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Driving with snow on your car could cost you 3 points?
30 December 2020
Did you know that driving with snow on your car can cost you up to 3 points on your licence and a £60 fine?
It’s not just your windscreen either… If a police officer sees snow fall from any part of your vehicle, they can issue the above penalties. This is in accordance with section 229 of the Highway code – ‘driving in adverse weather conditions’.
Why? Jack Cousens, the AA’s head of roads policy said, “If snow on the roof of your car falls off on to your windscreen, or flies into the path of another car, then you could find yourself in trouble which was completely avoidable”.
Another representative of the AA suggested that driving with snow on your vehicle could potentially lead to even harsher penalties, such as a £100 fine for ‘driving without reasonable consideration for other road users’ in the event of an accident.
Worse still, a person driving with snow on their vehicle could even receive 3-9 points and a fine of up to £5,000 under a ‘careless driving’ charge, should the driver cause an accident which taken to court.
Similar fines can be imposed for failing to properly clear your windscreen of frost. Although, you might not know that leaving your vehicle idle on a public road to clear your windscreen can deem your car void in the event of your car being stolen.
This is in accordance with regulation 107 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 which states that ‘no person shall leave, or cause or permit to be left, on a road a motor vehicle which is not attended by a person licensed to drive it unless the engine is stopped and any parking brake with which the vehicle is required to be equipped is effectively set’.
The regulation reinforces rule 123 of the highway code which says ‘You must not leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road’.
The RAC recommends using a scraper and de-icing spray to clear your windscreen of ice. You might want to swipe the snow off whilst you’re there!
At Marshall Leasing, we prioritise driver safety above all else and trust that you find this information useful. If you would like to find out more about how we keep our drivers safe, please get in touch with us at info@marshall-leasing.co.uk or by calling 01480 414541.
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