Hi Gang!!
I got myself into a bit of an argument over whether or not it is illegal to run out of fuel on a motorway. I said it is but my adversary said it isn't.
Can someone settle this argument one way or the other, preferrably pointing to some form of official source.
Ta!!
one TN
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I am not aware of any official source from which you can check, bearing in mind any written legislation will indicate what is not allowed rather than what is permitted, but it is not illegal to run out of fuel on amotorway.
It is not, however, a good idea.
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OK, according to Clarkson, it depends on intent.
If you head onto a motorway and, say, spring a leak or your fuel gauge sets stuck, and you run out of fuel, then it's not your fault. (If you're driving a diesel and you leak fuel at an impressive rate, you'll find out soon enough when the car behind crashes into you when you slow down, but I digress...)
If you drive on a motorway knowingly, with the fuel warning light on, and drive past service stations and run out, then yes, what you've done is illegal.
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After they made it an offence to run out of fuel on the Auckland Harbour Bridge (New Zealand), the frequency of such incidents dropped sharply. But that was about 30 years ago. I'm not sure about the current situation.
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I would be very interested David to know as to what Act and Section they use for the offence of being the driver of a motor vehicle did through neglect run out of fuel on a motorway ?
I think Clarkson is in cloud cuckoo land, as per usual, on this one as I have no reference to the subject nor ever heard of it.
As an ex motorway patroller I must have missed out on several offences.
Looking at the definition of careless driving may seem to fit but even that is stretching the imagination.
Is there something I have missed?
DVD
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>>OK, according to Clarkson, it depends on intent.
I'd rather go by the opinion of a proper motoring expert than that of Clarkson!
Running out of fuel on the road could be interpreted as driving without due care and attention, I'd have thought.
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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I was under the impression that knowing you were going to run out was bad (probably illegal).
--
Adam
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How about this situation.
Some years ago I was driving down the M1 late at night and needed fuel. The low fuel light came on and the next services were about 20 miles, so plenty to reach there. The forecourt on the southbound side had run out of diesel because a member of staff had forgotten to order it. I did not have enough fuel to guaranteed to reach the next exit or next services.
The solution came from the service till on the forecourt. I had to use the service bridge to drive over the motorway and use the HGV derv to fill my tank (the only diesel they had left until the morning). This I would not recommend doing unless you are desperate as I had to drive against the normal services traffic to reach the north bound forecourt and the high delivery of the derv pump meant some spillage could not be avoided. At least I was able to get home safely that night.
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It is not illegal to run out of fuel on a British motorway. It is illegal to run out of fuel on a German motorway. Maybe that's what Jeremy was thinking of?
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In the same vain on a different subject
Is it now illegal to use a tow rope, somebody was telling me the other day you now have to use a solid bar T/F?
Thanks in advance.
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Have not seen any amendment to Reg 86 Con and Use 1986 which states where a trailer is attached to a vehicle immediately in front soley by means of a ROPE or CHAIN, the distance between the two shall not exceed 4.5m and shall not exceed 1.5m unless the ROPE or CHAIN is made clearly visible to any other road user within reasonable distance from either side.
DVD
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Well, AN Other, I used to work with someone who was an ex-MOD driver and he once ran out of fuel on the motorway. The police who arrived to assit him told him it WAS illegal to run out of fuel on a British motorway, but as he was MOD in an MOD car, they assisted him and turned a blind eye.
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Don't you know by now not everything our wonderful boys in blue tell us is true.We are the naughtiest group of people in this country which is why they go to such lengths to catch us in the act.Part of this policy is a program of dis-information designed to keep us off balance and at their mercy so that when you ask such a question seperately to two of our finest it's not unusual to get two different answers but as we all know ignorance of the law is no excuse,gawd 'elp us!
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Towing by rope on a motorway.... Yip definately not permitted, towing with a chain is not permitted either, you need one of those fixed metal couplings. When I popped the turbo on the leon I was on the motorway, I had leoness go buy a tow rope and come get me. Hitched it up to her golf and was about to head off, when two motorcycle outriders appeared. They explained that I could not be towed along the motorway on a rope, and that they would escort us off the motorway and on as far on as possible. They were ace, they knew she wasn't comfortable towing me, and they stopped all the traffic at major junctions and roundabouts, however they refused to let us use the motorway even under their escort.
Leon
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Sorry Leon but got to disagree with you and submit you were given wrong advice, maybe for the right reasons (road safety).
All my references do not prohibit use of rope/chain for towing except on length as previously mentioned. Also on a 3 lane motorway vehicles towing cannot use third lane.
In fact if you look here
tinyurl.com/93j2n
then if this was illegal they would say so wouldn't they?
DVD
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I'm now disagreeing with myself. Looked at your like DVD and looked here too www.traffic-answers.com/motorway.htm#tow
Am a bit miffed as it caused Leoness a great deal of distress to have to deal with junctions once the outriders left us, whereas the motorway was a straight and most direct route home.
I doubt the traffic laws in NI differ from the UK, we follow your lead on 99% of other aspects of the law.
Anyhow - happy to be corrected, i'll know for again.
Leon
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