Festival season is well and truly upon us, with over 6.5 million people expected to attend a music festival in the UK this year, with 100,000 of them expected to descend on Reading later in the summer.
With so many Brits travelling to and from festivals, there will be an increased number of cars on the roads around events during the summer. But what can you do to make sure you’re avoiding fines for unusual driving activity?
First of all, make sure you’ve checked everything out before setting off, says RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson.
“While no one likes to think about their vehicle breaking down, especially on the way to an event, it’s important that drivers carry out proper checks before setting off to give themselves the best chance of a smooth journey,” she says. “ These include checking your oil and coolant are at the right levels and that your tyres are free of damage, have plenty of treads and are inflated to the right pressures.
When asked how overloading your car for a festival could impact your journey, Simpson said; “If you’re driving to a festival this summer, make sure bags and camping equipment don’t obscure your view out of the side and rear of your car, and that everything is safely stowed so items don’t fly forward if you suddenly need to brake.”
Driving experts at Yell have warned drivers of what to do and what easy mistakes they might be making that could land them with some hefty fines. Here are five things to avoid in order to keep your festival trip roadworthy this summer.
1. Dirty number plates
With the typical British summertime involving lots of rain, music festivals in the UK are notoriously muddy, which can cause number plates to become extremely dirty. Under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994, if you are caught with a dirty or partially covered number plate, you can receive an on-the-spot fine of £100. This fine could surpass £1,000 if the matter is passed to court where you will receive a level 3 fine.
Before setting off to or from a festival this summer, make sure your number plate is free of dirt and mud, and nothing is obscuring the plate.
2. Overloading your vehicle
From tents to food and drink, it is far too easy to try and cram as much as you possibly can into your car when heading to a festival. However, drivers can face a fixed penalty fine of £300 if they are found with a vehicle that is overloaded by more than 15%. Overloading your car by 0-10% can result in a £100 fine, whilst overloading your vehicle by 10-15% can lead to a £200 fine.
Before loading your car up, make sure you are aware of your vehicle’s maximum payload weight. It is also vital that your luggage does not block out the back window as this will result in no visibility behind you and can be a high risk of causing an accident.
Your car’s maximum weight will vary depending on the size of your car, but assuming you have four adult passengers each with bags, tents and supplies, it can become easy to exceed a 400kg payload.
3. Using your horn illegally
Long queues of traffic come hand in hand with music festivals. No matter how frustrating it can be to sit in unmoving traffic, honking your horn either entering or leaving festival grounds can result in a fine. Horn use is restricted to warning and alerting purposes only and is not to be used purely out of frustration in stand-still traffic. Motorists can be issued fines for illegal use of car horns. This is usually a Fixed Penalty Notice which is £30. However, if the issue is challenged and taken to court, fines can be increased up to £1,000.
It is also important to note that it is illegal to use a horn on a moving vehicle on a restricted road, especially one with a 30mph limit.
4. Driving in wellies
An array of footwear will no doubt adorn your feet at a music festival, ranging from wellies to crocs and sandals. Muddy shoes, no matter the style, can be a big risk when driving home after a festival, but wellies are one of the main culprits for slipping on pedals.
If you are caught or involved in an accident and you are wearing muddy wellies, it can result in a £100 fine and 3 points on your licence. This will come under “driving without due care and attention.” If your case goes to court, the fine could rise to a maximum of £5,000 and nine penalty points on your licence with a risk of being banned from driving.
It is a good idea to pack a change of shoes that are suitable for driving, that are clean and free of any mud before you leave the festival.
5. Driving under the influence
Whether it’s okay to drive home after a heavy weekend of drinking depends on a lot of different factors, including how much you drank and if you’ve left enough time for your body to get rid of the alcohol. The amount of alcohol in your bloodstream depends on a few things, including the amount you take in, over what period of time and the speed at which your body gets rid of it.
If you are caught driving over the limit, the maximum sentence for excess alcohol (drive/ attempt to drive) is an unlimited fine and/or six months of custody.
