Could your car air freshener cost you £1,000?

Drivers are being warned that air fresheners in cars could cost them up to £1,000 and three points on their licence, the Sun reports.

Motorists who spruce up their vehicles by hanging decorations such as air fresheners, flags or fluffy dice from their rear-view mirrors face on-the-spot fines of £100 if their vision is obstructed.

If a driver contests the fine in court, it could rise to £1,000 plus three penalty points.

And insurers may refuse to pay out for injuries or damage sustained in an accident if the driver did not have a full view of the road.

Even stickers on the windscreen could lead to fines if they obstruct the driver's view of the road and traffic, potentially leading to collisions.

If you're involved in a crash, police can penalise you if your view was blocked – even if the collision was the other driver's fault.

Your car could also fail its MOT, though generally service centres simply ask owners to remove the decorations before carrying out the test.

The law is laid out in the Road Traffic Act, which states: "No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is in such a position that he cannot ... have a full view of the road and traffic ahead."

Although decorations are not banned as such, the Highway Code does state: "Windscreens and windows must be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision."

Rebecca Ashton, IAM RoadSmart Head of Driver Behaviour, said that fans, large sat-navs and iPads could all fall foul of driving regulations if not placed correctly.

"Good driving involves exceptional observation skills, seeing things early allows you to anticipate and plan how you deal with hazards."

She suggested that any decoration is placed low on the right-hand side of the windscreen, in the area where the wipers don't clear if possible.

The regulations were tightened in 2008 after a taxi driver whose view was obstructed by furry dice and two air fresheners was involved in a fatal collision with a pedestrian.

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