Drivers in England face £160 fine after 'they followed the car in front'

Drivers have been slapped with £24 million worth of bills for breaking crucial traffic laws with millions at risk of a huge fine. Drivers have been fined £24.7million for entering yellow box junctions in London in the past year, with more than 154,000 penalty charge notices being issued in 2023.

Under Highway Code Rule 174, drivers must only enter boxes if they can see their exit is clear. It states: "You may enter the box and wait when you want to turn right and are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right.

“At signalled roundabouts, you must not enter the box unless you can cross over it completely without stopping.” Rod Dennis, RAC spokesperson, said: “Unfortunately, any box that is bigger than needed – whether that’s due to an oversight on the council’s part or because it was painted on the road many years ago and hasn’t been reviewed – risks drivers being fined unnecessarily when their actions haven’t contributed to congestion.

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“What’s more, if a driver can’t clearly see where a box ends but they know there’s a chance of getting fined if they stop in one, they’re more likely to hesitate – meaning traffic could start backing up, which is the polar opposite of what yellow boxes are intended to do.”

Transport for London warned: “Do not simply follow the vehicle in front as it may stop and prevent your exit and don't let other drivers pressure you to enter the box when a clear exit is not available. We issue Penalty Charge Notices to deter drivers from breaking the rules and causing a traffic jam. We don't simply issue PCNs to raise revenue - we enforce the rules to help keep the traffic moving.”

Sam Wright, the chartered engineer who runs the Yellow Box Guru website, said: "Spell out precisely their purpose in terms of preventing the cross movement of other traffic, and to make it crystal clear where and how they should be used."

TfL guidelines state that drivers can receive a £160 fine, although it will be reduced to £80 if they pay within a certain timeframe.