudly, wearing headphones and turning around to talk to passengers in the back could all be viewed as limiting your concentration on the road. So when driving, limit distractions in the car to ensure your concentration is never jeopardised, as it’s not just a fine you would be risking, but also an accident.