Hanging an air freshener or even fluffy dice from your rear-view mirror could land you with a £1,000 fine, motoring organisation warns
- Drivers can face three points and police can issue £100 on-the-spot fines
- Large sat-navs, dirty windscreens, stickers and phone holders are included
- Motorists who challenge the penalty in court can face a maximum fine of £1,000
- The Highway Code: ‘windscreens must be clean and free from obstructions’
Drivers could face a £1,000 fine and three penalty points on their licence for hanging air fresheners or fluffy dice from their rear-view mirror.
And it’s not just air fresheners but large sat-navs, flags, stickers, phone holders and even a dirty windscreen could land motorists in trouble.
While it is not strictly illegal to have decorations blocking your windscreen, if you are involved in a collision, even if it isn’t your fault, police can penalise drivers for having an obstructed view, according to motoring organisation IAM RoadSmart today.
Fluffy dice and air fresheners hanging from the rear-view mirror could land drivers with a £1,000 fine and three points on their licence
Any obstructions to the windscreen that are deemed to limit your field of vision or reduce reaction time could increase the risk of an accident, The Sun reports.
Police can issue on-the-spot £100 fines plus three penalty points on your licence if decorations prevent the driver from having a full view of the road.
Motorists who attempt to challenge the penalty in court could face a maximum fine of £1,000.
Air fresheners such as the green tree are popular among drivers but can land them in serious danger. Not only can they obstruct a driver’s full view of the road but police can issue on-the-spot fines of £100
The Highway Code states that ‘windscreens and windows must be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision.’
And insurance companies are unlikely to pay out to cover damages or injuries sustained if vision is obscured by decorations.
Drivers can also fail the crucial MOT test if air fresheners, fluffy dice or trinkets are hanging from the mirror and centres cannot pass a car until these are removed by the owner.
Regulations have become tighter after a fatal collision with a pedestrian in 2008 where a taxi driver was fined for having a furry dice and two air fresheners hanging from the rear-view mirror.
The Road Traffic Act notes: ‘No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is in such a position that he cannot have proper control of the vehicle or have a full view of the road and traffic ahead.’
Regulations have become stricter after a fatal collision in 2008 involving a pedestrian where a taxi driver was fined for having a furry dice and two air fresheners hanging from the rear-view mirror
IAM RoadSmart Head of Driver Behaviour Rebecca Ashton told The Sun: ‘Anything hanging from the rear-view mirror or anything placed on the windscreen could restrict the drivers view.
‘Missing something because you had something obscuring your view could potentially be extremely dangerous, good driving involves exceptional observation skills and seeing things early allows you to anticipate and plan how you deal with hazards.’
She added: ‘We would suggest it is placed low on the windscreen, on the right hand side and if possible within the area where the windscreen wipers don’t clear. The main thing to remember is you should always try to avoid the drivers field of vision.’