Don’t @ me Libertarians, but I’m generally a big fan of laws. Yes, yes, there are plenty of dumb ones on the books, but the good laws are pretty great. I think it’s super that breaking into my house and taking all my stuff is 100% illegal, despite the best efforts of the powerful Break Into Houses And Take People’s Stuff lobby. Laws that prevent corporations from lying to us and/or harming consumers with lax safety are all examples of top-notch legislation for me, even if they don’t always work.
I also feel our traffic laws are downright reasonable, even if I do break my fair share of them on the regular. Speed limits come to mind first and foremost, and I’m sure none of us would say we scrupulously obey the speed limit everywhere and at all times. Technically – and I’m not saying you should make this argument to a police officer – breaking the speed limit is a binary thing. You are either going the speed limit (or below) and abiding the law, or you’re exceeding it and have broken it. But it’s definitely not a binary thing. True, whether you’re cruising a 75 mph highway at 80 mph or 180 mph, you have broken the law. But at 180 mph, you’ve broken it a lot more. That 75 mph speed may not keep everyone at 75, but it should hold most people to around 85. We’re just bending the law here.
What laws are you bending? I hold few sacred myself. I’m never down for anything unsafe, of course, and I’ve never done anything illegal solely to express contempt for the tyranny of lines painted on roads, or the authority of traffic cones, those smug orange pricks. And you should absolutely NOT take any of what follows as encouragement to do the same, or an endorsement that doing so is OK. However …
“No Right On Red”? Yeah, that’s “look carefully before you go right on red” to me. Related: if I’m the only car on the road and I’m inexplicably sitting at a red light for way too long, I’m just gonna go. Same goes for those highway turnarounds that are for Law Enforcement Only. It’s two in the morning, I’m lost AF, the next exit is in infinity miles, and I’m low on gas, so yeah, I’m turning around.
Spacer
I will say though, I’m a real stickler for keeping my vehicle safe for highway travel. Outside mirrors, full set of functioning gauges, all that. It’s important.
Your turn: Second To The Speed Limit, What Traffic Laws Do You Most Frequently, Uh, Bend?
Topshot: Trains, Planes, And Automobiles/Paramount Pictures
I live in rural Kansas It’s a long ways to anywhere. I speed. Everyone speeds.
I do NOT speed in town. Any town really. That is how you get tickets out here.
Not sure if I’m bending a traffic law or not but… I never pull up to the line at stop lights.
If I’m the first one there when the light turns red I make sure and stop about three to four car lengths back from the intersection.
Yup, that’s me.
Why do I do this? I guess we’ll never know.
I bought my 2012 Altima from Carmax, and came stock with aerodynamic space saver spare tire, no license plate, missing bumper, and black ice air fresheners, with black out tint. Dealer said rules don’t apply to me so I send this thing 100% every day. It doesn’t even need oil changes. So I don’t break any rules really.
I avoid an intersection left turn lane that is miles long during peak hours and a lot of accidents there. I turn right into IKEA parking lot, then exit IKEA parking lot using their left turn lane and continue my drive. That saves me 5 min and I feel safer.
Speeding and passing ssllloooww people on the right.
I often have Waze and a music app open on my phone in a mount. Skipping a song or “still there”ing a hazard notice are laws (other than speeds just under the current local enforcement level) I might bend.
Besides.. uh… moving at a high rate of speed on a few roads that are basically open racetracks, I don’t have a front plate. A motorbike cop was sitting in a median, facing me and the slow traffic. It was clear to him that I had no front license plate, but he instead pulled over the car behind me with an expired registration. Almost no police force locally cares about front license plates.