Many drivers are unaware that sunglasses come with a categorisation that you need to check before you wear them while driving, according to experts. Sunglasses have ratings which go from 0 to 4 - and you need to pick the right ones for driving at different times.
Motoring experts at Scrap Car Comparison have warned that wearing the wrong sunglasses behind the wheel could see you fined and hit with points on your licence, while you could also get penalised for not wearing any sunglasses at all. It's not a legal requirement within the UK to wear sunglasses while driving in bright sunny conditions.
But Rule 237 of the Highway Code states that drivers should slow down or pull over if they are ‘dazzled by bright sunlight’. If you aren’t wearing sunglasses to block out the sun’s glare and continue driving while squinting or glancing away from the road, a police officer could deem you to be ‘driving without due care and attention’.
Careless driving offenses carry £100 on-the-spot fines, as well as three penalty points on your licence. However, if you were to contest this charge in court and were convicted of it, this could rise to up to nine penalty points and a fine of up to £5,000.
But the tint or shape of certain sunglasses could actually stop you from seeing properly – and again land you in trouble with the law.
Many drivers don’t realise, but lenses on sunglasses come with different tint densities, which refer to the amount of light they let through to your eye. Categorised on a scale of 0-4, category 4 sunglasses should by law be labelled as being ‘not suitable for driving’, meaning that being caught driving while wearing them could land you in serious trouble.
Meanwhile, category 3-1 sunglasses are not suitable for night driving, meaning the only lenses you can wear all day long are category 0. The charge for not adhering to these laws is similar to the ‘driving without due care and attention’ penalty for not wearing any sunglasses at all: a £100 on-the-spot fine and the potential for this to rise to nine penalty points and a £5,000 fine if contested.
Dan Gick, Managing Director of Scrap Car Comparison, said: “As we all know, the Great British weather can throw all sorts at us throughout the seasons, forcing us to consider multiple dangers in a single year when it comes to driving.
"We’ll all be hoping for blue skies and sunny weather over the summer months, and while it does feel extreme to run the risk of being penalised for either not wearing sunglasses or for wearing the wrong style of sunglasses, it is always better to be safe than sorry.
"Keeping yourself and other drivers safe on the roads no matter the conditions, as well as avoiding any worry of points or fines is paramount. This may mean having to keep a pair of ‘driving’ sunglasses in the car, but it is a small price to pay if it helps you to avoid glare from the sun and any issues with the law!”
