Highway Code “Drivers warned of hefty fines…”

Local news seems peppered  with these articles at the moment. So while I'm glad drivers are being warned about stuff, a lot of it is pretty much nonsense, as in the chance of you being stopped for any of the things they mention in their own right are negligible (e.g. smoking, sunglasses, wrong shoes, wrong clothes, aircon, etc)

This article turned out to have more of interest than the headline suggested - turns out people over 55 haven't read the Highway Code  - who knew? 

"It’s a real concern that many drivers could be making illegal driving decisions, completely unaware. 

A surprising finding was that 80% of respondents believe they need to leave a gap of just half a metre between their car and a cyclist when overtaking. Historically, no guidance was provided other than to leave at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.

However, the revised Highway Code actually requires drivers to leave at least three times this amount - around 1.5 metres or five feet.

Only 22% of drivers over the age of 50 have read the Highway Code since it was last revised in January 2022. Five percent of these are between 55 and 64 years old, while eight percent are over the age of 75."

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/highway-code-warning-i...

Another one said "Although some rulings under the Highway Code may seem extreme to many, the government warn they are legal requirements and failure to follow them could see drivers sent to prison." - yeah, and Hell will freeze over.