The little-known driving laws that could land festival-goers with a £1,000 fine

Festival-goers have been warned of a number of little-known driving laws to be aware of when returning home from big events. Festival season has officially begun here in the UK, and with summer bringing a whole host of events to our doorsteps, it’s time for people to plan their musical pilgrimages.

Cinch.co.uk has given people an overview to help navigate driving laws that could land them in hot water. Drivers could face a fine of up to £5,000 in some cases.

Around five million people across the country are expected to attend at least one UK festival this year. Since festival tickets are worth more than their weight in gold, no one wants to go bad on their trip there or back.

So if you’re heading to Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds or Creamfields, here’s what you need to know about road laws to avoid trouble.

Festival management laws you need to be aware of

Festivals are about music, memories, moments – don’t get caught up in the driving. To avoid any nasty surprises like fines and points on your license, here are some driving laws to keep in mind when heading to or from a festival.

Driving with loud music

There’s nothing wrong with having a song on your way to or from a festival to get you in the spirit. However, you should remember not to turn the volume up to 11.

Loud music can mask outside sounds, causing you trouble if you’re not aware of sirens, nearby cars, and other potential hazards. Driving with loud music can be considered dangerous driving.

According to rule 148 of Road code driving with loud music could face a £100 fine and up to ten points on your licence.

Driving in water sandals

Welles are an integral part of the UK festival scene and with around 50 days of rain expected over the summer months, it’s bound to get muddy at some point. Rule 97 of the Highway Code states that you must wear appropriate clothing and footwear for driving to ensure that you are in control of the car.

The code details everything you need to do to ensure you have a safe journey. While essential for festivals, water sandals aren’t the best for driving. They can limit your ability to feel the pedals and affect the movement of your ankles, making it difficult to use the pedals properly.

Failure to comply with rule 97 of the Highway Code can result in fines and points on your licence, so it’s worth changing your boots before you drive.

Dirty license plates

It’s possible that exiting a festival parking lot will get you stuck, or at least hindered, by mud. Whenever you drive, check that your license plates are clean and clear.

This is especially important if you’re heading home from a dusty or muddy festival car park. You could get one £1,000 fine if your registration number it is not clear as they are key to identifying cars involved in accidents, breakdowns and other urgent situations.

Driving with hay fever

Another unpleasant annoyance that many people face during the summer is hay fever. About 68 percent of drivers with hay fever admit it has a negative impact on their driving, according to Confused.com.

Since you probably want to avoid penalty points and a Fine of £5,000 be especially careful when driving back from a festival. the law explain that it is illegal to drive if you are unfit to do so because you are using legal or illegal drugs or if you have certain levels of illegal drugs in your blood (even if they have not affected your driving).

Legal drugs are considered prescription or non-prescription drugs. It is illegal in England, Scotland and Wales to drive with legal drugs in your system if it affects your driving.

It is an offense to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs in your blood and you have not been prescribed them. If you are convicted of drug driving, you can be banned from driving for a minimum of one year, an unlimited fine, up to six months in jail and a criminal record.