New Rules of the Road for 2022

The New Year is set to herald the introduction of a raft of new road laws for 2022 and beyond.

Annually, there are tweaks to the enforced measures already in place, and this coming year will be no different with a focus on mobile phones, minor offences, and parking. With heightened importance on electric vehicle uptake, that too plays a role in one of the changes that may affect you.

Crackdown on handheld mobile device usage

Motorists can only be penalised for use of a handheld phone for what is termed ‘interactive communication’ while driving. This doesn’t include taking pictures, or taking videos, and scrolling through downloaded music, which is technically legal.

Minor offences to be punished

Also set for review and alteration are minor traffic offences, such as stopping in yellow box junctions, making turns when road signs prohibit them, and driving in cycling lanes. These sorts of offences can now be punished by fines of up to £70 by councils in England and Wales.

RAC spokesman, Simon Williams, told the Mirror; “We’re fearful that some authorities may be over enthusiastic in using their new powers for revenue-raising reasons.

“Drivers who blatantly ignore signage or highway rules should expect penalties but there are instances which are not always clear-cut.”

Parking on pavements

It is expected that this will be banned nationwide in 2022; although already illegal in London, the outlawing of this practice is set to be extended across England with councils having the power to issue on-the-spot £70 fines to those mounting the curb.

Slightly off the road…EV chargers built-in to new builds

All new builds in England from 2022 must have an EV charging point installed. This is to support the increasing popularity of electric vehicles and the government’s plan to ban all new sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

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