This month, new driving laws came into force after changes to the Highway Code earlier this year. The new laws were introduced on June 1st and included updates for how electric vehicles are charged and increased council powers to issue fines for moving traffic offences.
The new driving laws include fines of £1000 for making the wrong move to let an ambulance pass. Another surprising driving law that motorists don’t know about and can easily break, is unnecessarily honking your horn, which can land you with a £30 fine.
So, when is it illegal to honk your horn?
We have all found ourselves in a frustrating situation behind the wheel that sometimes calls for the honking of our horns. Car horns are an essential safety tool, whether it’s to alert another driver or to use in a critical circumstance. But did you know that there are rules on how and when you can legally use your horn?
Firstly, the horn of your car can only be used for alerting or warning other drivers; it cannot be used unnecessarily. Even in stressful environments it should be used cautiously so it doesn’t surprise other drivers rather than warn them.
Rule 112 of the Highway Code states that horns should only be used to warn another road user of your presence. You must also not use your horn when stationary on the road or when driving in a built-up area between the hours of 11:30 pm and 7:00 am except when another road user poses a danger.
Within these hours, the use of a horn is considered antisocial on restricted roads. Restricted roads are usually roads in a built-up residential area with a speed limit of 30mph. All the above restrictions can be ignored when there is a real danger.
Read through The Highway Code updates.
Read our blog on what to do after a car accident or contact us for more information and help in all areas of accident claims including road traffic accidents.
