Quizzes & Puzzles23 mins ago
Snow on car roof
32 Answers
Just had a discussion elsewhere where someone said that it will now be illegal to drive a vehicle with 'excessive' snow on the roof!!!
Can any ABers confirm this - or am I being taken for a ride??
Can any ABers confirm this - or am I being taken for a ride??
Answers
Best Answer
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.With a few exceptions (such as the specific law against using a mobile phone while driving) there are hardly any 'precise' motoring laws. Instead there are 'general' laws, where it's left up to the police (and the Crown Prosecution Service) to decide whether you've broken them.
For example, there is no law which specifically states that you can't drive your car down the right-hand-side of the road in a normal two-way street. If a policeman sees you doing it he has to decide whether your actions amount to 'driving without due care and attention', 'careless driving' or 'dangerous driving'. However if you were driving a milk float along the right-hand-side of a well-lit and deserted road at 5am you'd almost certainly not be committing any of those offences. (i.e. it's neither legal nor illegal to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road; it depends upon the circumstances).
If you drive with a lot of snow on the roof of your car it can result in a following driver finding himself in a 'snow storm' from the snow blowing off your roof. "Driving a vehicle on a public road without consideration for other road users" is an offence under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988:
http://www.cps.gov.uk...s_of_bad_driving/#a16
So (since that Act came into force) it has always been possible for a policeman to interpret driving with excessive snow on the roof as an offence. It may be that the police are now starting to clamp down on this but it's not a new law.
Chris
For example, there is no law which specifically states that you can't drive your car down the right-hand-side of the road in a normal two-way street. If a policeman sees you doing it he has to decide whether your actions amount to 'driving without due care and attention', 'careless driving' or 'dangerous driving'. However if you were driving a milk float along the right-hand-side of a well-lit and deserted road at 5am you'd almost certainly not be committing any of those offences. (i.e. it's neither legal nor illegal to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road; it depends upon the circumstances).
If you drive with a lot of snow on the roof of your car it can result in a following driver finding himself in a 'snow storm' from the snow blowing off your roof. "Driving a vehicle on a public road without consideration for other road users" is an offence under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988:
http://www.cps.gov.uk...s_of_bad_driving/#a16
So (since that Act came into force) it has always been possible for a policeman to interpret driving with excessive snow on the roof as an offence. It may be that the police are now starting to clamp down on this but it's not a new law.
Chris
Ok Chris, that's all fine and well, but with the country in the grip of this awful weather, and roads being gridlocked and closed too, don't they have anything better to do than book drivers with snow on the roof!.............It just beggars belief!.....Sorry!...forgot! This is Britain!.........There we are then!.............
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Yes, I heard this on the news by an AA man recently. It is illegal and you can get points of your licence. Just after we heard this, we saw it happenn our town, the snow of a car roof was about 4 " and it fell onto the windscreen and the driver swerved. Luckily didnt hit anything, but could have.
Ive posted it on my FB to all drivers. So be warned !!
Ive posted it on my FB to all drivers. So be warned !!
They is no specific offence re snow on the roof of a car. Consider this " you are driving in a line of traffic at say 20mph in a snow storm resulting in car being covered in snow" all drivers would have to be reported and your defence could be that I still had clear vision and stopping could have either been restricted or dangerous, also they could be an issue due to the police budget cuts re eyesite tests resulting in being unsure if a car is white or has snow on the roof