Drivers furious over sunglasses rule that could see them hit with hefty £5,000 fine

Stephanie Colderick & Ewan Mowat
·3-min read

Driving is an important and crucial skill for many people, though it takes time to master. It is suggested learners go through around 40-50 lessons on average before being in a good position to pass their test.

When you are behind the wheel, it is vital you are concentrated and focussed on the task at hand, because car crashes are, unfortunately, all too common and one slip up could have tragic consequences.

Given this, most drivers want to make sure they take precautions to make sure they keep themselves and others safe while they are on the road, Wales Online reports.

Everyone should make sure their seat is in the correct position so they can control their vehicle, with some people opting for booster seats to give themselves the best view of the road. Others use driving gloves for better grip on the wheel.

One of the external factors that can impact a person's ability to drive is the weather. When driving in the rain, motorists should drive a bit slower and leave longer gaps to the vehicles in front, as it can take almost twice as long to come to a stop on wet roads.

On the other end of the scale, when it is sunny - a rarity in Scotland, we know - drivers want to keep their sun out of their eyes so they can fully focus on the roads.

Many drivers wear sunglasses on the road - but they could be hit with a huge fine (STOCK IMAGE)
Many drivers wear sunglasses on the road - but they could be hit with a huge fine (STOCK IMAGE) -Credit:Getty Images/EyeEm

The majority of cars have a sun visor that can be flipped down at the top of the windscreen to give some coverage from the glare. Sometimes, however, that isn't enough and motorists opt for a pair of sunglasses.

While this seems like a normal thing to do for many drivers, research from car and vehicle financing company CarMoney revealed sunglasses were one of seven common items of clothing or accessories that could see motorists hit with a whopping £5,000 fine for wearing.

Others on the list included long skirts or dresses and flip flops or sliders. The reasoning behind the inclusion of sunglasses is they can be too dark to drive with and they may block your peripheral vision, unlike the sun visor.

But drivers appeared outraged they could be charged thousands of pounds for wearing sunglasses, which many believed to help rather than hinder their driving.

One person said: "Absolutely ridiculous… if I can’t wear my sunglasses I’d be as blind as a bat driving & could guarantee I run the risk of an accident. My eyes are really sensitive to bright light."

Another said: "That makes no sense. It is safer to wear sunglasses if the sunlight is blindingly strong." A third added: "What's wrong with sunglasses!? It's many times worse without them!"

Speaking about the potential ineffectiveness of the sun visor, someone else said: "So I'm 4ft 10in and the visor doesn't cover my eyes so I'm allowed to drive being blinded by the sun rather than wear sunglasses?"

While another person revealed they had an accident because they didn't wear sunglasses. They said: "I MUST wear sunglasses when driving or I sneeze constantly. I once forgot them on a bright day, and ran into the back of a stationary car, blinded by the sun's glare."

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Man dies and other seriously injured in four-car crash

    A man has died in a four-car crash on a rural road yesterday morning.

  • Disqualified driver had SIX passengers without seatbelts while hitting 100mph on M4

    A man caught driving at more than 100mph on the M4 carrying a six-year-old with no seatbelt has been jailed.

  • Heartless teen stopped people trying to save boy, 13, after inflicting fatal injuries on him in 'abhorrent' scenes

    A drunk driver hit and killed 13-year-old Kaylan Hippsley in February

  • Bus, train and airport strikes to halt transport on same day in May - full list of routes affected

    The strikes are set to cause chaos for those planning to travel

  • Musk disbands EV charging unit, confusing partners

    STORY: Elon Musk has surprised markets, and the auto industry, by scrapping the unit responsible for Tesla’s charging network. The move was confirmed by two former executives, and multiple posts on LinkedIn. It sees the Supercharger team entirely disbanded as part of wider layoffs. There was no comment on the reports from the firm. Posting on X, Musk would only say that the Supercharger system would continue to expand, but at a slower pace. His move blindsided firms that work with the network. The boss of one supplier said his team woke up to a “sharp kick in the pants”. It also rattled General Motors and Ford, which are equipping their cars with connectors that allow use of the Tesla charging network. GM said it would monitor the situation, but wasn’t changing its plans for now at least. It all comes after Tesla reported falling profits and a move to shed some 10% of its workforce. The EV pioneer is grappling with falling sales, mounting competition and a price war. Musk has said he’s now more focused on AI, robotics and robotaxis, than regular cars. Some analysts think he could even sell the Supercharger network to raise cash for other ventures. Others just saw a signal that Tesla is deadly serious about cutting costs.

