The “puddle police” are lurking on a kerb near you.
Lawyers who have seen a business decline from the clampdown on insurance miss-selling can target drivers who splash pedestrians or cyclists.
Drivers face a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice and three points for each offence for splashing others but this can escalate to £5,000 if contested and lost in court.
Then more money has to be paid through raised insurance premiums and it also means a potential civil claim can be mounted for additional damages.
All it needs is the vehicle registration from the number plate.
Brokers Uswitch asked a range of drivers about splashing pedestrians and cyclists and found one in three motorists admit they have committed the offence and risked fines and points.
One in 18 drivers said they did it on purpose and half said they did feel guilty, except those in Yorkshire where one-in-eight said they felt no guilt.
Young drivers are worst, while women and older drivers were more considerate towards avoiding splashing others. It also discovered that young people were most likely to report being splashed.
As winter rain and flooded roads appear, Uswitch car insurance expert, Florence Codjoe, said, “Drivers who deliberately splash pedestrians on the pavement are breaking the law and could face being fined from £100 to £5,000, along with receiving three penalty points.
“It’s always important to take extra caution when driving in wet weather and slow down when you see a pedestrian walking by.”
She added, “Deliberately splashing a pedestrian with a puddle is a criminal offence and is not acceptable in the eyes of the law. Not only could you face a fine and penalty points, if convicted you’ll likely see your car insurance premiums increase.
“Insurance companies price their car insurance products based on a series of risk calculations, predicting how likely a driver is to make a claim.
“If you have a motoring conviction, insurers will see you as a greater risk and your insurance premiums will increase.”