Drivers Can Be Fined Up To £5,000 For Having A Dirty Car

So, whilst you won't be held to account for having banana peel and McDonald's wrappers piled up in the passenger footwell - although it is also disgusting - you definitely need to keep some parts of your car in reasonable nick, not just for your pocket, but also for your safety.

Specifically, the inside of your windscreen.

Of course, we've all got windscreen wipers that take care of the cleaning for the outside of the front window, but the inside can also get filthy, and if not properly cleaned could become difficult to see out of.

Should you be involved in a crash when your windscreen isn't clear, you can be charged with 'careless driving' whether the crash is your fault or not.

If that collision is a serious one, the fine for careless driving can be as much as £5,000 and you could also receive as many as nine penalty points on your licence.

For less serious incidents, the usual fine for careless driving is a £100 on the spot fine and three penalty points.

Still, that's enough to focus the mind, and you should probably spend a couple of minutes making sure the inside of your windscreen is nice and clean.

Obviously, there's another element to it, which is that you should do it anyway so that your car is safe to drive and you're not going to get hurt.

Regulation 30 of The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 reads: "All glass or other transparent material fitted to a motor vehicle shall be maintained in such condition that it does not obscure the vision of the driver while the vehicle is being driven on a road".

The Highway Code also states: "Windscreens and windows must be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision".

The same goes for your car registration plate.

You might as well have a wipe around of that whilst you're at it, given that you can receive a fine if that is too dirty to be read properly.