A motorist who received a parking ticket for facing the wrong direction has highlighted a little-known Highway Code rule that can lead to fines of up to £1,000. The driver, who shared their experience on Reddit, said they were penalised for "parking the wrong direction" even though other cars on the street were also facing different ways.
Highway Code Rule 248 explained
Rule 248 of the Highway Code states that motorists must not park on a road at night facing against the flow of traffic, unless they are in a designated parking bay. The rule is easily overlooked, particularly on residential streets where drivers often pull into the nearest available space without thinking about the direction their car is pointing.
Lee Caroline, a motoring specialist at Surrey car scrap firm LJC Auto Spares, said: "It's not something most people think about when they're parking. If there's a space outside your house, you tend to pull into it without considering which direction the car is facing."
Why the rule exists
The regulation is not about convenience when pulling away but is intended to keep parked cars visible to other road users. Caroline explained that rear reflectors play a key role: "When another car approaches, its headlights can pick up those reflectors and make the parked vehicle more obvious. If you've parked facing the other way, the driver coming towards you isn't getting that same reflection from the back of your car."
Fines and advice
Drivers who break the rule risk a penalty of up to £1,000, rising to £2,500 for goods vehicles and passenger vehicles carrying more than eight people. Caroline advised motorists to check their vehicle before leaving it at night: "Just look at the direction you're facing. If you're parked on the road rather than in a marked parking space, you should be facing the same way as the traffic. It takes seconds to check."
