Highway Code rule as drivers could face £1000 fine for parking the wrong way
08.03.2022 - 16:09
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
The Highway Code provides hundreds of guidelines for road users to ensure everyone is kept safe.
Following all the rules can be pretty confusing - especially when there are regular changes made.
The most recent update was made in January where the hierarchy of road users was altered to help create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.
New rules were also added in a bid to change the way people and motorists pass by parked vehicles.
It means that if parking on the street you face away from oncoming traffic and breaching the rule could land you a hefty £1,000 fine.
The updates comes following a number of deaths on the roads due to a user being hit by a car door, reports Birmingham Live.
The updated Highway Code rules explains that people cycling should take care when passing parked vehicles, leaving enough room to avoid being hit if a car door is opened.
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 both say drivers must not park on a road at night facing traffic.
This means that police could start criminal prosecution if it causes an accident.
According to Scrapcarcomparison.co.uk, vehicles parked the wrong way at night are totally in darkness to drivers passing by and would struggle to see them properly.
A spokesman said: "Motors parked the correct way would be visible and illuminated by headlights bouncing off the rear reflectors.
"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."
Drivers do not need to worry about parking the wrong way during the day but as it gets darker, this could become a issue which could lead to a major accident.
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