You could be slapped with a £1,000 fine and three penalty points for hanging an air freshener from your rear-view mirror

AIR fresheners, fluffy dice or football flags hanging from your rear-view mirror could land you with a hefty fine and points on your licence.

Drivers are being warned that even placing a sticker on their windscreen could see them in trouble with police if it obstructs their view of the road.

Driving with any kind of obstruction on your car windows or windscreens can limit your field of vision, potentially reducing reaction time and even contributing to an accident.

If you're involved in a collision that isn't even your fault, police can penalise you for driving with an obstructed view.

Although it's not strictly illegal to have decorations or stickers on your windscreen, anything that is deemed to prevent you from having a full view of the road can attract a £100 on-the-spot fine and three penalty points on your licence.

And if you tried to challenge the penalty in court, you could be hit with a maximum fine of £1,000.

The Highway Code notes "windscreens and windows must be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision."

And the Road Traffic Act states "no person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is in such a position that he cannot … have a full view of the road and traffic ahead."

The practice can also impact your insurance if you're involved in an accident.

Insurers aren't likely to cover any damage or injuries sustained in a crash if your vision is impacted by decorations.

Drivers can fail their MOT for having items hanging from their rear-vision mirror as service centres won't approve the car until they are removed.

Gov encourages drivers to check their "view of the road is clear of any stickers, toys or air fresheners".

Regulations have been stricter since a taxi driver was fined for having furry dice and a two air fresheners hanging from their rear-view mirror when involved in a fatal collision with a pedestrian in 2008.

Rebecca Ashton, IAM RoadSmart head of driver behaviour, said: "Anything hanging from the rear-view mirror or anything placed on the windscreen could restrict the drivers view, things people use tend to vary from air fresheners and dice hanging from the mirror to fans, large sat-navs and even using the navigation on an iPad.

"Missing something because you had something obscuring your view could potentially be extremely dangerous, good driving involves exceptional observation skills, seeing things early allows you to anticipate and plan how you deal with hazards.

"We would suggest it is placed low on the windscreen, on the right hand side and if possible within the area where the windscreen wipers don’t clear. The main thing to remember is you should always try to avoid the drivers field of vision."

Source: Read Full Article