You could land a £300 fine, three penalty points and even invalidate your insurance by over-packing your car for a summer road trip
DRIVERS across the country are unknowingly putting themselves at risk by cramming too much into their car.
And you could be hit with hefty fines and even invalidate your insurance by over packing your motor.
Thousands of families will soon take to the road over the weekend, and may be tempted to cram as much as possible into their motor before setting off.
But many motorists will be unaware packing too much into their vehicles could actually put them at risk of a fine and penalty points.
Overloading your car is against the law, but it's not just because your rear vision can be blocked.
While blocking your rear windscreen is only illegal if you don't have two wing mirrors, loading beyond your car's weight limit is a punishable offence.
Average weight limits for some of UK's most popular cars
- Volkswagen Golf - up to 548kg
- Ford Fiesta - up to 529kg
- Vauxhall Astra - up to 575kg
- Hyundai i30 - up to 616kg
- Nissan Qashqai - up to 545kg
- Audi A3 - up to 560kg
- Land Rover Discovery - up to 786kg
- Kia Sportage - up to 690kg
You can attract a fine of up to £300 and be slapped with three points on your licence if you exceed the manufacturer's limits.
Your vehicle handbook will tell you the maximum weight your car should hold, including passengers and luggage.
A truck driver was pulled over by police and fined for exceeding the weight in his motor by almost 50 per cent after he had loaded it up with a huge pile of sand.
Another Brit was hit with similar penalties earlier this week for loading up his van with chicken, making it 800kg over weight.
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Ignoring this weight limit can actually be dangerous as an overloaded vehicle could place strain on the tyres and weaken the handling of your motor, making it more likely you'll have an accident.
To make matters worse, if you are involved in an accident when your vehicle is loaded beyond its maximum limit, your insurance could be invalidated.
This could then see you liable for the cost of damage to other people or property, as well as the cost of damage to your own car.
Even if you are loading your car within its weight limit, it's likely you will need to increase your tyre pressure, so be sure to check them before you start packing.
It is, of course, rather unlikely that you will be pulled over by police for being a few kilos over your car's weight limit, as it would be nearly impossible for authorities to tell.
But you are likely to attract the attention of road cops if your car is noticeably lower than it should be, or your driving appears to be erratic due to difficulty in handling.
How to avoid a fine for overloading your vehicle
- Always check your handbook and make sure you know what the legal weight limit for your car is (it may be lighter than you'd expect)
- Weigh your larger items before you pack them
- Use a roof box or rack to spread the weight evenly across your car and avoid damage to tyres (don't forget to count the weight of the racks in your limit)
- Don't forget to include the weight of the driver and all passengers inside your maximum limit
- Be sure to allow extra stopping time, and be aware that handling may be more difficult
the road laws you need to know
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “As families get geared up for time away, parents can end up playing a game of ‘Car Tetris’, as they try to fit suitcases, bags and children into the car.
“In most modern cars, you’d be hard pressed to take the vehicle over its weight restriction.
"However you should always check the handbook and ideally, weigh everything before putting it in the car.
“If you feel you are close to breaching the limit, drivers should head to a weighbridge and get an accurate reading.”