6 things you probably didn’t know were illegal to do while driving

Rudi Kinsella

Who knew?

We all know the basic rules of the road, even if you’ve never driven a car before in your life.

Wear your seat belt, don’t drink and drive, don’t speed etc. But there are more regulations than you may think and with the help of Noel Gibbons, Road Safety Officer with the Mayo County Council, we decided to investigate what exactly is and isn’t allowed behind the wheel.

All of the following are referred to in the Rules of the Road which can be found here.

Maybe you’ll be a bit more careful after you read these.

Beeping your horn in anger

This is one for all of the road-ragers out there. This is why it’s so dangerous to listen to football commentary while driving; your team concedes a goal and you risk breaking your horn and breaking the law.

You can’t beep your horn between 11.30 pm and 7 am unless it’s an emergency, according to the RSA rules of the road. Come on, people are trying to sleep…

Splashing a pedestrian by driving through a puddle

It’s hilarious. But you can’t do something just because you think it’s funny. Not only is it extremely cruel, but it’s also illegal.

Drivers can be prosecuted under the 1988 Road Traffic Act in a section which covers selfish or aggressive behaviour on the road.

Driving after taking prescription drugs

The Department of Transport has confirmed testing for prescribed medicines will begin in the coming weeks. Drugs such as Valium will be forbidden, and motorists found above the legal limit will be taken to a Garda station and obliged to provide a blood sample.

This makes perfect sense as a number of prescription drugs can cause drowsiness which can be extremely dangerous while driving.

Getting out of your car while parked on a single yellow line

The single yellow lines are perfect for dropping people off or picking people up, but at no stage should the driver get out of the car.

Smoking in the car

Smoking in a car while children are present has been illegal since the start of 2017. Offenders will be faced with a fixed fine of €100, and potentially more serious consequences if they are caught breaking the law.

Eating while driving

This is a complicated one. It’s not necessarily illegal to eat while driving, but if you present a significant danger while snacking on the move, the Gardaí could prosecute you for careless driving if they consider you not in proper control of the vehicle.

A study from Leeds University found that drivers were 44% slower if they drove while eating. We’d believe it, just ask Denis Reynolds…