State Driving Laws in the US vary and all 50 states do not follow the same driving law. Although there are some similarities, in maintaining certain basic rules, each state specifies its own law, which is to be followed by the drivers driving in those regions.
State Driving Laws mainly differ in the areas of speed limit, abiding by the traffic control devices, usage of safety belts, drunken driving, usage of cell phones etc. The cell phone laws for example vary from state to state. While some states forbid the use of cell phones at all times during driving, others do not allow new drivers to use it to ensure safety. Some also use policies and local ordinances to restrict the use of cell phones. California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington have laws that prohibit the usage of cell phones while driving.
17 states of US have different state driving laws that guide the cell phone usage of new drivers and 14 states have stopped the use of the device amongst school bus drivers. Though no state completely bans the use of phones while driving, there are certain restrictions, which are to be followed.
The speed limit for driving on US roads is 65 mph, in Alabama, Arizona, California etc. its 70mph and 75mph in Nebraska, Nevada etc. Since the state driving laws are different, certain categories of highways in the states of Arkansas, Hawaii, Vermont and West Virginia do not have any statutory speed limit.
Reckless driving laws are also different in the various states. A speed of over 85mph or 15mph addition to the acceptable limit, is considered reckless. While Vermont, considers this limit to be +30, for Indiana its +25. In Virginia and Columbia, radar detectors are considered illegal while in other states they might be allowed. The state driving laws also specify different interpretations of traffic signals and u-turn rules. In Alabama, the vehicle must signal at least 100 feet before taking a u-turn.
The punishments for violation of state driving laws also differ from state to state. In Alabama, reckless driving results in imprisonment of not less than 5 days and not more than 90days, or fine of not less than $25 and not more than $500, for the first offence, and a 2nd time offence results in greater penalty. But this rule is not applicable to all states.
Similarly punishments for other violations like drunken driving, non-usage of seatbelts, non-obedience to traffic control devices result in different punishments. Driving without registration, license, mechanical violations or leaving the scene of an accident has different state specific laws. Therefore, the driver must always keep a watch on the laws practiced in a particular state as the state driving laws are different.
Laws
