9 Driving Offences That Might Surprise You

Understanding traffic laws is no easy task. Not only are there hundreds of them, but they vary from state to state. Still, spending some time educating yourself on the subject is in your best interest. Not only will doing so help you avoid tickets, but you’ll also make yourself a safer driver. Below, we help you achieve those goals by presenting nine driving offences that you may not know about.

Following Too Closely

This behavior, which is often called “tailgating,” is one that drivers generally see as disrespectful and unsafe. For the latter point, the reason is that someone following too closely is in danger of rear-ending you if you happen to make a sudden stop. What many do not know is that it is also illegal and can lead to a citation.

Speed in Relation to Conditions

If you're driving down the road and you see a speed limit sign, you probably assume that staying under it will keep you safe from a ticket. This is actually not the case. Instead, an officer can pull you over and penalize you for driving too fast for the current conditions. A typical example is someone traveling too quickly in heavy rain or snow.

Poorly Maintained Vehicle

Having bald tires and worn out brakes isn’t just your problem. The reason is that those vehicle maintenance factors, and ones like them, put other drivers at risk too. The result can be a ticket for the condition of your car.

Excessive Speed

While everyone knows that speeding leads to citations, you might not be aware of the fact that excessive speeds lead to different tickets. If you’re caught traveling at them, you could be in for a much higher penalty and a more complicated legal framework to navigate.

Racing

Similar to the previous point, an officer catching you racing is not a simple speeding ticket. Instead, the law will see your behavior as especially reckless and punish you accordingly. Some typical results include a hefty fine, going to traffic school, and license suspension.

Disobeying an Officer

When a police officer starts to pull you over, they will likely give you instructions through their megaphone. The most important piece of information they’ll give you is where and when to stop. If you disregard what they say and stop at an alternate location or time, they could give you an additional ticket for disobeying an officer.

Changing Lanes in an Intersection

The police often give citations for unsafe lane changes. What is so frustrating about these tickets is how much interpretation is involved. Still, there are situations where the law is much more straightforward. One of them is changing lanes while in the middle of an intersection, which is always prohibited.

No Headlights in the Rain

One of the safest things you can do in the rain is turning on your headlights. The first reason why is that it increases your visibility, which helps you avoid hazards. The second is that it allows other drivers to see you, which makes everyone safer. Given how important this habit is, the police can pull you over and ticket you for not adhering to it.

Not Moving Over or Slowing Down For Emergency Vehicles

One thing that almost everyone knows is that you should pull over or slow down when emergency vehicles are near you. Doing so allows them to get to where they need to go quickly and safely. Unfortunately, some people disregard this convention and do not accommodate. What they might not know is that doing so is against the law, and they could be in for a citation if caught by a police officer.

The ultimate goal of this article is to keep you safe on the roads and help you save a bit of money in the process. We hope that learning about some surprising driving offences helps you do just that. Things don't always go as planned, though. If you happen to still get into a crash or you receive a ticket, your next move will be contacting a lawyer to represent you.