Drivers given £2500 tickets for parking the wrong way
Traffic wardens are clamping down on drivers who break a relatively unknown Highway Code rule. As part of a national crackdown, fines of £1000 are being issued to car owners, while drivers of goods vehicles can receive a penalty of £2500 for the same offence. The charge relates to parking vehicles on the street during hours of darkness, and many people are completely unaware that they are committing an offence.
What the Highway Code says
Rule 248 of the Highway Code states
‘you must not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space’
The rule applies to streets without marked parking bays and is designed to improve road safety as vehicles parked facing oncoming traffic are much harder to see in the dark. The reason for this is vehicles are fitted with red reflectors on the rear, which make them stand out when approached from behind. When parked facing traffic, there are no reflective surfaces showing which increases the likelihood of a collision.
So many people are unaware of the rule that when Scrap Car Comparison, a company based in Fareham, ran the story it was picked up and shared by 37 news titles, including four national newspapers. A spokesperson for Scrap Car Comparison said, “not many motorists are aware of this judging by the comments left on the websites which carried the story”.
They added, “We’ve dealt with cars that have been written-off due to a passing car crashing into them as they have partly stuck out from a parking space.”
These rules apply to all unmarked street parking and only comes into force in the evening – during the day you can park in any direction.
Points to remember
- You must park in the direction of the flow of traffic at night
- Fines range from £1000 for cars to £2500 for goods vehicles
- The rule does not apply to marked parking bays
- Fines can be imposed on the owner, regardless of who parked the vehicle
You have been warned!