Drivers face £1,000 fine for parking their car after dark

Drivers face £1,000 fine for parking their car after dark
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Aden-Jay Wood

By Aden-Jay Wood


Published: 05/05/2022

- 15:41

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:23

Rule 248 of the Highway Code is clear drivers must not do one specific thing when parking at night

Drivers are being warned they could face fines of up to £1,000 for parking their car after dark.

The Highway Code states drivers should be careful about which way they park their vehicle at night.


Rule 248 of the code reads: “You must not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space.”

The maximum fine for such a breach of the code is usually £1,000, but police do technically have the power to send certain incidents to court if they deem them serious enough.

Frost covers the windscreen of a car in Kew, south west London as the capital wakes up after a night when temperatures again dipped below freezing. Picture date: Tuesday January 18, 2022.
Drivers should not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space
Martin Keene

The official highway code book
The official highway code book
PA

In some cases, the fine could then be increased to £2,500, while a ban from driving is also a possibility.

The Highway Code adds: "All vehicles must display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph."

British automotive firm, RAC has issued support to drivers who are struggling to find where their parking lights are.

The RAC said: "Almost all light switches in modern cars are either mounted on the dashboard, to the right-hand side of the steering wheel, or on the end of the indicator stalk.

"Your parking lights can be switched on and off by rotating the dial into the correct position.

"There will be a position for sidelights, headlights and usually a separate button or switch to activate your fog lights.

"Although not standard, some vehicle models allow the driver to incorporate the use of their indicator when leaving on their parking lights.

"So if the indicator is left in the downward position when the engine is turned off, the sidelights will automatically show up only on the left-hand side of the car.”

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