Drivers face £5,000 fine for breaking ‘major’ Highway Code rule on rural roads
Drivers face hefty fine for poor driving
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Experts have urged drivers to follow strict country lane rules which if ignored could see them fined £5,000.
The rules focus on preventing poor driving on sharp twists and turns while at high speeds on country roads.
One expert detailed how drivers often choose to use the whole width of the lane when they think it’s clear to travel down instead of sticking to the left.
A recent Freedom of Information request found that almost 1,000 drivers were prosecuted for crossing unbroken double white lines each year.
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Rule 129 of the Highway Code means drivers cannot cross a double white line
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The DVLA data revealed how 3,904 licence holders were endorsed between 2019 and 2023.
Motoring expert Graham Conway said: “You’re not Lewis Hamilton and you’re not in a race - and by choosing to ‘smooth out’ the bends, as it is sometimes described, you could be putting other road users at risk.
“If it’s a case of laziness, and that you can’t be bothered to turn the steering wheel to make sure your car stays in its lane through corners, then you need to sharpen your skills.”
He added that going the “long way round” a bend wastes fuel and makes the journey more uncomfortable for passengers, which is another argument that’s "hard to agree with.”
Rule 129 of the Highway Code states: “Double white lines where the line nearer to you is solid.
“This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road.
“You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph or less.”
Meanwhile a TS20 order which is a failure to comply with double white lines offence could see drivers given three penalty points on their licence.
Most country roads follow the national speed limit at 60mph with roughly three people dying every day on these roads.
According to charity Brake UK, rural roads pose high risks, accounting for well over half of all fatal crashes.
Cyclists, motorcyclists and car drivers are more than three times as likely to be killed per mile travelled on a rural road than an urban road.
The website stated: “Speed is often a major factor in rural road crashes. A study of single-carriageway rural roads estimated that a 10 per cent increase in average speed results in a 30 per cent increase in fatal and serious crashes.”
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Three people have a fatal collision on a country road every day
PAThe most common crash types on rural roads are collisions at intersections, head-on collisions and running off the road.