Fixed Penalty?

Jimney

Got a £30 fixed penalty for having fog lights on during the day (it was not foggy it was raining so i had headlights on) I did not know the fog light switch was on so they came on automaticaly when i turned headlights on. Anyway to my question do i need to tell my insurance company and if so will it go up? (The car was mot last week i think they must have left the switch on but i dont blame them i should have noticed they were on)

movilogo

This is the first time I'm hearing somebody got a point for using fog lamp! Usually police officers give polite warning in these circumstances!

I advise that you contest this.

Jimney

movilogo wrote: »

This is the first time I'm hearing somebody got a point for using fog lamp! Usually police officers give polite warning in these circumstances!

I advise that you contest this.

Thanks movilogo i will give it a try.

lesandflynny

Gosh, yes this is really severe.......

Try to appeal

Wait until the outcome to tell your insurers, as far as i am aware whilst it is in appeal you are still covered

tom188

211: You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 201) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.
Law RVLR regs 25 & 27

Therefore I dont see any reason to contest it. You do need to tell your insurance company and your premium may go up - failure to do so could invalidate the insurance in the event of a claim.

Davidboy

Can I also add by LAW, your dash must have warning lights to inform you that your fog lights are on, and if you have just had your car MOTed?????? No lights on dash, how did it pass???

I agree you must tell your insurance company, it will invalidate your policy if you do not.


D

movilogo

If you want to contest, take reports of that day's weather (where you got caught). Everyone knows it snowed in this week. So, if you could some how prove that visibility was reduced at that time, you may get away without problem.

I don't know how many cars have fog light on indicator on dashboard. My car doesn't have it (for either front or rear fog lights) & it sailed thru MOT 2 months back without any problem.

AFAIK as long as you appeal against, your points are withheld (please check DVLA site) untill you're proved guilty by court.

Remember, 90% of people don't contest. If they did, the UK would have been a different place altogether

See http://pepipoo.com/ for point related information.

PS: BTW, was it front or rear fog light?

Tight_Git_3

I'm surprised that you have been advised to tell your insurance company... You have been issued a £30 non endorsable fixed penalty, which means no points on your license, and hence no need to tell your insurer.

This is exactly same ticket you would have got (although a different offence code will be filled in) if a police officer stopped you for driving without a seat belt on, or parking on double yellows. Would you advise your insurance company about a parking ticket????

Don't contest it, pay up.
It has to be raining very, very hard to justify the use of fog lights, and even then a lot of magistraits will find against you, going down the route of fog lights means use only in fog, which is a fair point as we all have been dazzled by fog lights at some point.
As Tom188 correctly pointed out, the key phrase is seriously reduced visability.

mjr600

Crikey

Terrible advice from a couple of posters, road traffic act offences are known as 'absolute offences', since you accept they were on, disputing it by requesting a trail at Mags Court would not be big or clever. The offence is made out when you accept they were turned on when they should not have been.

Points about them coming on automatically etc is known as mitigation and would only cause the magistrates to consider a lower fine.

Unless you are unemployed you will have to pay to be represented, ill informed people who represent themselves are comical in court, on conviction the fine will be higher than £30 and you will have to pay prosecution costs. If you are working it will be a day off work and if you are really unlucky your case might fill a couple of lines in the local rag if its a quiet day at court and the court reporters got little to write about. Oh the shame !

You have to view motoring as a big cat and mouse game, most of us commit some offence everyday, usually speeding by a few mph, you have to balance your years of driving and possible multiple occasions when you have broken a law with the single small fine and no points.

You might not be happy, you may think it was a little harsh (maybe it was new officer learning to fill tickets in and you were the unlucky one) but put it down to experience and move along, nothing to see here........