4 driving laws you might not know exist

If you’ve passed your driving test, you probably - quite rightly - think you’ve pretty much got your driving laws down to a tee at this point. Whether you’re driving your own car, or one you’ve rented with us here at Intack Self Drive, you know it’s important to abide by the laws that govern the way in which we drive.

However, there are definitely a few rules out there that might trip you up if you’re not careful. They’re not the obscure, outdated or irrelevant ones either. So to help you out, here’s our list of the driving rules that may have slipped under your radar!

Slow down… not that much!

Research conducted by the RAC Foundation found that nearly 2.4 million speeding offences were detected in England and Wales in the 2018-2019 period. This makes speeding one of the most common violations committed by UK motorists. This probably won’t come as much of a shock to you, but it might surprise you to learn that you can also find yourself with three points on your licence and a fine of £100 for driving too slowly!

Driving too slowly in certain scenarios (like coming off a slip road onto a motorway) is considered highly dangerous, as it can effectively force other road users to have to react to you unexpectedly. (In general, when you’re driving, anything unexpected generally means it’s either bad news or a bad idea.) By taking your foot off the pedal, you open yourself up to being regarded as driving without due care and attention by the law.

Lighting the way, doesn’t pay

This is a common one that a lot of people are guilty of - and the strange thing is that by some people’s inter­pre­tations, it actually seems like quite a nice thing to do! As you’ll know if you’ve spent any appreciable time driving, a favourite tactic of police, traffic marshals and speed camera operators is to tuck themselves around a corner to catch speeders out.

But if you choose to try and let the oncoming traffic know that the long arm of the law is sat waiting around the corner, you risk being accused of "wilfully obstructing a constable in the execution of his/her duty”. One way in which this can be interpreted is if you flash your headlights to warn other drivers of a mobile speed camera. If you’re caught, you could find yourself on the receiving end of an eye-watering £1000 fine.

Turn it down

If you’re partial to a rave behind the wheel, or a full rendition of Queen at Wembley for everyone to hear while on the way back from work, then all power to you. However, you may have to rethink your next performance. Even though there’s no actual law against playing music loudly while driving, if the police think it poses a distraction risk to you or other road users, you could be on your way to a £100 fine and potentially three points on your licence. What’s more, if you refuse to turn the music down, you could end up having your vehicle seized.

Splash damage

If it’s absolutely chucking it down with rain outside, to the point where there are multiple puddles on the road, believe it or not it’s actually your responsibility to ensure those outside the car stay dry. No, we don’t mean you have to offer your jacket to every pedestrian you pass, but splashing them with water is a big no-no in the eyes of the law, and could cost you a whopping £5,000 in fines, as well as three points on your licence.

Splashing pedestrians can be classed as careless, aggressive or inconsiderate behaviour - especially since it can cause them to temporarily lose their bearings. Next to the busiest roads, that could even be fatal. Easy to see why the law takes it so seriously!

These rules are universal, so it doesn’t matter if you’re driving your own car, or if you’ve taken advantage of our fantastic car hire, van hire, or minibus hire deals, be sure to keep them in mind.

All of our rental vehicles here at Intack Self Drive come with the option to rent through daily hire, or our outstanding Flexi hire service, so wherever your intended destination, we’ll have a vehicle that suits your requirements. We’ve got almost half a century of car and minibus hire experience under our belt here at Intack, and we’re always here to help. Ready to get started? You can browse the best hire deals right here on our site, or give us a call on 01254 57811!