Getting your new driver’s license often feels like a ticket to freedom; it means you are finally getting a car. While driving is fun, it comes with a whole lot of responsibilities. Driving today is a lot stricter than it was a couple of decades ago. Simply letting your car warm-up or blasting some of your favorite tunes could get you in trouble with the local cops.
During driver education at the DMV, you are required to be at your best driving behavior. It's important you don't throw away these valuable driving skills the moment you get your license. We all break the rules on occasion, but sometimes, we break the rules without even knowing what we are doing is illegal. Here are ten traffic laws most people have no idea they are breaking.
10 Text Driving
If you didn’t already know this, texting is illegal in 47 states in the US. You've probably done this and got away with it a million times, but it’s because different cops have different feelings when it comes to texting in your car. For starters, it's difficult to prove if you were indeed texting or trying to make a call using your phone’s handsfree option.
In the event you are taken to court, you might get away with it if the arresting cop is not able to prove you were texting. Bottom line, don’t text while driving, apart from being a crime, it's dangerous, to both the occupants of your vehicle and other road users as well.
9 Giving way to School Buses
Did you know that you could get into trouble with your local cops if you fail to give way to a school bus? You’ve probably never seen or heard anyone get arrested for this, maybe due to the fact that cops themselves break this law.
However, when a school bus is waiting for children to get on board, you are required to remain stationary, especially if the red lights are flashing. Furthermore, school buses are allowed by law to overtake other vehicles, just like ambulances and cop cars.
8 U-Turn
According to the dictionary, a U-Turn is a 180-degree rotation reverse from your direction of travel. If you didn’t know already, U-Turns are illegal, and you could get into trouble pulling this stunt. While making a U-Turn is indeed useful, especially when you miss a turn, it's often a cause for trouble, especially when the person making the maneuver is not watchful of incoming traffic.
In normal circumstances, cops will let you get away with it if the maneuver is quick and skillful, and the vehicle is in clear view of approaching traffic (giving way to pedestrians as well as vehicles). Next time you miss a turn, it could keep you from getting ticketed if you avoid making such a maneuver.
7 Warming up your vehicle
Yes, you heard, right! Warming up your vehicle could get you a ticket! Most drivers who get ticketed for this often have a puzzled face when told why they are approached. It's not common to get a ticket over this, and most traffic cops will ignore depending on the situation.
However, it's important to note that you can only get ticketed for this if you leave your vehicle running for more than half an hour. It's going to be difficult for a cop to wait that long, but in the event they do, you might get in trouble.
6 Standing at the Back of a Pickup truck
It goes without saying that standing in the back of a pickup truck is dangerous. For starters, this part of the vehicle is for goods and cargo; there are zero safety features in case of any accidents, and having people at the back is also a safety hazard for other road users.
Traffic cops could ticket you for pulling this stunt or let you go with a warning since it seems ridiculous to get charged over this. You’ve probably done this back in high school and gotten away with it, but depending on the traffic officer who pulls you over, you could get fined.
5 Mechanical problems
You’d get pretty mad if you got arrested because your car is acting up. Most people feel it is unfair since they didn’t mean for their vehicles to break down. However, this law was put in place to save lives, and the argument it a faulty car is more likely to cause accidents.
Therefore, having broken taillight, worn-out brakes, or windshield wipers or any other mechanical problems could get you in trouble with your local cops. When an officer tickets or pulls you over for a broken light, it’s not because they are idle; it’s for your benefit. They are trying to save a life, that includes your own.
4 Illegal Maneuvers
Driving a high spec vehicle is quite thrilling. However, the kind of stunts you can pull on your race car is best for a race track. Wheelies on bikes, burnouts, coal rolling, or doughnuts could give you serious street cred among your friends and other car enthusiasts, but in the event, you are spotted by a cop, you’ll be pulled over and ticketed for illegal maneuvers in a motor vehicle.
Pulling such stunts is thrilling, but you could easily scare or distract other drivers off the road and cause an accident. Remember, the fun usually stops when someone gets hurt.
3 Seat belts
Seat belts are compulsory in vehicles for a reason, and according to statistics, most accident survivals are due to seatbelts. There isn’t a valid reason why you should get arrested for not wearing a seat belt, especially in current modern automobiles. Also, failing to have a child, pet, or cargo restraint in your car could also get you fined.
Restraints are fairly cheap safety features you can purchase on craigslist or even Goodwill. States such as Texas send out messages daily: “Click it or Ticket” it’s a helpful reminder for non-compliant drivers that they could get in trouble for enforcing this law.
2 Right of way
You probably got into this situation today. Found yourself at a four-way junction and wondered who has the right of way. Just like this scenario, there are thousands of other times when a driver is confused about the right thing to do. A rule of thumb is to always drive defensively, in case the other person is in a hurry to go first, let them!
For politeness sake, smile and wave. It’s important for your peace of mind and for such tiny things whether you are sure you have the right of way or not. At the end of it all, it's your life that matters, and you are better off safe than sorry.
1 Speeding During Poor Conditions
On the onset of winter, roads will normally get a thin layer of ice, making the road slippery. When it rains, the conditions could also get a bit slippery. During poor weather, driving at high speeds could get you in problems with your local law enforcement officers. It doesn’t matter if you were below the speed limit; you could be breaking the law.
Watch out for conditions and take extra driving lessons. Adverse conditions could easily spin your vehicle out of control, causing an accident. During poor conditions, it's advisable to avoid driving too close to other drivers and also ease into corners.