Drivers who wear pyjamas on school run could be hit with £5,000 fine

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Tired parents taking children to the drop-off could be risking £5,000 on their journey. This is because driving with certain clothing, including pyjamas, could result in a hefty fine and penalty points against their licence.

Experts at Vape Globe are warning about the little-known rule of the road, noting that while most people are aware of the type of footwear they should avoid when driving, your clothing can also get you in trouble. They explained: “While not illegal to drive in pyjamas, you could still be faced with a hefty penalty fine if your driving is considered unsafe due to what you're wearing.”

This is in line with Highway Code Rule 97 which states: “The clothing and footwear you choose to wear whilst you are driving must not prevent you from using the controls in the correct manner." Road Angel noted that the penalty for wearing inappropriate clothing can start at £100 on-the-spot fines and reach up to £5,000 and 9 penalty points if it heads into court.

Insurance experts at CarMoney shared some common clothing items that could potentially breach this law with the road safety assistant provider. Starting with the most obvious, the experts warned against certain footwear including flip-flops, sliders, high heels, chunky boots and open-backed slippers.

All of these types of footwear are usually classed as unsafe to drive in because they might limit your ankle movement, become stuck between pedals or car mats and don’t have enough grip to stop your feet from sliding out or off of the pedals. Chunky boots can even include the likes of Dr Martens as they are wide enough to potentially touch two pedals at once.

Some lesser-known clothing items that can interfere with your driving abilities include long skirts or dresses that can become tangled between your feet or around the pedals. Similarly, very baggy jeans can be considered unsafe for the same reason.

One of the more surprising additions to this list is sunglasses as they could be considered to dark to safely drive in or could affect your peripheral vision depending on the type of frame you have. Vape Globe experts also highlighted that wearing headphones isn’t necessarily against the law but isn’t recommended as it could be deemed that these distracted you and caused you to drive without due care and attention.