Five lesser-known road rules which could land drivers with £1,000 fines

Motorists are being advised to familiarise themselves with new driving laws rolled out on Britain’s roads to avoid potential fines, as households see their finances squeezed by the cost of living crisis.There have been a number of recent updates to the Highway Code, with both central government and local councils introducing further rules to help improve air quality and general road safety.For example, several cities have already introduced Low Emission Zones – where vehicles failing to meet emissions standards are charged for entering – including London, Brighton and Birmingham, with Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh among those expected to follow.In another little-known rule announced this summer, all new cars are now required to be have a speed limiter, a device which restricts a vehicle’s engine power. The laws on mobile phone use have also been now tightened, so that anyone caught using their phone for any reason, including searching for music, faces a £200 fine and six points on their licence.Here are a number of other lesser-known road rules which risk a large fine if contravened:Failure to renew expired photocard licencesIt emerged this week that more than 900,000 drivers are in danger of a £1,000 fine after failing to renew photocard licences which expired in the past year.Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures obtained via Freedom of Information request, showed 926,000 people entitled to drive in Britain – equating to 2 per cent of all drivers – held cards on 3 September which had expired within the past 12 months.A small proportion of those are likely to have stopped driving without notifying the DVLA. Some 2.5 million drivers were also found to have renewed their photocard licence after it had expired or within 56 days of the expiry date in the past year.Breaching the Highway Code while allowing an ambulance to passThe RAC warned last month that it was frequently forced to give legal advice to motorists hit with fines of up to £1,000 after breaching the Highway Code while giving way to emergency vehicles.The common motorist etiquette of allowing emergency services to pass is encouraged in the code. However, if drivers do an illegal manoeuvre or stop at an unsuitable place to facilitate this, they could face heavy fines.While clearing the way for ambulances and police cars, motorists should be aware that most rules remain off-limits – such as stopping in a yellow bus stop, entering a bus lane or running a red light.A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, KentPAHandout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorwayPAA grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3.Manchester City FC/GettyProtesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don’t Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the dayAFP/GettyBritish Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her government’s mini-budgetGettyThe Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i’r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 yearsPACriminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the GovernmentPADavid White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III ‘CIIIR’, after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central LondonAFP/GettyA gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud – Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 – on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition – Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in LondonPALabour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthemPAHandout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George’s Chapel, Windsor CastlePA A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in LondonEPAWoody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north LondonPAA flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in KentPAFlowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or compostedPAThe ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St George’s ChapelAFP/GettyRule 219 of the Highway Code states: ‘When [an emergency vehicle] approaches do not panic. Consider the route of such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs.’If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but try to avoid stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or narrow section of road. Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb.’Swearing at other driversWhile not an unfamiliar sight on British roads, expletive-laden rants and the excessive beeping of horns can see motorists hit with fines of up to £1,000.According to the firm ChooseMyCar, this is due to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which prohibits aggressive behaviour while driving, while motorists are also liable to be stopped for driving without full control of their vehicle – also risking licence points and a fine.Flashing headlights at other carsA previous survey of 1,000 motorists by the retailer National Tyres and Autocare has suggested that roughly one in five drivers flash their headlights as a ‘thank you’ gesture.However, the Highway Code states that motorists should only flash their headlights to let other road users know that they are there, warning: ‘Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.’In particular, flashing headlights in a frustrated manner could be interpreted as ‘furious’ driving, according to the firm Quotezone, which could result in a fine and penalty points.Flashing headlights could also be taken as an attempt to warn other drivers of a speed camera or a police speed trap, which police have threatened carries a maximum penalty of £1,000.Parking overnight in the wrong directionWhile the direction your car is faced while parking may seem innocuous, car scrapping firms have warned of accidents caused by vehicles facing into oncoming traffic overnight.This is because cars parked in conjunction with the flow of traffic should be illuminated when moving vehicle’s headlights catch their rear reflectors.As a result, the Highway Code states that drivers ‘must not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space’.According to the magazine WhatCar, motorists found flouting this rule can be fined up to £1,000, while owners of goods vehicles or vehicles with more than eight seats can be liable for as much as £2500.Additional reporting by PA