Merseyside Police officers stopped a learner driver who was parked up while the person behind the wheel went into a shop, with members of the public praising the force
A learner driver got a nasty surprise during their driving lesson when they were slapped with a parking fine, after stopping so they could nip into a shop.
Police were patrolling the area, cracking down on cars parked on the pavement and blocking the live lane, when they came across the learner’s vehicle.
The incident was posted on Liverpool Police’s Facebook page, where it stated: “Team 2 officers have been out on London Road today carrying out enforcement for cars parked on the footway and obstructing the live lane, including this learner driver and instructor. Both dealt with for obstruction of the live lane and footway whilst the learner went to the shop.”
The post, which included a photo of the instructor’s car on London Road in Liverpool, sparked a flurry of comments. Irene Thurston wrote: “About time too. Driving instructor should know better. Needs to be out all over Merseyside.”
Joe McDermott praised the force and wrote: “Well done Merseyside police,” while Philip Grover echoed the sentiment: “Well done Merseyside Police. More enforcement is certainly required. Keep up the good work.”
However, some commenters thought the police should focus on other issues rather than “picking on a learner driver”.
George Edwards expressed his frustration, adding: “They should get down Lodge Lane and get that sorted out instead of picking on a learner driver, fair enough they shouldn’t have parked like that but when you go down Lodge Lane every car is obstructing the roads and the pavements. I wonder why they allow it to happen.”
It comes as UK drivers are only just realising the only time you’re allowed to undertake on the motorway, with The Mirror reporting the highly discouraged, but legal, manoeuvre people are finding out about.
Undertaking is a term used for a driver passing another vehicle on the left side of a motorway. The Highway Code advises drivers not to undertake, as it can cause accidents.
However, there are certain instances when it is okay to undertake. Taking to TikTok page George’s Car Media, Owen Messenger, a Sergeant in Devon and Cornwall Police, Roads Policing, said undertaking is one of the most common things he gets asked about on social media.
Explaining the only time it’s allowed, Owen said: “You can’t undertake on the motorway. The only time that you can undertake is when your lane is genuinely moving slower than the other lanes. That’s generally when you’re going through roadworks, or it’s heavy traffic, or something like that.”
However, generally you shouldn’t be undertaking on the motorway. The sergeant explained that the reason why is because “people aren’t expecting you” to approach from the left side, and because people will be looking to move back to the left, which is their “default position on the motorway”, it can cause an accident.
