3 points for driving without demisting my windows?

Demistedstranger1

oldernonethewiser said:

ahmadsaqib1 said:

I am not looking for anyone to agree with me but to let me know that do I have any ground in which I can appeal this to the court. 

I have never heard of anyone receiving penalty points for not demisting their windows. It’s an absurd idea. Normally people get a warning and they are let off. 

I don’t understand how can this happened. Especially when I have no history of similar offences. 

What makes you think it is absurd?

Because I wasn’t being careless (especially not intentionally) and I could see the road clearly. 

It’s like I say to you that you carelessly did a 3 point turn and for that I’ll give you 3 penalty points and a fine for driving dangerously 

I just feel that 3 points and a fine is a harsh penalty especially when the road was empty as well. 

Demistedstranger1

Keep_pedalling said:

ahmadsaqib1 said:

Officer believes that my vision was impaired but I pointed out to him that if it was impaired how did I manage to completely spot the car in a safe way by following his instructions (he had LEDs on that said ‘follow me’) 

yes windows weren’t demisted but as long as I could see, it was fine for me to drive which means I wasn’t intentionally being unsafe in the road and was well below the speed limit hence why I am wondering that I am hard done by this 

Cars have a lot of glass to give the driver a good view of the road and the surrounding area, if some of that glass is misted your vision is restricted so you may not see potencial hazard such as a child about to step into the road.

The Highway Code stipulates that if driving in adverse weather conditions you must, by law, be able to see out of every glass panel in your vehicle.

This is supported by the section 41D of the Road Traffic Act 1988, meaning it is a legal requirement to have a clear view of the road ahead before you set off.

Just take the fine and points and don’t forget to inform your insurance company. Depending on the policy you may have to do this now or at renewal, so you can expect an increase to your premiums with a CD10 endorsement on your licence.

I really appreciate this and am now reconsidering my decision. I asked chatgpt and it hyped me up that there are several reasons as to why I have a chance of winning this in court lol 

TheSpectator

ahmadsaqib1 said:

I am not looking for anyone to agree with me but to let me know that do I have any ground in which I can appeal this to the court. 

I have never heard of anyone receiving penalty points for not demisting their windows. It’s an absurd idea. Normally people get a warning and they are let off. 

I don’t understand how can this happened. Especially when I have no history of similar offences. 

Seeing the 'follow me' sign doesn't mean you have a clear field of vision. Nothing absurd about it. Please do appeal, might lead to one less dangerous driver on the roads.

Demistedstranger1

pseudodox said:

You are unlikely to receive sympathy or support here - you were a danger to yourself & others.  A couple of weeks ago I was walking across a Tesco car park in the snow & was almost mown down by an idiot driver whose windows were all covered in snow except for a dinner plate size section he had cleared from the windscreen giving him tunnel vision.  Luckily he was going slow, seeking a parking spot judging from his nose being almost touching the windscreen, so I was able to step out of his way.  This is an all too common sight in winter.  Just be grateful the police stopped you before an accident occurred.

A few years back a motorcyclist was seriously injured when snow blew off the roof of a car into his windshield & face,  blocked his vision & he skidded into oncoming traffic.  We should always think about other road users.

I understand and completely agree with you. 

The reason I asked is because the mist on my windows weren’t that bad hence why I could see the road and ofc, I always demist my car before setting off on any journey. 

I am just abit flabbergasted with the penalty. I thought they would offer me a course or something 

Demistedstranger1

TheSpectator said:

ahmadsaqib1 said:

I am not looking for anyone to agree with me but to let me know that do I have any ground in which I can appeal this to the court. 

I have never heard of anyone receiving penalty points for not demisting their windows. It’s an absurd idea. Normally people get a warning and they are let off. 

I don’t understand how can this happened. Especially when I have no history of similar offences. 

Seeing the 'follow me' sign doesn't mean you have a clear field of vision. Nothing absurd about it. Please do appeal, might lead to one less dangerous driver on the roads.

