Hats, gloves, scarves and other items including ice scrapers are often thrown on dashboards or car floors on cold winter mornings.
Once drivers finish clearing windscreens of ice and snow, they don't always think about where they put their extra items in the car. But not putting them away correctly can land you in trouble and cost you up to £2,500 in fines.
It's worth taking the time to safely place our belongings in our vehicles so they don’t move or fall somewhere that could impact our ability safely drive, such as in the footwells or on the gear shifter. This would be considered dangerous driving, as you might not be able to safely use the pedals or see clearly due to obstruction or reflection.
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A recent study by the car insurance team at Comparethemarket has revealed that drivers can be fined up to £2,500 for not keeping their dashboards and footwells clear of items like beanies, gloves and ice scrapers.
While there is no specific law that says your car must be kept clean at all times, the Highway Code states that a driver’s vision must be free from obstruction, and drivers can be fined up to £2,500, receive three penalty points or even lose their licence for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition in relation to visibility. This could include having smears or marks on the inside of your windscreen, rubbish piling up inside that could become wedged under the pedals, or any clutter on dashboards that could obscure visibility of the road.
Julie Daniels from the car insurance team at Comparethemarket said: "It’s important to regularly clean the inside of your vehicle and remove any potential dangers or distractions that could impact the ability to drive safely. Under the Highway Code, failing to do this would be considered dangerous driving, and could land drivers with an unlimited fine or three to eleven penalty points on their license.
"The fact that 47% of Brits are unaware they could be fined or given penalty points for a dirty interior windscreen is concerning and the importance of removing hazards and distractions from the inside of a vehicle should be taken seriously, to ensure the safety of themselves, and other road users.”
Actions that come under dangerous driving that you may be unaware of
- Items on the dashboard blocking the windscreen - Place your winter wear somewhere out of the way whilst you drive.
Items moving in the car that cause the driver to be distracted - Don't have winter supplies sliding around your car.
Messy footwells that may lead to the pedals being obstructed - make sure you properly store winter boots.
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