As promised, here’s the second half of our two-part post detailing 10 lesser known driving offences that could land you with an enormous penalty:
6. Driving with pets
We all have to take trips with our pets from time to time, but there’s never any excuse for not securing them properly. In a working example, a cat or dog bouncing around the car that’s guaranteed to distract the driver can result in up to nine penalty points on their licence and a maximum fine of £5,000. Driving with pets in the car is perfectly legal, just as long as it is done safely and sensibly.
7. Using your phone to pay at a drive thru
This one might seem absurd, but is nonetheless as real as it gets. If you use your mobile phone’s contactless payment feature to pay your bill at a drive thru window, you could be looking at six penalty points on your licence and a fine of up to £1,000. In fact, you could even lose your licence if you have only been driving for two years or less. The reason being that irrespective of what it is you are doing, you’re still technically using a mobile phone while in control of a vehicle. The trick being to get out of your car to make the payment if looking to stay on the good side of the law!
8. Warning other drivers about speed traps
According to UK law, the police have to clearly communicate when and where fixed speed cameras are positioned. Nevertheless, if you decide to do the ‘nice’ thing and warn other motorists about a speed trap they’re approaching, you could be looking at a fine of up to £1,000. The kind of thing millions of motorists do every day without even thinking about it – flashing their lights and letting other motorists know they might want to slow down. Unfortunately, the police themselves don’t take kindly to this kind of obstruction – hence it could land you in quite a lot of trouble.
9. Sleeping it off in your car
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually have to start the engine or even sit in the front of the car to be handed a drink-driving penalty. Even if you simply crawl into your car to sleep it off after a heavy night, you could still be looking at 10 penalty points on your licence and a huge fine. You’re technically considered to be in control of a motor vehicle while under the influence, even if you don’t happen to be driving it at the time.
10. Honking your horn
Last but not least, the vast majority of motorists will have occasionally reached for their respective horns out of sheer frustration. In reality, horns exist exclusively to alert other motorists of your presence in potentially dangerous situations. Hence, honking your horn in stationary traffic actually constitutes an offence. Even if doing so has absolutely no consequences whatsoever, you could still be looking at a fine of up to £1,000.
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