Is it illegal to splash someone with your car?

SPLASHING someone with your car is an illegal act and could set you back £5,000.

What might seem like a harmless joke can end up costing you thousands of pounds in fines.

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Is it illegal to splash someone with your car?

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is illegal to drive “without reasonable consideration for other persons”.

The law also bans “driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed”.

Fines are imposed if a driver’s behaviour is found to be “an act of incompetence, selfishness, impatience, or aggressiveness”.

On top of monetary fines, drivers risk three and nine penalty points on their licence.

National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) guidance says that lower level careless driving offences receive a fixed penalty fine.

It also says the offender should be offered driver education in most cases.

How much could you be fined?

Drivers can be fined up to £5,000, but most are handed a £100 penalty notice for the offence, according to Gloucestershire Live.

It’s a serious offence and police will act to punish serial offenders.

In 2020, Cambridgeshire police launched an appeal to find the driver who soaked a mum after ramming through a puddle, according to MyLondon.

The mother was with her two children, including one in a pram, when a car drove through the 20ft-long puddle and splashed all three.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said at the time: “On Thursday, January 4, around noon, a mother was with her two children, one in a pram and the other walking alongside her near the junction of Pig Lane and Greengarth in St Ives.

“Due to the poor weather, a very large puddle had built up due to a blocked drain near to the junction which was half way across the road. It was not raining and the puddle, some 20 feet in length, could easily be seen by motorists.

“Unbelievably a motorist drove through the puddle causing the water to soak the three.

“The driver could well have waited to drive around the puddle or driven through it very slowly so as to not cause water to splash anyone on the footpath.”

What should I do if I get splashed?

Report it to police, but make sure you’ve got as much detail as possible, such as a plate number and physical proof you were splashed.

Confused.com motoring editor, Amanda Stretton told MyLondon splashing was “a serious safety issue for drivers”.

She said: “Firstly, drivers have no way of knowing what the road surface is under the puddle, causing unpredictable driving conditions.

“Secondly, the water itself can cause the car to aquaplane – where the vehicle’s tyres fail to grip the road and cause the driver to lose control.

“If that isn’t enough, it’s also just incredibly rude and drivers can be penalised, quite rightly, with a huge £5,000 fine.

“Puddle rage really can lead to big fines. To avoid this cost and to ensure their safety, we advise motorists to look out for big puddles when driving, and pay particular attention when there are pedestrians around.”