Leave Christmas Alone

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Civil servants have been told to call their Christmas parties 'festive celebrations' in an attempt to avoid offending other faiths. In another move to promote diversity and inclusion, some officials have been informed they cannot drink alcohol at a celebration if one team member is tea-total. UK Driving Low tread on tyres - £10,000 A vehicle with low tread on its tyres becomes even more dangerous in snowy and icy conditions as it can already be difficult to come to a stop. To avoid the fine you must have the minimum legal tyre tread depth for cars in the UK of 1.6mm, but a tread depth of 3mm for tyre is best. Tests by UK technical organisation MIRA found that the difference in wet braking distance between a tyre worn to 3mm and one worn to 1.6mm can be as much as 44 per cent. Careless driving - £5000 Most drivers take extra care in wintry conditions, but failing to drive appropriately to the road conditions could land you the joint second largest fine on the list. Being mindful of snow on the road, the increased risk of the car sliding and of longer breaking distances will help you avoid any potential careless driving charges. Driving through puddles - £5000 Intentionally driving through puddles can have a significant financial penalty, but you are unlikely to be charged if the puddle is unavoidable and you slow down appropriately beforehand. Driving through at speed can be dangerous as there is potentially to lose control of the car, especially if there is snow and ice on the road. Driving in inadequate footwear - £5000 The Highway Code states that drivers should ensure 'clothing and footwear do not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner'. To avoid this fine you must make sure your footwear isn't compromising your driving. Snow on car roof - £2500 A very simple fine to avoid, by remembering to scraping off any snow before you set off. Failing to do so can be expensive and cause potentially dangerous situations for yourself or drivers behind you. Snow on car lights or number plate - £1000 Much like the snow on the car roof fine, taking 30 seconds to make sure you lights are now covered and your number plate is visible could save you £1,000. Driving with low visibility - £1000 It can be frustrating scraping ice off the windscreen in the morning, but not doing this properly or only clearing enough so you can see through a small gap could be costly. Set aside enough time in the morning to scrape off all the ice and snow so that you have full visibility. Defective exterior lights - £1000 Like having snow covering your lights, defective exterior lights can be dangerous - particularly in the snow. Taking a quick look around your car after starting the engine and turning your lights on could save you £1,000