Beware of nonsense media stories

4th March 2019

Some ludicrous scare stories have appeared in the media recently claiming you could get fined for wearing sunglasses whilst driving and fined for not wearing them! Guaranteed to confuse people! We’re not sure what the original source of this information was but it’s mostly factually incorrect (that’s being very polite). Let’s set the record straight. The only sunglasses you should NOT wear when driving are Category 4 ones that have very dark lenses. If found to be wearing these, you could be fined and if you had an accident your insurance company is unlikely to pay up. Category 4 sunglasses should be clearly described when sold and clearly marked either on the sunglass or outer packaging.

The vast majority of drivers are only too aware that it can be very difficult to see clearly in bright sun conditions, especially when glare reflects off the road surface or when the sun is low on the horizon. These conditions occur regularly and at all times of the year when driving so of course you should wear sunglasses as an essential, indeed vital, safety measure to combat them. It’s plain commonsense.

As we have mentioned before we strongly recommend you keep a pair of polarised sunglasses ready-to-hand in the car when driving and put them on whenever the sun is shining or low in the sky.