Police settle question about when to merge — £100 fine

The Daily Express gives motoring advice on zip-merging. It attributes its guidance to named sources and quotes the Highway Code's qualifications. Its headline ties a £100 fine to the question of when to merge, while the body says merging early or late carries no penalty and the fine applies only to careless driving such as blocking another driver.

1. Headline goes beyond the article

   Minor

   “when to merge — £100 fine”

   Why this matters

   The headline sets "when to merge" directly beside "£100 fine", so the fine reads as the penalty for merging at the wrong moment.

   The impression it gives

   A reader believes that merging too early or too late can earn a £100 fine.

   The context

   The body says the timing of a merge carries no penalty. The £100 fixed penalty it describes is for careless driving, for example deliberately blocking another driver.

   How we know

   • Elsewhere in the article“you won't face a penalty for joining the left-hand queue prematurely”
   • Elsewhere in the article“you attempt to block someone using the less congested lane”

   Show it in the article