Motorists must follow one key Highway Code parking rule at night - what to know

Most motorists know they shouldn't park at pedestrian crossings, taxi ranks or on prohibited double yellow lines. However, there's a little-known nighttime parking regulation that many drivers may have overlooked.

Surprisingly, this concerns positioning your vehicle against the flow of oncoming traffic after dark. Whilst it might appear trivial, doing so actually violates Rule 248 of the Highway Code, and motorists who fail to observe this could be hit with a substantial fine.

Official guidance from Ask the Police provides further clarification on this regulation, noting that it only applies when your vehicle isn't parked in a designated space. "You must not park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space," its advice reads.

"All vehicles must display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h)." In a similar vein, car leasing experts at Flexed also add: "Motorists who park the wrong way on a road could be risking a fine of up to £1,000 without really knowing that they've broken the rule.

"According to the Highway Code, drivers must park the same way as the flow of traffic at night if a marked parking space is not being used."

Whilst Rule 248 doesn't specify what constitutes a 'recognised parking space', experts indicate that it typically means marked bays. Therefore, parking the 'wrong way' on a yellow line outside controlled hours or on a road without markings could lead to a fine.

Although it's a lesser-known rule, it exists to prevent serious mishaps and road accidents. Josh The Driver Instructor, which offers online driving test materials, also adds: "Drivers are required to park in the same direction as the flow of traffic if a marked parking space is not being used at night.

"There is however a problem with this rule in that it is not well known by UK motorists. In accordance with the Highway Code, the purpose of this rule is to prevent drivers from parking against the traffic on unlit roads, since this could result in serious accidents, which could have serious consequences."

Beyond this, Ask the Police offers a wealth of advice on other parking regulations as well. For instance, if another vehicle blocks your driveway, the authority recommends making your own enquiries initially before reporting it if all else fails.

Its advice reads: "If the vehicle is blocking access to your driveway you should first make enquiries with the neighbours to see if they know who the car belongs to, so they can move it.

"In most areas local councils have now taken on responsibility for enforcing parking provisions under what is known as Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE). Under CPE, it's an offence to park a vehicle that blocks a dropped kerb driveway."