Little Known Traffic Laws That Can Get You Ticketed

Are you aware of all the traffic laws in your locality? If you answered yes, there’s a chance you responded too quickly. Even police officers who have spent years ticketing drivers agree that most drivers don’t know all the nuances that make up the vast body of vehicle operator rules. What’s the quickest way to earn a citation while behind the wheel of a car?

There’s probably no single answer to that question because rules vary from place to place, and there are hundreds of reasons for getting ticketed. But a few that are near the top of the list include illegal turns, hours-of-service violations for commercial drivers, improper use of lights and indicators, and loose pets inside the vehicle. Even if you know what to do after committing a serious traffic offense, what about the littler ones? Here are some of the reasons you might end up with a traffic ticket other than the common ones, like speeding, DUI, and failure to come to a full stop at intersections.

Illegal Turns

Most drivers know the right turn on red rule or think they do. However, there are two pieces of the law in most jurisdictions that police can catch you with. First, the rule is not right turn on red, but right turn on red after stop. If you merely slow down before turning, an officer can ticket you. Even if you stop entirely but don’t turn into the closest lane, you can earn a ticket for improperly changing lanes.

Fleet Related Infractions

Commercial fleets are a special case when it comes to fines and penalties. For instance, many jurisdictions require electronic logging devices (ELDs) in commercial trucks. Simply not having an engaged device can cause a hefty fine and disciplinary action. That’s one reason transport companies use ELD compliance solutions as part of their comprehensive fleet management software systems. ELD functionality within fleet applications lets owners keep all their operating vehicles connected to the dispatch location. That way, it’s easy for owners to maintain full hours-of-operation compliance and avoid the need to pay expensive penalties.

Lights

You should know what to expect during a traffic stop since there are several easy ways to receive unwanted attention from traffic police. These include not having a proper light on your license plate, forgetting to turn your highway brights off when other drivers might be distracted by them, driving with one or more non-working lights on the front or rear of your vehicle, or driving after dark without having your headlights on.

Lane Changes

Highway patrol officers’ hand out plenty of citations to people who fail to use their left or right indicators (commonly but improperly called turn signals) while changing lanes, cross over double-yellow lines, or leave their indicators on after changing lanes. Because so many accidents result from improper or downright dangerous lane changing, police aren’t as apt to let you off with a warning for these types of infractions.

Pets on Your Lap? It’s Ticket Time

In most places, police can give you a ticket for something called crowding the operator’s area, which is a legalese way of saying they can cite you if you’re driving while another person or animal is occupying the driver’s seat, whether that someone is a person or a pet. If Fido is sitting on your lap with his head out the window, you’re asking for trouble.