With tens of thousands of people set to descend on festivals all across the UK this summer, motorists travelling there are being warned of five little-known driving laws.
Summer is well and truly here, and nothing says summer quite like a festival, right? Parklife may have been and gone, but with the North and North West still gearing up to host other major festivals like Leeds Festival, Creamfields, Tramlines, Lytham Festival, Kendall Calling, Bluedot, and so many more, there’s absolutely no shortage of opportunities for Mancs to soak up the sunshine in a field listening to some good tunes surrounded by their mates over the coming months.
But ahead of what is undeniably the country’s biggest and most iconic music festival, Glastonbury, kicking-off this weekend, festivalgoers hopping in the car to make their way to any event this summer are being warned to keep an eye on some driving laws they may not be familiar with.
New research from Compare the Market has revealed the top five driving regulations relating to festivals that “often slip under the radar”.
Most of the laws on the list will see unsuspecting motorists handed penalty points on their license or hit with hefty fines they’ll have to pay – and some even come with fines that have no limit to them.
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Top 5 Festival Driving Laws
Festival Driving Laws
Potential Fines
Potential Penalty Points
Driving whilst listening to loud music
Unlimited fine
3-9 penalty points
Driving in wellies
£1,000
3 penalty points
Driving with hayfever
Unlimited fine
3-9 penalty points
Taking drowsy allergy tablets
Unlimited fine
3-11 penalty points
Driving in distracting/restrictive outfits
£1,000
3 penalty points
Results based on research by Compare The Market
Taking top spot on the list is cranking the music up while driving, which seems to be a given for many as they either make their way to the festival, or try to cure the post-festival blues on the way home, while driving with hayfever symptoms or on drowsy allergy tablets also rank highly.
According to Compare The Market, nearly two thirds (63%) of motorists are unaware that driving with severe hay fever symptoms could land them with a fine or penalty points.
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Elsewhere on the list, apparently under two in five motorists could also face a fine of up to £1,000 for driving in the absolute festival essential that is a pair of wellies, and 28% risk penalties for splashing pedestrians in rainy weather – which probably would’ve been good to know after the torrential downpours we had at Parklife this year.
Motorists warned of little-known driving laws ahead of summer festival season / Credit: Flickr | Rawpixel
“Staying up to date with the latest version of the Highway Code is the easiest way to avoid fines and penalties while driving,” Julie Daniels, Car Insurance Expert at Compare the Market, advised as the festival driving laws research was released.
“Even having just a few penalty points on your licence could cause issues for you, as they stay on record for at least four years and make it more difficult to get good car insurance deals.
“In fact, our data shows that having between 3-5 points on your license could increase your insurance premium by up to 4% on average, while having 6-8 points could increase premiums costs by up to 62% on average.”
Featured Image – RAC
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More adult virgins needed for next series of Channel 4’s hit reality show Virgin Island
Emily Sergeant
Channel 4 is back looking for more adult virgins to take part in the potential next series of its hit reality show Virgin Island.
You may remember that early last year, we brought you the breaking highly-important news that Channel 4 was currently in the process of producing a new reality TV series that, at the time, had the working title of ‘The Intimacy Retreat’ and was looking for a group of adult virgins to apply to take part, if they were brave enough.
But now, well over a year on, we all know that show turned out to be the hit show Virgin Island – which has just finished airing its first series this week.
Channel 4 needs more adult virgins for the potential next series of its hit reality TV show Virgin Island / Credit: Channel 4
If you’re unfamiliar with Virgin Island, it’s unlike anything ever seen on TV before, as it follows the journey of a group of adult virgins who are whisked off to a Mediterranean island retreat to learn life-changing skills in the art of intimacy.
Working with leading international therapists, the aim is to help the young people overcome their fears and insecurities when it comes to intimacy and sex.
Channel 4 said it chose to commission the show after a recent study into intimacy found out that one in eight British 26-year-olds is, apparently, still a virgin.
Virgin Island aims to help young people overcome their insecurities around intimacy and sex / Credit: Channel 4
A casting call for the new series on the Channel 4 website reads: “Are you a virgin and do you need help and guidance with your fears and insecurities around intimacy and sex? Double Act Productions is casting adults for a potential second series of Virgin Island.”
You just need to be over 21 years of age to take part in the show.
Fancy it then? Or know someone who may be up for the ride? Applications for the potential next series of Virgin Island are now open, and there’s still plenty of time left to put your name down.
You can find out more and register your interest here.
Featured Image – Channel 4
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New survey finds most drivers can’t complete a car journey without using their mobile
Emily Sergeant
A shocking new report has revealed that most Brits are unable to complete a car journey without using their mobile behind the wheel.
After shocking images taken with an AI camera of drivers using mobiles and not wearing seatbelts on the roads across Greater Manchester were released to the public last November, a new report has now shed some more light on drivers’ excessive phone use while on the roads, proving that they’re the ultimate distraction.
In fact, nine out of 10 drivers struggle to complete a journey without being distracted by their phones, according a recent report from IMS and the RAC.
The research – which is based on survey results from 500,000 drivers over the past year, originally shared exclusively with This is Money – shows that only 10% of motorists manage to drive from start to finish without interacting with their mobile device.
And this is despite the risk of consequences such as £200 fines and six penalty points on their license, if caught.
A new survey has fount that most drivers can’t complete a car journey without using their mobile at some point / Credit: Geograph | Vincent Wachowiak (via Unsplash)
As mentioned, it’s also despite the increasing use of advanced artificial intelligence roadside cameras to detect ‘distracted drivers’ and their illegal mobile phone use.
Government data showed that mobile phone use was a contributing factor in 23 road fatalities last year alone, and official statistics also show that ‘distraction or impairment’ was the third most-common cause of fatal crashes, having played a role in 34.9% of deadly incidents.
The RAC is now encouraging police forces across the UK to start taking immediate action.
“We saw a reduction in motorists admitting to illegal handheld phone use after the penalties were toughened in 2017 following pressure from the RAC, but numbers are on the rise again now,” explained RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis
“In fact, our research shows the proportion of young drivers making and receiving calls illegally hit its highest rate in eight years in 2024.
“Enforcement of the law is critical, so we encourage police forces to roll out more roadside cameras to catch people in the act and get them to change their ways.”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd June 2023 
