{"id":334680,"date":"2025-12-25T09:14:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T09:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/334680\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T09:14:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T09:14:10","slug":"drivers-urged-not-to-make-300-mistake-when-driving-on-christmas-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/334680\/","title":{"rendered":"Drivers urged not to make \u00a3300 mistake when driving on Christmas Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Drivers preparing to take to the roads on <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/christmas\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas Day<\/a> in <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/life-style\/cars\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cars<\/a> packed with gifts and other goods have been urged not to make a mistake that could cost them \u00a3300. Experts are warning Britons of the risks of overloading a vehicle this festive season, which can result in a substantial fine, points on a licence and even invalidate car insurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-mce-linkchecker-status=\"valid\">New figures show that more than 1,400 drivers were stopped in 2024 and the first 10 months of 2025 with dangerous or unsafe loads in the UK. Data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), obtained by Tempcover via a Freedom of Information request, shows 55% of those stopped received fines for the offence.<\/p>\n<p data-mce-linkchecker-status=\"valid\">Claire Wills-McKissick, a temporary car insurance expert from the company, has shared advice on spotting and avoiding dangerous loading.<\/p>\n<p>She said people can often tell if their car is overloaded if they experience difficulty with handling, issues with brakes or signs of tyres or the suspension system visibly sagging.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Willis-McKissick said a visual check can also be a telltale sign of a vehicle being overloaded, encouraging people to pay attention to the distance between the car\u2019s body and the ground, particularly at the rear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the tyres look very close to \u2014 or are tucked under the wheel arches \u2014 the weight is likely excessive,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Tips on how to pack a car more safely include:<\/p>\n<p>Estimate the weight of passengers and luggage, and leave a safety buffer\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Load heaviest items first<\/p>\n<p>Tie loose luggage down<\/p>\n<p>Ensure tyres are correctly inflated<\/p>\n<p>Ms Willis-McKissick said: \u201cBeyond the legal implications, driving with a heavy load is incredibly unsafe, putting you, your passengers, and other road users at risk. This is because it affects vehicle handling, impacting stopping distances and reduced driver control.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCombined with the challenges winter already poses on roads, it&#8217;s vital to take the necessary precautions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Tempcover, failing to check a vehicle\u2019s maximum load before hitting the road could lead to:<\/p>\n<p>A fine of \u00a3100 to \u00a3300 (depending on excess weight)<\/p>\n<p>Three points on licence<\/p>\n<p>Invalidation of vehicle insurance\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In rare cases (over 30% overload), drivers can risk a prison sentence of up to two years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Drivers preparing to take to the roads on Christmas Day in cars packed with gifts and other goods&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334681,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,32964,3462,48916,130256,59,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-334680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-cars-section","tag-christmas","tag-driving-laws","tag-dvsa","tag-gb","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}