Most Commonly Broken Traffic Laws

Honestly, it’s hard to choose just five of the most commonly broken traffic laws because there are at least 10 that merit some consideration. If it has to be five, though, know that these are the worst of the worst traffic laws to break as they have the highest consequences, as a car accident lawyer can explain.

No. 5: Driving without a license or insurance. The DMV may be one of Dante’s circles of hell, but it still provides a vital service by issuing – or refusing to issue – drivers’ licenses to drivers. Driving without a license means that you have either not been approved to drive, or your driving privileges have been revoked.  Either way, by driving without a license, everyone on the road is endangered. Insurance is equally important to have because it means that you can be sure to be able to pay for any damage you may cause – or damage caused to you by an uninsured driver. Driving without insurance is not only a financial gamble, it is an offense that can get you arrested.

No. 4: Failing to yield. Yield signs are unique in the traffic sign world as they are the only signs in the shape of an inverted triangle. With their shrieking red background and the word ‘YIELD’ written in the middle, they are hard to miss, and for good reason. Failing to yield to traffic, meaning you stop and wait for traffic in the lane of travel or pedestrians or emergency vehicles to go first, is not only illegal, it’s incredibly dangerous. In 2011, failure to yield was the cause of 3,100 fatal accidents.  

No. 3: Failing to use a seatbelt. All 50 states agree that seatbelt use is a vitally important component of a safe ride in an automobile. Failure to use a seatbelt is a violation of a law in every state (ever heard of ‘Click it or Ticket’?), although some treat it as more of a serious violation than others. Here’s another incentive, though, to buckle up: motor vehicle crashes are still the leading cause of death for children and adults up to age 54, and approximately 50 percent of those deaths are directly the result of not being properly restrained, either in a car seat or with a three-point seatbelt.

No. 2: Driving under the influence. Driving under the influence means you are driving impaired because of something you ingested or imbibed. Obviously, alcohol and illegal drugs are on the list, but so too are prescription medications like narcotics, and even over-the-counter medicine if taken improperly. Driving requires attention and judgment that is not impaired; otherwise, accidents, including fatal ones, are surely not far behind.

No. 1: Driving while distracted. The number one distraction while driving these days is easily texting or playing on one’s phone while driving.  Just talking on the phone while driving can be a distraction that can cause an accident. A whopping 1 in 4 accidents are now caused by texting and driving causing 330,000 injuries per year.  Texting while driving is even more dangerous than drunk driving – by an astounding six times.