How splashing a pedestrian while driving could cost you £5000

Drivers who splash pedestrians by driving through puddles could find themselves in hot water.

The most common punishment for such incidents is a £100 fixed penalty notice and three points on the licence. It’s worth knowing that if drivers fail to pay the initial £100 or refuse the penalty notice they could also face the maximum £5,000 fine if the case is taken to court.

Which bit of law is it?

Under section three of the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is an offence to drive “without reasonable consideration for other persons”, and this includes any instance of “driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed”.

Is it illegal to splash someone with your car? 

Under British law, drivers could be hit with a maximum fine for £5,000 if they are caught driving through a puddle which causes a pedestrian to be splashed.

So yes, it could be illegal to splash a pedestrian with water from the road while driving your car. It’s worth knowing that you could also be slapped with a public order offence if you are seen.

How much can you be fined?

The maximum punishment is a level five fine of £5,000 in instances where driving “amounts to a clear act of incompetence, selfishness, impatience or aggressiveness”.

Those found guilty of deliberately driving through puddles and splashing pedestrians will likely be hit with a £100 fixed penalty notice and three penalty points if caught by police.

 But if you refuse to pay and take the matter to court you could see a maximum fine of £5,000 imposed.