Is it illegal to sneeze while driving and how much can I be fined for a sneezing fit?

YOU’LL find that it is near impossible to keep your eyes open when you sneeze which can be an issue when you are driving. If you’re suffering from a cold or hay fever, you may be worried about sneezing while on the road as you could cause and accident and be hit with a hefty fine.

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What does the Highway code say about sneezing while driving?

If you’re on the motorway and sneeze you could blindly travel several metres while you recompose yourself afterwards. The Highway Code states that you must not drive “without due care and attention” and if you break this rule you can land yourself a fine or points on your license. According to Your Red Car, this can include sneezing at the wheel which is a common symptom of hay fever. Denton Brock, head of Your Red Car has come up with five ways to prevent hay fever sneezing fits:

• Clean your car more
• Park your car in a garage
• Keep your windows closed
• Put extra clothes in a bag
• Change air filters

How much can I be fined for sneezing while driving?

If you have a crash while sneezing, police could claim you were driving without due care and attention. That carries a fine of up to £2,500. The fine will be determined by the traffic officer or the court.

Can I get penalty points on my license for sneezing while driving?

You can land yourself between three and nine penalty points depending on how severe the case is. Police will take an especially dim view if you’re driving with a visible cold: red eyes, streaming nose and a chesty cough. Plus, if you’re on tablets you could be leaving yourself open to a drug-driving charge – depending on medication. That’s especially important to know for anyone on hay fever meds as the punishment for this is a minimum one year driving ban and unlimited fine. But if the sneezing fit is completely unexpected and unrelated to an illness then you could use it as a defence. Laura Newton, motoring law expert at Rothera Sharp, said sneezing is definitely not a get out of jail free card as the defence can be hard to prove. It falls under “automatism” rules and it’s the same as if you’re unexpectedly blinded by sunlight or a bee enters the car and causes you to thrash around. Newton said: “It’s actually quite uncommon as in a lot of cases there’s a precursor to it – like having a heavy cold or taking medication. “But if it’s genuinely debilitating and the reaction is so instant you lose control then you have a case. “Plus you need to show your reaction to whatever happened was reasonable to what a competent driver would do – like trying to slow down straight away, taking yourself out of a dangerous situation and trying to mitigate it as much as possible.”