Are you aware of the new traffic rules that came into force this month?
Motorists are urged to brush up on the traffic rules, as several new rules were introduced in May – and if you don’t know some of them, you could be fined.
Updates include changes to electric car parking, stricter rules on mobile phone use, and new regulations around clean air zones.
Younger drivers may also be affected by some proposed amendments to the New Drivers on Road Traffic Act, but these are not yet in effect.
So here are some of the highway code amendments introduced in May
Highway code regulations change as motorists are urged to brush up on their driving knowledge (File image)
Rules in the Road Traffic Act are changing.
Previously, drivers using their phones behind the wheel could be fined up to £200 and earn six points on their licence.
But stricter regulations have now come into effect, prohibiting motorists on the road from using their phones or any other electronic device, such as a navigation system or tablet.
Those caught can be taken to court, where they will be issued a driving or driving ban and fined up to £1,000 (£2,500 if driving a lorry or bus).
Motorists who run out of fuel while driving and obstruct traffic can also be fined £100 and points on their licences.
This fine has been extended to drivers of electric cars. Owners are now also at risk of getting caught if their battery dies and they block a road.
Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate
The government has shared details of its planned Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. This would ensure that healthcare manufacturers sell a percentage of zero-emission machines, such as electric cars, to promote adoption of electric vehicles.
The mandate has been implemented to also ensure that manufacturers meet strict targets to build new electric cars before the 2030 petrol and diesel new car ban.
A consultation was launched in March to examine how the mandate will work. This included the impact on businesses and whether exemptions are needed for certain manufacturers.
The consultation for the final draft of the mandate, as well as the CO2 emissions regulations, closed on 24 May.
Consultation fuel tanker
Permission for fuel tankers to carry more fuel was considered and consulted. This came in response to the 2022 fuel crisis (File image)
The government has consulted on the possibility of allowing fuel tankers to carry more fuel, with the exciting weight limit of 44 tonnes currently in place.
This was an initiative initially launched in response to the 2022 fuel crisis, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw drivers leave across the country with a massive supply disruption.
The consultation ran until May 17.
New council powers
In the UK, 12 councils have been given traffic powers, allowing them to fine drivers for offenses that were previously dealt with only by the police.
This month Surrey County Council started monitoring yellow box junctions – potentially violating them could face fines of up to £70.
And the councils of Derby City, Buckinghamshire and Norfolk have each been given their own powers – though it remains unknown which areas they will control.
Meanwhile, Reading and Hampshire councils have said they will be given similar powers in the spring.
Proposed changes that may affect younger drivers
Drivers under the age of 25 may not be allowed to carry young passengers under a ‘graduated driver’s license’ to prevent peer pressure deaths.
New restrictions would lead to amendments to the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act to ban passengers under the age of 25 in a driver’s first year or six months.
The law already prohibits drivers if they earn six points in their first two years of driving.
It is supported by Support for Victims of Road Crashes – a consultancy for the Department of Transport – and Jo Shiner, head of the National Police Chief’s Council Roads Policing.
Further talks regarding the plan were discussed by Transport Secretary Richard Holden on May 16.
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