Drivers may be stunned to learn that wearing the wrong kind of sunglasses behind the wheel could land you with a hefty fine.
Some sunglasses can cause a dazzling glare to other motorists on the roads. According to the Highway Code, drivers must slow down - or stop if they need to do so when dazzled by sunlight - and anyone failing to do so could be fined up to £5,000.
Using tinted glasses, lenses and visors at night or in poor visibility is also prohibited if they restrict your vision, with penalties ranging from points on your license, an unlimited fine, and even potential disqualification.
Drivers are recommend to wear polarised sunglasses, designed to minimise glare from reflecting light. The number of Brits searching for “What are polarised sunglasses?” surged by 200 per cent on UK Google, The Mirror reports.
If you aren’t wearing sunglasses to block out the sun’s glare and continue driving while squinting or glancing away from the road, a police officer could deem you to be ‘driving without due care and attention’.
Careless driving offences carry £100 on-the-spot fines, as well as three penalty points on your licence. However, if you were to contest this charge in court and were convicted of it, this could rise to up to nine penalty points and a fine of up to £5,000.
Vision Direct optician Nimmi Mistry advises people to “consider the type of tint in their sunglasses”.
Sunglasses are grouped according to their tint densities - which controls the amount of light they let through your eye. They are ranked between zero to four and each group can only be worn while driving at certain times. For example category four sunglasses are not suitable for driving, meaning you could get in trouble if caught wearing them at any time.
Sunglass tints can be fixed, meaning the tint doesn’t change when exposed to UV rays, or variable, meaning it does change. Some sunglasses allow you to manually change the level of tint via touch controls on the side of the frame.
She says: “Choose brown or grey tints for your sunglasses, and this ensures that your perception of colour isn’t distorted while helping protect your eyes from potentially harmful UV rays and distracting glare.”
Jas Thiara of Alsters Kelley solicitors says in the UK it is a legal requirement for sunglasses to be labelled and display their filter category number.
She says it is “recommended to use filter category 2 for daytime driving but is not suitable for night driving”.
Denton Brock, the head of Your Red Car, says “keeping up with the Highway Code to avoid fines and penalties is essential.”
“Always take extra caution when purchasing a new pair of sunglasses, and make sure any accessories in your vehicle are law-abiding.”
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