Traffic Laws

qbee42 · Mar 31, 2008

Here is a question for our resident Fed, Rich96c4ce:

In any given state, there are lots of traffic laws. It's hard to find any authoritative list that shows what they are and how they are enforced. In some cases it seems the laws are somewhat general and the details are left to enforcement. I base this on questions asked of traffic officers, who often appear hazy about the details. For example, I've always been told that Michigan traffic law requires a driver to turn into the closest lane when turning at an intersection. Often times (most times) you see drivers changing lanes as they go through the intersection. Is this sort of rule a specific law, or the specific application of a general law relating to safe driving? Any enlightenment you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tom

Rich96c4ce · Mar 31, 2008

Tom,
Okay, we are either both retired and the weather is poor outside, or we are bored with our desk jobs and are seeking other ways to keep us busy until the 4 O'clock whistle. My quess is the first one! Hah!

TonyPSchaefer · Mar 31, 2008

Hey Tom,
In my many friendly and inquisitive conversations with officers, I have learned some interesting things. Mostly, as you indicated, some laws seem simply up to interpretation.

For example, changing lanes during a multi-lane left turn is not a bad thing if there are no other cars. It's a really bad thing is there are.

Signaling your intentions - absolutely imperative when in heavy traffic - serves little external purpose at 2:00am.

However, I've had multiple officers indicate that if there's an officer with a stick up his :tape2: you just might get a ticket for illegal lane change.

There there are some laws that it appears some people don't know. These are all confirmed Illinois traffic laws. Your laws may vary and every one is subject to the circumstances at hand.

You are obligated to "yield the lane" to emergency vehicles. This means that if you are traveling on a multi-lane road and an emergency vehicle approached from the rear, you must get out of the way but are not required to come to a complete stop.

If on a multi-lane highway and a school bus traveling in the opposite direction stops to load or unload on the other side, you are not required to come to a complete stop. I've seen many near-rear-endings from this one as well as heard many honks from people who slam on their brakes and flip off people who do not.

The law does not provide "right of way" to anyone at a four-way-stop. Rather, it indicates that the person to the left must yield to the person on the right. To me, that's a technicality, but the officer who explained it to me seemed adamant.

Again, on multi-lane roads, you are discouraged from allowing pedestrians or other vehicles to cross multiple lanes. For example, if you are in the right lane of a two-lane road and there's a car waiting to get into traffic and make an immediate left turn, you are discouraged from letting them in. This is because there's a probability that they will get smacked by the driver coming down the left lane unable to see them pulling in until it's too late. I've seen this one several times result in near-misses and a few bumps and scrapes.

I used to love studying traffic laws because of the various circumstances and also to know exactly what I should be doing in every situation. Then I stopped when I realized that no matter how correct I might be, I still have to yield to those who don't know the law.

Rich96c4ce · Mar 31, 2008

qbee42 said: ↑

Here is a question for our resident Fed, Rich96c4ce:

Tom, I will answer the questions with insertions into your text.

In any given state, there are lots of traffic laws. It's hard to find any authoritative list that shows what they are and how they are enforced. That is correct. Even though there is an organization called the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (for state MVA) that one might think would do that job, the fact is that they have no reason that the members need it. As such, there is no funding to get it done. At best, the domestic and import motor vehicle manufacturers' organizations attempt to do that. It costs a lot because state laws change relatively often. They need it to make sure that they are not inavertently violating a state law when they sell a vehicle. The fog lamp issus is a perfect example. The vehicle manufactuers, often opposed to new federal regulation, really do want federal requlation of fog and driving lamps. That way there will be only one law that applies and not 51 different laws. The fact is that if there is a federal law regarding an aspect of motor vehicle safety, state laws must have the same effect as the federal law. Thus, designing and building a motor vehicle for sale in theu U.S. would be easier with a federal law about fog and driving lamps. In some cases it seems the laws are somewhat general and the details are left to enforcement. You are very correct and that enforcement is often very subjective at to required performance such as aiming, intensity, and color of motor vehicle lamps, to name a few. I base this on questions asked of traffic officers, who often appear hazy about the details. For example, I've always been told that Michigan traffic law requires a driver to turn into the closest lane when turning at an intersection. I beleve that most states require this (as a result of corrdination through the AAMVA, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Often times (most times) you see drivers changing lanes as they go through the intersection. I don;t know whether this is legal or not, but I suspect that it is not. I believe that you are supposed to change lanes after the turn is completed. What is better yet, is to be in the correct lane before you enter the intersection and make your turn. I do this, and yes, have lots of idiots try to drive into the side of my vehicle. I have nice loud horns. Certainly, the OEM Prius horn, as discussed in other posts is one of the first important Prius mods to make, if you live near any sububan area.Is this sort of rule a specific law, or the specific application of a general law relating to safe driving? Any enlightenment you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

Thanks,
Tom
Click to expand...

,,,,,,

qbee42 · Mar 31, 2008

Thanks Rich.

Tony, the laws you cite seem very similar to ones here in Michigan. The right-of-way issue that you cite reminds me of crenels and merlons in a battlement. The merlons are the parts that stick up, the crenels are the notches in between the merlons. It seems to me that one defines the other. I suppose you could consider both to be relative to some mean wall height, but that seems overly technical.

I like logic, and thinking about giving way to the driver on your left, if four cars arrive at an intersection simultaneously, you have a mutex wait. Each must wait for the next one to the left, ultimately meaning you have to wait for yourself. I'm surprised the country isn't full of backed-up four-way stops.

Tom

ny biker · Mar 31, 2008

qbee42 said: ↑

I'm surprised the country isn't full of backed-up four-way stops.
Click to expand...

This will never happen, because there's always at least one driver who is the self-appointed Center of the Universe and therefore will go regardless of what anyone else is doing.

As for similarities between individual state laws, they are all generally based on the Uniform Vehicle Code so they're generally kinda sorta the same. But the specifics can vary for a given statute.

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