UK Driving Laws and What You Need to Know*

I recently started taking driving lessons again, mainly because I’m desperate to get out of this small town and I feel if I could drive that would be beneficial. It’s been a while since I last tried, long before I even had LM so I’m a little rusty on everything from turning the car on, to the laws of the road. Of course to me a lot are just common sense but from reading some research put together by Van Monster, that doesn’t mean everyone feels the same way. It’s crazy just how many people break driving laws every day but thankfully there are people out there who work hard to make sure our roads are safe.

Today I’m sharing some of the most commonly broken driving laws and what is done to enforce them across the UK;

The Law
Rule 148 stipulates that drivers in England and Wales must never smoke when someone under the age of 18 is within the vehicle.

What Happens if You Break It?
This is relatively new law, but one I’m so glad was passed from a parental point of view. If you are caught you will receive a verbal warning followed by a £50 fine.

The Law
Rule 95: Those in England and Wales must not drive if they:
– Have a breath alcohol level higher than 35 microgrammes/100 millilitres of breath, or
– Have a blood alcohol level of more than 80 milligrammes/100 millitres of blood.

What Happens if You Break It?
These days drink driving is heavily enforced as it’s responsible for so many accidents on the road. in 2013 683,651 roadside breath tests were carried out across the country and 12% of those failed or refused to take it. If you fail it while responsible for a car you can face 3 months’ imprisonment a fine of up to £2,500 and a possible driving ban. If you fail while driving a car it’s 6 months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine and a driving ban of at least one year (though this will rise to three years if convicted twice in ten years). If you cause death by dangerous driving while under the influence you’re looking at more than 14 years imprisonment.

The law
Rule 99: A seat belt must be worn in cars, vans and other goods vehicles where they are fitted. Furthermore, a seat belt or child restraint must be used by adults and children aged 14 years and over when seated in buses, coaches and minibuses, where they are fitted.

What Happens if You Break It?
Ahh remember those days where no one wore a belt and you fitted 7 in a 5 seat car and people lay in the boot? These days this is a heavily enforced law thankfully according to a survey carried out in 2015 95.3% of people observe this law. However if you do break it you’re looking at  £50 on the spot fine which could become £500 if prosecuted.

The Law
Rule 141: Unless indicated to do so, you should never drive in a bus lane during its period of operation.

What Happens if You Break It?
Unsurprisingly this is one of the most regularly broken laws. There were at least £30 million in fines and an estimated one million penalties for bus lane infringements made by councils in 2014. A penalty charge of £60 is issued to those who enter a bus lane when they shouldn’t. This charge is reduced to £30 if payment is made within 14 days of the date of notice, though increased to £90 if a driver has failed to pay the charge within 28 days.

The Law
Rule 149: A hand-held mobile phone or similar device must not be used when driving or supervising a learner driver. The only exceptions to this rule is to call 999 or 112 in a genuine emergency when it is either impractical or unsafe to stop.

What Happens if You Break It?
Over the past few years, using a phone while driving is becoming more and more problematic. Last year the penalties for being caught using your phone while driving increased. You could receive an automatic fixed penalty notice consisting of a £100 fine and three penalty points on your driving licence if caught using a hand-held mobile phone or similar device when driving. If the case is taken to court the fine increases t0 £1000 and you could have your driving license revoked.

Laws are there for a reason, to keep everyone safe. One of the things that put me off driving for so long was for fear of how unsafe the roads are but thankfully there are people out there keeping our roads safe.