You know those air fresheners, flags or religious items that people tend to hang from their rear-view mirror? Those can land you a £1,000 fine in the UK, where you shouldn’t even place a sticker on your windshield.
The goal is to make sure that motorists drive free of any types of obstructions that could affect their field of vision in any way, which in turn could reduce reaction time and even cause an accident; you can be fined for driving with an obstructed view even in the event of a collision you’re not at fault for.
Technically speaking, it’s not illegal to have decorations or stickers on your windshield. However, if authorities decide that what you have going on can prevent you from having a clear view of the road, that means an automatic £100 ($130) fine and three penalty points on your license. Try to challenge that penalty in court, and you could be hit with a maximum fine of £1,000 ($1,300), as reported by The Sun.
“Windscreens and windows must be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision,” as per the Highway Code. Meanwhile, the Road Traffic Act states that “no person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is in such a position that he cannot have a full view of the road and traffic ahead.”
Then there’s also the issue of insurance, where damages or injuries sustained in a crash where your vision was impaired by any object aren’t likely to be covered. Lastly, drivers can even fail their MOT for having items hanging from their rear-view mirror.
