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Motorists Warned of £5,000 Fines for Breaking Little-Known Highway Code Rules This Bank Holiday
With an estimated 20 million people expected on the roads this Bank Holiday, drivers are being warned of fines up to £5,000 for breaching often-overlooked Highway Code rules, including driving while tired, travelling with an unrestrained pet, and overloading a vehicle. Keith Hawes, director of Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, highlights the risks and urges proper preparation.
By Tertius News AI Desk2 distinct · 5 mastheads · 5 articlesVersion 1Coverage Published
Motorists taking to the roads this Bank Holiday face potential fines of up to £5,000 for breaching little-known Highway Code rules, with an estimated 20 million people expected to be travelling. Keith Hawes, director of Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, is highlighting five often-overlooked regulations that drivers could inadvertently breach.
Hawes said: "With roads expected to be especially busy this August Bank Holiday, and many travellers switching to cars due to rail disruption, it's more important than ever that drivers prepare properly before setting off."
Certain violations carry substantial penalties — a minor oversight could result in fines reaching up to £5,000.
The primary concern Hawes emphasises is the danger of driving while fatigued. This offence carries an unlimited fine, as tiredness is believed to be a factor in approximately 10 to 20% of all collisions.
Rule 91 of the Highway Code clearly states drivers must "not begin a journey if you are tired" and should ensure they get "sufficient sleep before embarking on a long journey".
Should a driver be found to have operated a vehicle while tired and subsequently caused a collision, this falls under dangerous driving. Upon conviction, penalties can include an unlimited fine, disqualification from driving, and in the most severe instances, imprisonment for up to 14 years.
The second most expensive error motorists can make is travelling with an unrestrained pet in the vehicle, which could land you with a fine of up to £5,000. Rule 57 of the Highway Code stipulates that pets must be properly secured to prevent them from distracting the driver or causing injury to themselves or others in the event of an emergency stop.
Drivers are advised to consult the Government website to determine which restraint method is most suitable for their pet.
When heading off for a weekend break, it's tempting to pack everything but the kitchen sink — however, there's a compelling reason to be mindful of how you load your vehicle, as it could set you back up to £300. Surpassing your car's recommended weight limit can make it harder to handle, increase petrol consumption, and put additional stress on the tyres and suspension, potentially raising the risk of a collision.
Under Rule 98 of the Highway Code, exceeding this limit is prohibited, and being caught doing so can result in a £300 fine and three penalty points. Should you cause an accident as a consequence, it may even render your insurance invalid.
Hawes said: "Simple oversights such as driving whilst tired, failing to secure pets or overloading the vehicle can lead to costly penalties and, more importantly, put lives at risk."
He added: "Plan your journey in advance, take regular breaks and make sure everything in your vehicle is safe and secure before travelling."
How each outlet told it
A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.
Framing: The tone is precautionary and advisory, emphasizing potential consequences and the importance of following rules to avoid fines and accidents.
Facts Included:
Drivers face fines of up to £5,000 for breaking little-known Highway Code rules
20 million people expected to hit the roads over the Bank Holiday weekend
Keith Hawes, director of Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, highlighted five often-overlooked Highway Code regulations
Driving while fatigued can lead to a fine and up to 10 years in prison
Driving while tired is a factor in 10-20% of collisions
Not securing pets properly can lead to a £5,000 fine
Overloading a vehicle can result in a £300 fine and three penalty points
Quote from Keith Hawes: "With roads expected to be especially busy this August Bank Holiday, and many travellers switching to cars due to rail disruption, it's more important than ever that drivers prepare properly before setting off."
Quote from Keith Hawes: "Simple oversights such as driving whilst tired, failing to secure pets or overloading the vehicle can lead to costly penalties and, more importantly, put lives at risk."
Framing: The headline emphasizes the financial penalty (fines up to £5,000) for breaking 'little-known' Highway Code rules, framing the story as a warning about potential costs. — The tone is precautionary and advisory, emphasizing potential consequences and the importance of following rules to avoid fines and accidents.
Facts Included:
Drivers face fines of up to £5,000 for breaking little-known Highway Code rules
20 million people expected to hit the roads over the Bank Holiday weekend
Keith Hawes, director of Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, highlighted five often-overlooked Highway Code regulations
Driving while fatigued can lead to a fine and up to 10 years in prison
Driving while tired is a factor in 10-20% of collisions
Not securing pets properly can lead to a £5,000 fine
Overloading a vehicle can result in a £300 fine and three penalty points
Quote from Keith Hawes: "With roads expected to be especially busy this August Bank Holiday, and many travellers switching to cars due to rail disruption, it's more important than ever that drivers prepare properly before setting off."
