Table of Contents
There are dozens of laws that you may not know or misunderstand, leaving you vulnerable to committing a crime and therefore potentially facing a fine or other punishment. Many of these are everyday laws related to your home and vehicle.
Cars: You are breaking the law if…
1. You can’t remove the snow from all the windows of your car.
Rule 229 of the highway code says that you must be able to see out of all windows and without snow. If you fail to comply with this, you can receive three points on your license and a fine of up to £2,500.
Failure to clear snow from your car can result in three points on your license.
2. You don’t tell the DVLA that you have moved house.
If you fail to notify the DVLA of a change of address or name, you are breaking the law and could be fined up to £1,000. This failure could also invalidate your car insurance.
3. You don’t tell the DVLA that you have changed your car registration.
If you don’t tell the DVLA that you changed your car’s registration number and inform your insurance provider, this could get you into trouble with the law as it won’t appear on your insurance record because the wrong registration number was recorded.
4. At a drive-through you pay with your mobile phone while the car engine is running
This law dates back to the 2003 mobile phone laws, which state when it is illegal to touch a phone or headset while driving. If you operate your phone with the engine still running, you are technically using your phone while driving a car, which is a violation.
5. You honk in anger
Honking aggressively because you are angry or frustrated could land you a £50 fine, with the possibility of this being increased to £1,000 if you go to court, contest it and lose. It is also illegal to sound the horn while the car is stopped or in a built-up area between 11:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
It is illegal to honk while the car is stationary or in a built-up area between 11:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
6. You eat or drink while driving.
Although it is not technically illegal to eat or drink while driving, if police believe this is distracting you, you can be prosecuted for “driving without due care and attention.”
Police could take action for ‘driving without due care and attention’ if you eat behind the wheel
7. Neither you nor any passenger wear a seat belt.
The law requires all passengers in a vehicle to wear a seat belt, if equipped, unless they are medically exempt. The driver is responsible for ensuring that all passengers under 14 years of age are wearing their seat belts; Failure to do so may result in a fine of up to £500.
Drivers are responsible for ensuring that all passengers under 14 years of age are wearing their seat belts.
8. You start your car to warm it up and leave it unattended
Rule 123 of the highway code says that a car must not be left unattended on public roads with the engine running; but it’s okay if the car is on your private road, but not on a public road.
9. Breaks another road law to make way for an emergency vehicle.
You must make way for emergency vehicles safely and without violating traffic rules.
Many people believe that if they run a red light or stop in a place where they normally shouldn’t park, to make way for an ambulance or police car, the law will ignore them. Unfortunately, this will not be the case, so such action will leave you vulnerable to receiving points on your license and/or a fine. The law says that emergency vehicles must be given way, but safely and without violating traffic laws.
Breaking traffic rules to let a police car pass will leave you vulnerable to points on your license and/or a fine.
At home: you are breaking the law if…
10. Point security cameras at your neighbor’s property
Make sure CCTV cameras around your property are not pointing at your neighbor’s land. In some cases, this could breach privacy laws set out in the Human Rights Act and possibly lead to allegations of harassment.
Pointing a camera at a neighbor’s house could be an offense under the Human Rights Act and possibly lead to harassment charges.
11. Aim bright security lights at your neighbor’s property.
Do not point security lights at your neighbor’s property (especially their windows), as this may constitute light pollution or a nuisance and be actionable by law.
12. Leave your home alarm on when you are not there
It seems crazy, since that’s exactly what a home alarm is for, but if you activate your home alarm and leave for a period of time without arranging for someone to come to your property if the alarm goes off, you’ll be committing a crime. offense under the Clean Environment and Neighborhoods Act 2005.
13. Not repairing a leaky faucet
Under the Water Industry Act 1999, you could be fined £1,000 for failing to repair a leaking tap. The law states that homeowners must repair any leaking taps within a “reasonable period of time”, and the Office of Water Services (Ofwat) states that leaking taps must be repaired within 24 hours.
You could be fined £1,000 for failing to repair a leaky tap in your home
14. Leave your garden messy
Under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, homeowners are required by law to keep their gardens in good condition, or face a fine of up to £500.
The law requires homeowners to keep their gardens in good condition.
If you are caught throwing away your old TV, you can be fined up to £5,000
15. Throw your old television in the trash
Throwing your TV in the bin is illegal under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013. If you are caught doing so, you could be fined up to £5,000 and also pay the costs of recycling your TV.
16. Watch live TV without a license
You will need a TV license if you are watching live TV on a TV, computer, tablet, games console, smartphone or any other device. However, you don’t need a TV license if you only watch content after it has been shown on television, unless it’s on BBC iPlayer.
17. Use a fire stick to stream Amazon and Sky Sports without paying
It may seem harsh, but this could land you in jail as you would be breaching Section 11 of the Fraud Act 2006, which covers “dishonestly obtaining services”, including “knowing that services are available on the basis that payment has been made, is being made or will be made to or in respect of them or could be; and avoids or intends to avoid payment in whole or in part.
18. Use your neighbor’s WIFI without permission
Do not use a neighbour’s unsecured WIFI connection without their knowledge (commonly known as ‘piggybacking’) as this would be a criminal offense under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 or the Communications Act 2003.
19. Overfill your outside trash bin
The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 states that homeowners are responsible for ensuring their bins are not overflowing or broken, otherwise they could face a £500 fine.
20. Neglect your gutters and drains
The Building Act 1984 says homeowners must keep their gutters and drains in good repair and keep them unblocked and free-flowing. Failure to do so could result in a £5,000 fine.
21. Return cuttings taken from your neighbor’s plants or trees to your land.
Don’t just throw away the trimmings of hedges or trees cut from your neighbor’s hanging plants without talking to them first, as this could be considered fly-tipping.
…and four curious ways you could break the law
1. It is illegal for you to destroy or deface money
Under the Currency and Banknote Act of 1928, it is illegal to deface a banknote by drawing, stamping or printing it.
2. If you use a fake name on the Internet
Impersonating another person alone is not illegal unless you impersonate a police officer or a lawyer. However, if you set up a fake social media account, in some circumstances this will constitute a criminal offence.
Posting a letter with the seal reversed is treason, but no charges will be filed
3. It is illegal to send a letter with the stamp reversed
As crazy as it may sound, this amounts to treason and is therefore a crime against the Crown and could land you in jail. Of course, I wouldn’t actually go that far.
4. If you sell counterfeit or counterfeit products
While it is now common practice for consumers to sell unwanted items on sites like eBay and Vinted, if your unwanted item is fake (like a fake Gucci bag), even though it wasn’t illegal to buy, it is. It is illegal for you to sell it.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.