Highway Code warning as drivers warned to make crucial windscreen wiper checks

DRIVERS have been warned to make these crucial windscreen wiper checks or risk a £2,500 fine.

Your windscreen wipers need to be in a good condition otherwise you can face a hefty penalty according to the Highway Code.

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The Highway Code, which changed earlier this year, now urges drivers to keep their windows and windscreens clean.

They can’t be obstructed or be kept dirty, according to the rules.

Annex 6 of the code refers to vehicle maintenance, safety and security, and says: “Windscreens and windows MUST be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision.”

If wiper blades are split or blunt, they can’t properly clean the windscreen.

This might leave distracting streaks on the screen.

Drivers could face a fine of up to £2,500 and three points on your licence for the offences.

This comes after a council has enraged motorists by telling cyclists to ignore a seven-foot cycle lane and use the middle of the road instead.

Drivers claim cyclists now “think they own the road” in Boscombe, Dorset, after the council painted bike symbols across the middle of the busy street, encouraging riders to use it.

Ignoring the option of the cycle lane that runs along the A35, Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council’s move has angered the local community.

Local Nick Beck asked: “If there’s a dedicated cycle lane, why are they being directed to cycle in the main carriageway?”

Steve Martin said: “You put cycle lanes in and then paint cycle symbols on main carriageway. Cyclists now seem to think they own all the road and won’t move over.”

A spokesperson for BCP Council said: “We recently undertook carriageway resurfacing and have widened the cycle lanes in line with current standards.

“The road markings highlighted are there to encourage cyclists to take a prominent position in the lane.”

Changes to the Highway Code earlier this year allowed cyclists to ride in the middle of quieter roads and ride two abreast.

But driver Donna Clarke argued that “it should be in the Highway Code that cyclists must use cycle lanes if available.

“This is utterly ridiculous, causing tailbacks, delayed emergency vehicles and frayed tempers.”