There’s no need for you to be condescending mate 

my intention for posting this matter on here was for me to learn what my mistake was and understand the law and whether the penalty was appropriate 

oldernonethewiser

Demistedstranger1 said:

pseudodox said:

You are unlikely to receive sympathy or support here - you were a danger to yourself & others.  A couple of weeks ago I was walking across a Tesco car park in the snow & was almost mown down by an idiot driver whose windows were all covered in snow except for a dinner plate size section he had cleared from the windscreen giving him tunnel vision.  Luckily he was going slow, seeking a parking spot judging from his nose being almost touching the windscreen, so I was able to step out of his way.  This is an all too common sight in winter.  Just be grateful the police stopped you before an accident occurred.

A few years back a motorcyclist was seriously injured when snow blew off the roof of a car into his windshield & face,  blocked his vision & he skidded into oncoming traffic.  We should always think about other road users.

I understand and completely agree with you. 

The reason I asked is because the mist on my windows weren’t that bad hence why I could see the road and ofc, I always demist my car before setting off on any journey. 

I am just abit flabbergasted with the penalty. I thought they would offer me a course or something 

Does this mean your windscreen had become misted after you started driving?  Is there an issue with the blower?

oldernonethewiser

Demistedstranger1 said:

oldernonethewiser said:

ahmadsaqib1 said:

I am not looking for anyone to agree with me but to let me know that do I have any ground in which I can appeal this to the court. 

I have never heard of anyone receiving penalty points for not demisting their windows. It’s an absurd idea. Normally people get a warning and they are let off. 

I don’t understand how can this happened. Especially when I have no history of similar offences. 

What makes you think it is absurd?

Because I wasn’t being careless (especially not intentionally) and I could see the road clearly. 

It’s like I say to you that you carelessly did a 3 point turn and for that I’ll give you 3 penalty points and a fine for driving dangerously 

I just feel that 3 points and a fine is a harsh penalty especially when the road was empty as well. 

And a Police Officer did think you were and doubted that you could see the road clearly.

Demistedstranger1

oldernonethewiser said:

Demistedstranger1 said:

pseudodox said:

You are unlikely to receive sympathy or support here - you were a danger to yourself & others.  A couple of weeks ago I was walking across a Tesco car park in the snow & was almost mown down by an idiot driver whose windows were all covered in snow except for a dinner plate size section he had cleared from the windscreen giving him tunnel vision.  Luckily he was going slow, seeking a parking spot judging from his nose being almost touching the windscreen, so I was able to step out of his way.  This is an all too common sight in winter.  Just be grateful the police stopped you before an accident occurred.

A few years back a motorcyclist was seriously injured when snow blew off the roof of a car into his windshield & face,  blocked his vision & he skidded into oncoming traffic.  We should always think about other road users.

I understand and completely agree with you. 

The reason I asked is because the mist on my windows weren’t that bad hence why I could see the road and ofc, I always demist my car before setting off on any journey. 

I am just abit flabbergasted with the penalty. I thought they would offer me a course or something 

Does this mean your windscreen had become misted after you started driving?  Is there an issue with the blower?

That is correct. No I had just turned it off since it’s an electric vehicle and I had a long journey to make so I was saving on electric. I now realise that was foolish of me. 

DullGreyGuy

Demistedstranger1 said:

Officer believes that my vision was impaired but I pointed out to him that if it was impaired how did I manage to completely spot the car in a safe way by following his instructions (he had LEDs on that said ‘follow me’) 

yes windows weren’t demisted but as long as I could see, it was fine for me to drive which means I wasn’t intentionally being unsafe in the road and was well below the speed limit hence why I am wondering that I am hard done by this 

You are aware that there is more than one window in a car? That just because you have a small clear patch right in front of your face that you can see a bright sign straight ahead doesn't mean you would have seen something off to the far left etc?

There is a raft of news articles each year about fines for not demisting or defrosting your windscreen, for example from two weeks ago https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/uk-world-news/drivers-can-stop-car-windows-9846372. No idea if their solution helps prevent the misting up in the first place but does show that its not unheard of

ChirpyChicken

you have committed an offence its a strict liability issue.