Carrying a spare pair of legal sunglasses in your glove box is essential during these brighter months
Drivers have been urged to carry a “spare” in their glove box – with the “essential” rule over summer potentially sparing them from fines. The consequences of not driving safely due to being blinded by the sun – whether that’s as a result of not wearing sunglasses, not using a vehicle’s sun visor or not slowing down or pulling over – are severe.
Greg Wilson, CEO of Quotezone.co.uk, advised: “Carrying a spare pair of legal sunglasses in your glove box is essential during these brighter months – especially in the UK when we don’t know when the sun will appear.
“Wearing the right pair of sunglasses will help keep yourself and other road users safe this summer – inappropriate eyewear could put you at risk of fines, penalty points or worse.”
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He added: “However, darker sunglasses in ‘category four’, any small fashion glasses, yellow tinted glasses or a pair with large side arms can be deemed too dangerous to drive in.
“Any driver wearing inappropriate sunglasses could be subject to a dangerous driving charge – which potentially comes with hefty fines, penalty points and even prison time.” If a police officer deems you to be driving without due care and attention you would be faced with an on-the-spot fine of £100 and three penalty points on your licence.
The advice, according to Rule 237 of the Highway Code, is for drivers to slow down or pull over if they become “dazzled by bright sunlight.” This means that, although it’s not a legal requirement to drive wearing sunglasses in bright conditions, you could be breaking the law if you don’t slow down or stop if you become temporarily blinded by the sun.
And in particularly serious cases, police have the power to take the matter to court, where a fine could rise to £5,000. “Even with sunglasses you can be dazzled by the sun – low early sun in the winter for example – and it’s not always possible to slow safely or stop,” a motorist said.
A second said: “I always find that sunglasses hinder your driving. I wear glasses and to get prescription specs the price goes mad. the car I have has a slightly tinted front screen but when I went for glasses they are covered in some kind of anti glare tint. It does me fine and I have been driving for 50 years.”