A drive with a flag on your car could be costly.
Drivers have been warned about flags and emblems during the Euros as unsafe attachments could land them with a hefty fine in the UK.
For many football fans, now is the time to show their support for the Three Lions in Euro 2024, with the St George’s flag decorating homes and cars across the country.
You might want to stick a flag on the back of your car ahead of the next England game against the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 10, but doing so hastily could land you in hot water.
This is because faultily attached flags and decorations could be considered an obstruction.
Officers can slap drivers with a £300 fine on the spot for an unsecured load, and it could lead to a court appearance where penalties can reach up to £2,500.
While driving with a flag is not an offence in itself, you could be committing one if the emblem came off and caused an injury or damage.
Especially large flags could become a problem, government guidance from 2010 warned.
A flag of the size of an A4 paper would be considered normal, but ‘the larger the flag the more potential for problems,’ West Yorkshire Police has said.
Larger flags than this could obstruct the driver’s or another motorist’s view, or endanger other road users.
What about decorating your number plate for the big games?
The law sets out specific requirements for register plates, and incorrect ones carry a maximum fine of £1,000.
Most roadsides and car parks are dotted with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, and police use them to identify and locate cars and disrupt criminals.
So it is worth checking that any decorations don’t risk covering any part of your register plate, and secure any flags before hitting the road.
Although adding a pop of colour to your car sounds fun, the rules are clear what is allowed.
Flags should not obstruct the driver’s view, be securely attached and not exceed the width of your car or be larger than an A4 sheet of paper.
Items which obstruct the view for anyone else or cause a danger to pedestrians or other road users are prohibited.
It is also an offence to have a mascot or emblem on the car which could become lose in a collision, hit someone and caused an injury.
Here is what regulations say about flags.
Regulation 30 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations says: ‘Every motor vehicle shall be so designed and constructed that the driver thereof while controlling the vehicle can at all times have a full view of the road and traffic ahead of the motor vehicle.’
The government guidance from 2010 set out: ‘It is not a specific offence to fly a flag on a vehicle and the majority of vehicle flags currently on sale are legal, provided they are fitted to the vehicle in a sensible manner.
‘However, it is worth noting the following points: flags which are so large that they obscure the driver’s view of traffic ahead of the vehicle may contravene Regulation 30 of The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986.
‘Flags which are constructed or positioned in such a way that they can cause danger to pedestrians or other road users could contravene Regulations 53 or 100 of the above regulations.’
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