Quote from Keith Hawes: "Simple oversights such as driving whilst tired, failing to secure pets or overloading the vehicle can lead to costly penalties and, more importantly, put lives at risk."
Framing: The tone is precautionary and advisory, emphasizing potential consequences and the importance of following rules to avoid fines and accidents.
Facts Included:
Drivers face fines of up to £5,000 for breaking little-known Highway Code rules
20 million people expected to hit the roads over the Bank Holiday weekend
Keith Hawes, director of Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, highlighted five often-overlooked Highway Code regulations
Driving while fatigued can lead to a fine and up to 10 years in prison
Driving while tired is a factor in 10-20% of collisions
Not securing pets properly can lead to a £5,000 fine
Overloading a vehicle can result in a £300 fine and three penalty points
Quote from Keith Hawes: "With roads expected to be especially busy this August Bank Holiday, and many travellers switching to cars due to rail disruption, it's more important than ever that drivers prepare properly before setting off."
Quote from Keith Hawes: "Simple oversights such as driving whilst tired, failing to secure pets or overloading the vehicle can lead to costly penalties and, more importantly, put lives at risk."
Framing: Emphasizes the potential financial penalty for a minor driving rule breach, framing it as a notable risk to drivers.
Facts Included:
Drivers face fines of up to £5,000 for breaking little-known rule today
An estimated 20 million people are expected to be on the roads this Bank Holiday
Keith Hawes, director of Nationwide Vehicle Controls, is highlighting five often-overlooked Highway Code regulations
Certain violations carry substantial penalties - a minor oversight could result in fines reaching up to £5,000
He said: "With roads expected to be especially busy this August Bank Holiday, and many travellers switching to cars due to rail disruption, it's more important than ever that drivers prepare properly before setting off."
The primary concern Keith emphasizes is the danger of driving while fatigued
This offense carries an unlimited fine, as tiredness is believed to be a factor in approximately 10 to 20% of all collisions
Rule 91 of the Highway Code clearly states drivers must "not begin a journey if you are tired" and should ensure they get "sufficient sleep before embarking on a long journey"
Should a driver be found to have operated a vehicle while tired and subsequently caused a collision, this falls under dangerous driving
Upon conviction, penalties can include an unlimited fine, disqualification from driving, and in the most severe instances, imprisonment for up to 14 years
The second most expensive error motorists can make is travelling with an unrestrained pet in the vehicle, which could land you with a fine of up to £5,000
Rule 57 of the Highway Code stipulates that pets must be properly secured to prevent them from distracting the driver or causing injury to themselves or others in the event of an emergency stop
Be sure to consult the Government website to determine which restraint method is most suitable for your pet
When heading off for a weekend break, it's tempting to pack everything but the kitchen sink - however, there's a compelling reason to be mindful of how you load your vehicle, as it could set you back up to £300
Surpassing your car's recommended weight limit can make it harder to handle, increase petrol consumption, and put additional stress on the tyres and suspension, potentially raising the risk of a collision
Under Rule 98 of the Highway Code, exceeding this limit is prohibited, and being caught doing so can result in a £300 fine and three penalty points
Should you cause an accident as a consequence, it may even render your insurance invalid
Hawes said: "Simple oversights such as driving whilst tired, failing to secure pets or overloading the vehicle can lead to costly penalties and, more importantly, put lives at risk."
"Plan your journey in advance, take regular breaks and make sure everything in your vehicle is safe and secure before travelling."
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimAn estimated 20 million people are expected to hit the roads over the Bank Holiday weekend.
ClaimKeith Hawes said: "With roads expected to be especially busy this August Bank Holiday, and many travellers switching to cars due to rail disruption, it's more important than ever that drivers prepare properly before setting off."
ClaimUpon conviction for dangerous driving, penalties can include an unlimited fine, disqualification from driving, and imprisonment for up to 14 years.
ClaimExceeding the recommended weight limit can make a vehicle harder to handle, increase fuel consumption, and put additional stress on tyres and suspension.
ClaimKeith Hawes said: "Simple oversights such as driving whilst tired, failing to secure pets or overloading the vehicle can lead to costly penalties and, more importantly, put lives at risk. Plan your journey in advance, take regular breaks and make sure everything in your vehicle is safe and secure before travelling."