Driving with wellies, loud music and hayfever can all land you fines – motorists warned ahead of festival season
According to Compare The Market, nearly two thirds (63%) of motorists are unaware that driving with severe hay fever symptoms could land them with a fine or penalty points.
Unlimited fines for driving with hayfever symptoms? Who knew.
With tens of thousands of people set to descend on festivals all across the UK this summer, motorists travelling there are being warned of five little-known driving laws, reports The Manc.
Summer is well and truly here, and nothing says summer quite like a festival, right? The North is gearing up to host major festivals like Leeds Festival, Creamfields, Tramlines, Lytham Festival, Kendall Calling, Bluedot, and so many more - not to mention our own Leeds Festival.
There's absolutely no shortage of opportunities for us to soak up the sunshine in a field listening to some good tunes surrounded by their mates over the coming months.
But ahead of what is undeniably the country's biggest and most iconic music festival, Glastonbury, kicking-off this weekend, festivalgoers hopping in the car to make their way to any event this summer are being warned to keep an eye on some driving laws they may not be familiar with.
New research from Compare the Market has revealed the top five driving regulations relating to festivals that "often slip under the radar".
Most of the laws on the list will see unsuspecting motorists handed penalty points on their license or hit with hefty fines they'll have to pay - and some even come with fines that have no limit to them.
Top 5 Festival Driving Laws
Festival Driving Laws
Potential Fines
Potential Penalty Points
Driving whilst listening to loud music
Unlimited fine
3-9 penalty points
Driving in wellies
£1,000
3 penalty points
Driving with hayfever
Unlimited fine
3-9 penalty points
Taking drowsy allergy tablets
Unlimited fine
3-11 penalty points
Driving in distracting/restrictive outfits
£1,000
3 penalty points
Results based on research by Compare The Market
Taking top spot on the list is cranking the music up while driving, which seems to be a given for many as they either make their way to the festival, or try to cure the post-festival blues on the way home, while driving with hayfever symptoms or on drowsy allergy tablets also rank highly.
According to Compare The Market, nearly two thirds (63%) of motorists are unaware that driving with severe hay fever symptoms could land them with a fine or penalty points.
Elsewhere on the list, apparently under two in five motorists could also face a fine of up to £1,000 for driving in the absolute festival essential that is a pair of wellies, and 28% risk penalties for splashing pedestrians in rainy weather - which probably would've been good to know after the torrential downpours we had at Parklife this year.
Motorists warned of little-known driving laws ahead of summer festival season / Credit: Flickr | Rawpixel
"Staying up to date with the latest version of the Highway Code is the easiest way to avoid fines and penalties while driving," Julie Daniels, Car Insurance Expert at Compare the Market, advised as the festival driving laws research was released.
"Even having just a few penalty points on your licence could cause issues for you, as they stay on record for at least four years and make it more difficult to get good car insurance deals.
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"In fact, our data shows that having between 3-5 points on your license could increase your insurance premium by up to 4% on average, while having 6-8 points could increase premiums costs by up to 62% on average."
Featured Image - RAC
Audio
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Mumford & Sons add new Leeds show at the First Direct Arena to sell out UK tour
Clementine Hall
Two new arena dates have been added to their forthcoming UK tour, after selling out the entire run within two hours.
Ahead of dropping their fifth studio LP Rushmere at the end of the month, the cult favourite folk-rock outfit announced a brand-new European tour in support of the record, including a limited UK leg.
The now sold-out arena run starts in Europe in November before now arriving in Leeds on Sunday 30 November.
The significance of the band’s return can be found in the title of the new album, as Rushmereis the spot where it all began for the boys: a pond located on Wimbledon Common in south-west London where Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane first hung out.
However, the multi-award-winning acoustic-driven British rockers and folk revivalists are now a trio following the departure of Winston Marshall, who quit the band back in 2021 following controversies surrounding his right-wing beliefs.
Image: Supplied
With that in mind, it’s rather fitting that they have insisted that beyond just a place and a title, Rushmere is alsothebeginning of a new phase.
Following an intense period of creativity, the project was produced by fellow nine-time Grammy winner Dave Cobb and recorded at the famous RCA Studio A in Nashville, as well as in Savannah, Georgia and back home at Marcus’ studio in Devon.
The album itself drops on this Friday 28 March and judging by the little that we’ve heard so far, they’ve been well worth the wait.
As for the arena show, tickets will go on sale this Thursday 27 March at 10am.
Best of all, they’re donating £1 from every ticket sold straight to War Child UK – this sort of stuff should be standard for any big act as far as we’re concerned.
The Hoot -
27th June 2023 
