"IT'S one of the best things about driving," I said to my poor, beleaguered instructor, who'd just told me not to drive into the large puddle of water on Portsmouth's seafront at full speed - as I promptly did it anyway.
No pedestrians were soaked, though. Which is good, because it turns out that doing that is illegal.
Yes, splashing someone with your car is an illegal act.
What might seem like a harmless joke could end up costing you thousands of pounds in fines.
The offender is seen as driving “without reasonable consideration for other persons”.
Drivers should steer round puddles if it is safe to do so.
If the motorist cannot avoid the puddle they should slow their speed to a crawl to avoid creating any splash.
They can also stop - if safe to do so - to allow the pedestrian time to walk past the puddle.
Drivers can be fined up to £5,000, but most are handed a £100 penalty notice for the offence.
If you fail to pay your £100 fixed penalty notice or if the case is taken to court you could end up paying the full £5,000.
You could also receive three penalty points if caught by police.
The offender may be offered driver education.
It's a serious offence and police will act to punish serial offenders.
If the driver is deemed to have deliberately driven at speed through the puddle they will automatically be given the £5k fine.
In 2020, Cambridgeshire police launched an appeal to find a driver who soaked a mum after ramming through a puddle.
The mother was with her two children, including one in a pram, when a car drove through the 20ft-long puddle and splashed the trio.
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said at the time: "On Thursday, January 4, around noon, a mother was with her two children, one in a pram and the other walking alongside her near the junction of Pig Lane and Greengarth in St Ives.
"Due to the poor weather, a very large puddle had built up due to a blocked drain near to the junction which was halfway across the road.
"It was not raining and the puddle, some 20 feet in length, could easily be seen by motorists.
"The driver could well have waited to drive around the puddle or driven through it very slowly so as to not cause water to splash anyone on the footpath."
Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is illegal to drive "without reasonable consideration for other persons".
The law also bans "driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed".
In the Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 3, the rules on splashing pedestrians comes under the heading "careless driving", which is a criminal offence.
Under this section driving through puddles causing water to splash on pedestrians is determined as "inconsiderate driving".
Fines are imposed if a driver's behaviour is found to be "an act of incompetence, selfishness, impatience, or aggressiveness".
On top of monetary fines, drivers risk three and nine penalty points on their licence.
National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) guidance says that lower level careless driving offences receive a fixed penalty fine.
If it happens to you, report it to police, but make sure you've got as much detail as possible, such as a plate number and physical proof you were splashed.
As well as the effect driving through a puddle can have on pedestrians, drivers should also be aware that rainwater may hide dangerous road surfaces, such as a pothole.
Driving at speed through water could also cause the driver to lose control and the car to aquaplane.
Depending on the depth of the puddle, water can also affect the vehicle's engine, so driving through slowly is always advised.
6,000.000+downloads/Free/Bengali/Version2.3.4
777 BDT IPL 2025 Sports First Deposit Bonus
