SEPTEMBER 2018 | 41
Motoring
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
FIVE WAYS TO AVOID
A PENALTY TICKET
ROAD SAFETY and breakdown
organisation GEM Motoring
Assist is warning drivers that
it’s not just speeding, seatbelts
and mobile phone use that can
bring them to the attention of the
police. There are a host of other
infringements, some better known
than others, which can result
in drivers picking up fines they
may not have been expecting.
The call comes as po-
lice across the UK begin a
seven-day speed enforce-
ment operation.
GEM has identified five
situations where getting it
wrong generally leads to a
penalty of some sort:
Driving too close
past a cyclist
The recommended dis-
tance for passing a cyclist is
1.5 metres. If you are seen
overtaking too close to a cy-
clist, you face prosecution,
with a £100 fixed penalty
ticket and three points on
your license.
Parking by a
pedestrian crossing
No one can park on the
zig-zag lines found at pedes-
trian crossings (unless it’s
an emergency or the reason
you stopped was beyond
your control). If you do,
you risk a £100 fine and
three penalty points on your
license.
Attaching a
non-compliant
number plate
Number-plates should
show your vehicle regis-
tration number correctly,
according to the DVLA.
They must be made from a
reflective material and be
black on white for the front
and black on yellow for
the rear. Strict rules apply
concerning fonts, styles and
letter sizes. Non-compliance
in the first instance will lead
to a £100 non-endorsable
ticket.
Driving with a
defective tyre
Make regular checks of
your tyre pressures and
tread depths. The minimum
legal tread depth is 1.6mm
across the all-round central
If more than one tyre is
‘ faulty,
you will face a court
hearing where you can receive
a fine of up to £2,500 and
three points per tyre
’
three-quarters of the tyre. If
one of your tyres is below
this, you face a £100 fine
with three points on your
license. If more than one
tyre is faulty, you will face
a court hearing where you
can receive a fine of up to
£2,500 and three points
per tyre. The 20p test is a
simple way to check tyre
tread. Pop a 20p coin into
a tread groove. If you can
see the outer band of the
coin, then you must replace
the tyre.
Satnavs, dashcams
and other items
that may obstruct
your view
Windscreen obstruction
is measured by zones. Zone
A refers to the area directly
in front of you when you’re
driving, and this area must
not contain any obstruction
measuring over 10mm in
diameter. Zone B refers to
the rest of the windscreen,
where stickers and other
obstructions must not meas-
ure more than 40mm.
So, if you use a satnav,
then it makes sense to buy
a holder you can insert into
an air vent, rather than risk
mounting it on the wind-
screen. We recommend that
you should mount a dash-
cam between the rear-view
mirror and windscreen, as
this ensures it is entirely out
of your view when driving
and will not mean you risk
a penalty.
If you do not have a ‘full
view’ of the road and traffic
ahead, you can be fined
£200 with six points on
your licence.