You could be charged with careless driving and fined £5,000 for letting your car run out of fuel

DRIVERS face large fines for letting their car run out of fuel, as the major inconvenience is actually against the law.

And it could see you stranded in the middle of the road, putting yourself, your passengers and other road users at serious risk.

Causing an obstruction with a car that’s out of fuel falls under the careless and inconsiderate driving penalty.

If you are forced to stop in the road and police spot you, they can slap you with a £100 fine and three points on your licence.

But in serious cases – where you have caused an accident, for example – you could be taken to court and given a much more severe penalty.

A court can actually issue anyone charged with careless driving an unlimited fine and up to nine penalty points – but for the majority of motorists, the fine won’t exceed £5,000.

And a fine isn’t the only consequence of letting your car completely run out of petrol or diesel.

You may have to pay for the cost of having your vehicle recovered from the roadside, as insurers and breakdown providers often won’t cover it.

Running the fuel tank low can also do serious damage to your car.

If stores run out and the fuel pump runs dry, you will need to take your motor into a garage for repairs, which could see the bill turn into hundreds of pounds.

The best way to avoid running out of fuel is to fill up as soon as the warning light comes on, and not take a risk on how much fuel you think you have left.

One motorist found out the hard way when they ran out of petrol on the M62 late last year.

Gerrard Newell’s Ford S Max was left stranded in the middle of the motorway after completely running out of fuel, eventually causing a dangerous two-lorry pile-up.

Mr Newell was recently charged with careless and inconsiderate driving at Manchester Magistrates’ Court, and was fined £2,000 with six points added to his licence.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Research, said: “We have very little sympathy for drivers who run out of fuel on the motorway.

“There is no excuse for entering a motorway with low fuel or if you know something is wrong with your car.
“A breakdown puts you and your passengers at very high risk – many fatal crashes on a motorway involve a stationary vehicle.

“The hard shoulder, where it exists, is a very dangerous place to be with HGVs often weaving off course and crossing the solid white line.

“If you have to be rescued you are also putting the recovery operator at risk and if you don’t have breakdown cover you could pay several hundred pounds for emergency fuel or towing to a safe place.

“The government could help by reducing the price of fuel at motorway service areas but fundamentally it is always the drivers personal responsibility to ensure their car is fit for high speed driving on our premium network.”