Driving on its own can cause plenty of issues, especially with regards to where to park your car and what the unwritten community rules are surrounding them.

Depending on what your street looks like it, it could be very easy for someone to park outside your house, robbing you of what would be your usual space.

The legality of whenever you can claim a spot on a road without dropped kerbs may be another conundrum entirely though.

We've looked into whether there is actually a rule against this or not, as well as all the places you definitely cannot park your car.

In Cumbria: Is being parked outside someone else's home actually illegal? (PA)Is being parked outside someone else's home actually illegal? (PA) (Image: PA)

Places where you can't park your car

According to the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) website, there are 18 places you should not park a vehicle, which is:

  1. Near a school entrance (see specific section above)
  2. Anywhere that would prevent access for emergency vehicles
  3. On a bus or tram stop, or a taxi rank
  4. On the approach to a level crossing
  5. Opposite or within 32 feet of a junction, except in an authorised parking bay
  6. Near the brow of a hill or humpback bridge
  7. Opposite a traffic island or another parked vehicle (if it causes an obstruction)
  8. Where you would force another vehicle to enter a tram lane
  9. Where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair and mobility vehicle users
  10. In front of an entrance to a property
  11. On a bend
  12. Where you would obstruct a cycle lane
  13. A tram or cycle lane during its period of operation
  14. A cycle track
  15. A pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines
  16. On the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a motorway (except in an emergency)
  17. Taxi bays (as directed by the upright signs and road markings)
  18. A road marked with central double white lines, even if a broken white line is on your side of the road, except for dropping off, picking up, loading or unloading

Is it illegal for someone to park outside my house?

According to the RAC it is legal to park outside someone’s house, unless the vehicle is blocking a driveway or a wheel is over a dropped kerb.

Other situations in which parking isn’t permitted include streets governed by residents’ parking permits or any of the restrictions outlined above, i.e. double yellow lines.

READ MORE: Pavement parking called to be banned due to its 'discriminatory' impact

There is also a stipulation for parking reserved for vehicles named, which is when parking is reserved for a specific type of vehicle or user.

You'll be able to identify it because the bay will be marked by a dotted line, with their name painted on the road.

Is it illegal for someone to park on my driveway?

If a vehicle is parked on your driveway without permission, it is classed as trespassing.

However, it should be mentioned that this is a civil, not a criminal offence, and therefore police will view it as such and drop it down their list of priorities.

This also means that as your driveway is private property, the council is also less likely to react, especially if the vehicle is taxed, insured and has a valid MOT.

As a result, it doesn't leave homeowners with many options aside from court proceedings or having the vehicle towed.