Snow On The Roof Of My Car!

Question:

Don’t get 3 penalty points and a fine for having snow on the roof of your car !

Seasonal Advice from the Road Traffic Lawyers at Patterson Law..Read on…..

We are hearing lots of stories at the moment about people being given fixed penalty tickets for driving with snow on the roof of their cars.

There is no specific road traffic offence of driving with snow on the roof, but it is an offence to drive your vehicle in a dangerous condition.

Here’s the legislation;

Section 40A RTA 1988.

Using vehicle in dangerous condition etc.

A person is guilty of an offence if he uses, or causes or permits another to use, a motor vehicle or trailer on a road when:

(a) the condition of the motor vehicle or trailer, or of its accessories or equipment, or

(b) the purpose for which it is used, or

(c) the number of passengers carried by it, or the manner in which they are carried, or

(d) the weight, position or distribution of its load, or the manner in which it is secured,

is such that the use of the motor vehicle or trailer involves a danger of injury to any person.

We presume that the police are concerned that the snow will slide down onto the windscreen in a lump and suddenly obscure your vision – or fall off onto a pedestrian in a big lump as you drive by..

So the moral of the story is if you don’t want to put yourself at risk of being stopped clear the snow off your roof otherwise you could get three penalty points and a £60 fine.