Target Magazine Torfean

Illegal Manoeuvres
Staying on the right side of the Highway Code.
Though the majority of us drive
sensibly and safely, our good
intentions may count for little
if we unwittingly flaunt the
Highway Code in other ways.
Sleeping in your car whilst
inebriated
Logically, it may feel as though
sleeping off a drink or two is the
right thing to do, yet doing it in
your vehicle is strictly prohibited
if you still have the keys about
your person.
That’s because with the keys,
you are still classed as being in
charge of a motor vehicle, with
the potential to drive it.
Using an ‘unfixed’ mobile
phone as a sat nav
Since standalone satellite
navigation systems became
largely redundant after mobile
phones proved they could
competently perform the same
task, yet you’ll still need a
fixed position for your phone
when using sat nav, or you’re
committing an offence.
Driving or parking on the
pavement
Highway Code Rule 244 states
that you can’t park either partly
or fully on a pavement unless
road signs permit it. The same
goes for driving, which is
Rule 145.
These acts mean either
endangering pedestrians or
preventing access whereby,
in particular, people in
wheelchairs or with buggies
may need to use the full width
of the pavement.
Flashing your headlights to
give way
While the morals behind letting
someone go before you are
pure, using your headlights to
signal to another driver that
they can proceed is actually
an offence.
The reason for this is your
action doesn’t differentiate who
the invitation is for; and just as
easily it could be construed that
a pedestrian is being ushered
across the road, which in turn
could lead to an accident.
Driving through puddles
Commonly seen in television
adverts, movies and across
social media, the idea of
splashing a pedestrian is
something we may quietly
chortle at… until it’s us
being splashed.
Do this and you may be landed
with a fine of up to £5,000,
as the action shows your
willingness to “operate a vehicle
without consideration for other
persons”.
Sounding your car horn
in anger
While the horn is usually the
first thing we steer our attention
towards when frustrated by
another road user, it’s actually
an offence that can carry with it
a small fine.
In reality, the horn is only there
to warn others of our presence.
Having an obscured
number plate
While it’s inevitable that cars
are going to pick dust and dirt
from the roads, the obligation to
keep registration plates clean is
a serious one. Failure to do so
could land you with a fine of up
to £1,000.