  • Police seize car 'parked' in North Yorkshire resort

    Scarborough police the owner of a black Audi A3 to get in touch.

  • Woman suffers life-changing injuries at the hands of careless white van driver

    A careless driver left a woman with life-changing injuries after weaving on the road and nearly mounting a grass verge.

  • What to do if you put the wrong fuel in your car explained by motoring expert

    It's more common than you might think, with around 150,000 people doing it every year in the UK

  • Road closed after car crashes into wall

    A road in Weymouth was closed following a crash in the early hours of the morning

  • Train strike dates as rail users issued with warning

    The Aslef union is embroiled in a near two-year long dispute

  • Car left dangling over steep drop after crashing through railings in seaside town

    The vehicle went through barriers and was left hanging precariously over a footpath.

  • Expert shares what you should do if you put the wrong fuel in your car

    An expert has shared what you should do if you have filled your car with the wrong fuel and how you can reduce the damage caused.

  • EVs are getting smarter and cheaper in China

    STORY: Light-up emojis. Music for pedestrians outside. In China, electric carmakers are offering up luxury tech – without the luxury price tag – in the battle for buyers. Cars are being loaded with once-expensive interior features and technology for as low as $20,000 – less than half the cost of the average new car in the U.S. Analysts say that poses a big challenge for foreign heavyweights like Tesla and Volkswagen. This is the Nammi – on display here at the Beijing auto show. It’s made by state-owned automaker Dongfeng and sells for under $10,000. That’s around the same as BYD’s Seagull EV – China’s fourth best-selling electric vehicle. The market is also crowded with electric and plug-in vehicles that splash luxury technology. Xpeng is planning to offer an EV with high-level self-driving features – for under $21,000. Analysts say the price of specialized components like sensors needed for self-driving and screens for onboard entertainment has tumbled. That's making competition in the world’s largest auto market all the more fierce… And chipping away at the halo that once hung over foreign brands. That’s according to an outlook from McKinsey analysts released in March. Take Zeekr, for instance. It's the carmaker with those emojis. Here’s its Shanghai head of design, Javier-Garcia Gallardo: “When we see the differences between our product launch in China versus our product launch in Europe and, you know, the technical details are as important as the design and the brand. And this integration of technology is essential for the Chinese customer.” Still, German automakers say they’re not backing down. Here’s Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius: “We have a dedicated digital tech team here all the way down to providing things like in the new E-Class, you can sing karaoke. Maybe you don't have that feature in Germany. Maybe you should. But here, customers love it.” Mercedes, as well as Volkswagen, both told Reuters they’re working to deliver those so-called “wow effects” for Chinese buyers.

  • Glasgow easyJet flight makes emergency landing before two 'disruptive' passengers removed by cops

    The airline was flying holidaymakers to Hurghada, in Egypt, when drama unfolded on Monday, April 29. Pilots were forced to divert the plane after the pair caused a scene mid-air.

  • Sports car crashes with parked vehicle

    An Audi TT crashed into a parked car in a Bournemouth road.

  • Speed limit on almost 4,000 Glasgow streets to be cut to 20mph

    Almost 4,000 streets across Glasgow are set to have the speed limit lowered from 30mph to 20mph. • 3,868 streets currently assigned a 30mph speed limit should be reduced to 20mph. • 1,400 streets currently assigned a 20mph speed limit should remain at 20mph.

  • Emergency slide that fell off Delta plane washes up at home of lawyer whose firm is suing Boeing

    Emergency slide recovered six miles southeast from Kennedy International Airport

  • Police called to van crash in Herefordshire village

    EMERGENCY services were called to a crash in a Herefordshire village.

  • Passengers injured during emergency escape from smoke-filled plane

    A tense scene unfolded at Simón Bolívar International Airport in La Guaira, Venezuela, after smoke filled the cabin of a Laser Airlines flight on April 28. The plane was preparing to depart for the Dominican Republic when smoke was discovered. 91 passengers were forced to evacuate the plane via emergency slides, during which at least three passengers were injured.

  • Glasgow to impose 20mph speed limits

    Thousands of Glasgow streets are to have their speed limit cut to just 20mph in a bid to encourage motorists to abandon the use of cars.