Drivers warned to look out for easy mistake to make during winter that results in a fine

The winter months are always an expensive time of year, so a fine is the last thing drivers need to be worrying about.

But if you're not careful on the roads as the frosty conditions roll in, you could end up cutting into a slice of your Christmas budget. Queue an army of crying kids, disappointed parents and a peed-off partner.

So, motorists need to be on their A game while they are behind the wheel to stay safe and to avoid getting pulled over by the police for a stern word.

When you are tackling adverse weather conditions - such as ice, snow, or rain, which most Brits have come to expect - you often have to use your car headlights to illuminate your path, even in the daytime.

You can also give your vision a boost with your fog lights - but only if the weather conditions meet the strict criteria.

It is only acceptable for UK drivers to switch them on when visibility is seriously reduced, which generally applies when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328ft), typically due to fog.

But these babies have a very specific use and should only be relied on when you really can't see.

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Because they are so bold and bright to combat fog, they can dazzle other drivers and also obscure your brake lights.

As you can imagine, that's a recipe for disaster on snowy roads.

Which is why you can be slapped with a £50 fine if you fail to comply with the rules for the road.

According to Rule 236 of the Highway Code: "You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights."

So as soon as your in the clear visually and can see more than 100m ahead of you, remember to switch them off.

Dan Jones, operations manager at DrivingExperience.com, warned motorists that if deactivating the fog lights when the weather improves slips your mind, it could have dire consequences.

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He told the Independent: "Sometimes it is easy to forget you have put your fog lights on as you can’t see them while driving in lighter conditions.

"Failing to do so could mean that not only could you dazzle an oncoming driver and cause an accident, you could also be hit with a £50 fine due to breaking the Highway Code.

"Last year, nearly 6,000 collisions caused were because a driver’s vision was affected by external factors which could include dazzling lights, so it is important to be alert to the conditions when they improve.

"Fog lights are generally switched on manually by the driver. With more cars now featuring automated systems, it is quite easy to forget they’re on, or even think they’ve turned off naturally when conditions improve."

Topics: Cars, Driving, Weather, UK News

Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

@livburke_