6 fines drivers must beware of, including driving in flip flops or with unbuckled pets

DRIVERS could be slapped with fines of up to £5,000 if they’re caught breaking certain rules.

From wearing flip flops to leaving your pets unbuckled, it’s a good idea to brush up on penalties to avoid racking up thousands of pounds in fines.

Make sure your pets are buckled up when you're driving — Make sure your pets are buckled up when you’re drivingCredit: Getty – Contributor

Here are six fines to be aware of when out on the road:

Unbuckled pets: up to £5,000

If you’ve brought your pet along for a ride in your car, you could face a fine of up to £5,000 if you let them roam loose.

Rule 57 of the Highway Code states: “When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly.”

While there isn’t a direct fine for driving with an unrestrained pet, motorists could be pulled over by police and fined up to £1,000 for driving without proper control if their pet distracts them.

That could be stepped up to failing to drive with due care and attention which carries a maximum fine of £5,000 and nine penalty points if the case goes to court.

To avoid a fine, pets should be properly secured in a seat belt harness, carrier, cage or guard.

Driving in flip flops: up to £5,000

Avoid wearing flip flops while driving or face fines worth up to £5,000Credit: Getty

As the weather gets hotter, you might be tempted to slip on a pair of flip flops to keep your feet cool while driving.

But you could be hit with a fine of up to £5,000 for wearing the flimsy footwear while behind the wheel.

Although it’s not illegal to wear them while driving, Rule 97 of the Highway Code says drivers must have “footwear and clothing which does not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner”.

Flip flops could slip off, become wedged under pedals or prevent you from pressing the pedals with enough force to brake quickly, which could cause you to drive erratically or even lead to a collision.

If you are stopped by police while driving in a potentially dangerous manner or your footwear is a reason for an accident, you could be charged with driving without due care and attention (careless driving).

Careless driving carries a £100 on-the-spot fine and three penalty points on your licence.

But in more serious cases, or those that are contested in court, the charge can attract a maximum £5,000 fine, up to nine penalty points and even a court-imposed driving ban.

Splashing pedestrians with puddles: up to £5,000

Britain is famous for it’s drizzly weather – but you could have to fork out £5,000 if you splash someone while speeding through a puddle.

Soaking a passerby by driving through a puddle could land you in hot water if you’re caught.

Driving without reasonable consideration can attract a maximum level five fine, which is currently set at £5,000, and dictates that a person’s driving “amounts to a clear act of incompetence, selfishness, impatience or aggressiveness”.

Ways to cut down on your fuel costs

HERE are some tips on how you can slash the cost of fuel.

Make your car more fuel-efficient. You can do this by keeping your tyres inflated, taking the roof rack off, emptying your car of clutter and turning off your air con when driving at lower speeds.
Find the cheapest fuel prices. PetrolPrices.com and Confused.com allows you to search prices of UK petrol stations. All you need to do is enter in your postcode and tell it how far you want to travel (up to 20 miles).
Drive more efficiently. Some ways to do this, include:

Accelerate gradually without over-revving
Always drive on the highest possible gear
If you can, allow your car to slow down naturally as your brake is a money burner
Re-starting your car is expensive, if you can keep moving

Under section three of the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is an offence to drive “without reasonable consideration for other persons” and according to the Crown Prosecution Service, this includes an instance of “driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed”.

While it may be highly unlikely that a person guilty of such an offence would be sentenced at the top end of the scale, it is still possible such a harsh penalty could be handed down in extreme cases.

The more common sanction for splashing a pedestrian would likely just be a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice, but could be boosted into the thousands if the offender chooses to take the case to court.

Holding phone – up to £1,000

You could now face fines of up to £1,000 for holding a mobile phone for ANY reason while driving.

The new complete ban, which was rolled out earlier this year, closes a loophole which allowed drivers to take photos or videos while driving without being penalised.

It could also see six penalty points docked off your licence.

You could even lose your licence if you passed your driving test in the last two years.

If you choose to take the fine to court, you could end up being banned from driving and see an initial £200 fine boosted to £1,000.

Air freshener in your rear view mirror: up to £1,000

Make sure to hang decorations or air fresheners where they won't block your view — Make sure to hang decorations or air fresheners where they won’t block your viewCredit: Getty

Air fresheners are a good way to make your car smell nice – but hanging one in the rear view mirror could land you with a fine of up to £1,000.

Anything which obstructs your view of the road on your windscreen – such as a large sticker, hanging fluffy dice or a football flag – could land you in trouble with the police.

Driving with any kind of obstruction on your car windows or windscreens can limit your field of vision, potentially reducing reaction time and even contributing to an accident.

If you’re involved in a collision that isn’t even your fault, police can penalise you for driving with an obstructed view.

Although it’s not strictly illegal to have decorations or stickers on your windscreen, anything that is deemed to prevent you from having a full view of the road can attract a £100 on-the-spot fine and three penalty points on your licence.

And if you tried to challenge the penalty in court, you could be hit with a maximum fine of £1,000.

Missing catalytic convertor – up to £1,000

If you’re missing a catalytic convertor in your car, you could have to fork out a penalty of up to £1,000.

A catalytic converter is part of your car’s exhaust system, and works to convert the toxic gases your motor produces into less harmful substances to be emitted.

If you don’t have a converter fitted, your car will produce emissions above the permitted standards, making it illegal to drive on the road.

Theft of these car parts have previously been on the rise in recent years as they contain a number of valuable metals, making them prized items for illegal scrap dealers.

But it’s hard to spot if you’ve had your catalytic convertor stolen as your car can work fine without it.

As it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure your car is roadworthy, you could end up with a £1,000 fine if it’s missing from your vehicle.

Make sure to check it’s in place by taking your car to a mechanic.