Formby man convicted of careless driving for running out of fuel on a motorway and causing a collisi

Formby man convicted of careless driving for running out of fuel on a motorway and causing a collision Formby man Gerrard Newell from Formby was convicted of careless driving in court. Gerrard ran out of fuel on the M62 at Eccles Interchange. His car stopped in a ‘live lane’ which then caused a collision with a truck. GMP Traffic police spokesman said: ”Running out of fuel and stopping in a live lane and thereby causing a collision that was completely avoidable is an offence. The other driver was also prosecuted.” Gerrard was fined £2,020 in court and received 6 points on his license. While it is widely believed that running out of fuel on a motorway is illegal, it is specified in a list of acceptable reasons to stop on a motorway. That said there have been cases of drivers being given a ticket for “Driving without due care and attention” if they do run out of fuel. Motorways are 'special roads' that are designed for high-speed traffic and to which special regulations apply. As traffic travels more quickly on motorways, the law specifies that it can't be used by certain types of vehicles such as: pedal cycles, motorcycles under 50cc, motorised wheelchairs or mobility scooters not exceeding 254kg unladen weight, certain slow-moving vehicles, agricultural vehicles, animals, and pedestrians. There are number of rules that are specific to motorways, such as: * You must drive on the carriageway only, not on the hard shoulder or central reservation (unless told to do so). * You must observe one-way driving on the carriageway and not try to reverse or do a U-turn on the carriageway. * You must not stop on the carriageway or on the central reservation or verge. * You can only stop on the hard shoulder in an emergency. The following would be emergencies: * The vehicle has broken down or has a mechanical defect. * The vehicle has run out of fuel or water. * There has been an accident or illness. * The driver or passenger needs to help someone in one of the emergencies mentioned above. * You must not walk on any part of the motorway except in the emergency situations mentioned above. * You must not drive on the right-hand lane of the motorway if you're driving any of the following (unless you have to overtake an exceptionally wide load): * A vehicle drawing a trailer; * A goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight of over 7.5 tonnes; or * A bus or a coach longer than 12 metres. * From 4 June 2018 provisional licence holders may drive on the motorway if they are accompanied by an approved driving instructor and are driving a car displaying red L plates (D plates in Wales), that’s fitted with dual controls. To find out more about the rules for driving on motorways click here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/motorways-253-to-273