{"id":1057,"date":"2015-02-26T09:30:41","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T09:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.booktheorytesttoday.com\/?p=1057"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-02-25T10:29:31","slug":"splashing-pedestrians-is-it-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktheorytesttoday.com\/blog\/splashing-pedestrians-is-it-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Splashing Pedestrians | Is it Illegal?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the more bizarre motoring questions asked by a blog follower this week, but a perfectly valid one. Book Theory Test Today clarifies the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclaw\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 on splashing pedestrians.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent weeks there has been a spate of complaints to police regarding motorists splashing pedestrians by driving through mega-sized puddles. It got one of our blog followers asking, is this illegal?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well Book Theory Test Today<\/strong><\/a> can clarify that the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclaw\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 regarding splashing pedestrians is about as clear as mud. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not illegal per se, but can land you in trouble. However, getting in hot water depends on who you are and whether you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re caught.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, a policeman who went through a puddle in his 4×4 soaking a group of pedestrians was merely forced to apologise. However, a motorist who splashed a group of school children was summoned to court to face prosecution.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a law against splashing pedestrians \u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Splashing pedestrians is actually punishable via a very little known law. Under section three of the Road Traffic Act, 1988, drivers caught splashing pedestrians are considered careless and inconsiderate, which can result in a maximum \u00c2\u00a35,000 fine and between three and nine penalty points.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the law is very rarely enforced with few cases making it to court, those that do incur varying degrees of punishment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the more \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcserious\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 cases of splashing pedestrians tend to involve children and the elderly, usually resulting in offenders facing more hefty punishments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Duty of Care<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Commenting on the issue, the Driving Instructors Association\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Chief Examiner, Mike Frisby, said: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Motorists have a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcduty of care\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 not to splash pedestrians, something which can be \u00e2\u20ac\u02dceasily avoided\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/span><\/p>\n

He continued: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably not widely known by pedestrians that they can report incidents if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re splashed, but we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really want to engage in a culture where people are going to report every little incident.<\/span><\/p>\n

The driver has an obligation to plan well, as there is always a danger when driving through a puddle because even in shallow water drivers won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what lurks beneath.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/span><\/p>\n

Humorous<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In a recent poll conducted by webuyanycar.com almost 800, of 2000 motorists surveyed said they found it \u00e2\u20ac\u02dchighly humorous\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and burst out laughing when witnessing the splashing of pedestrians, but admitted they would demand punishment if it happened to them. A further 320 survey participants actually admitted to purposely splashing pedestrians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Severe Punishment<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re caught splashing pedestrians, unless you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a police officer of course, you stand to receive:<\/span><\/p>\n