Five California Driving Myths Debunked

There are a number of common misconceptions about what is and is not prohibited under the California Vehicle Code. We’d like to set the record straight about we believe to be the five most common “myths” about driving laws in California. Mid-Intersection Lane Changes are Against the Law Contrary to widely held popular belief, it actually is not illegal to change lanes while passing through an intersection. What the CA Vehicle Code prohibits is “unsafe” lane changes. It’s certainly possible that certain mid-intersection lane changes would be unsafe, but provided the lane change is not dangerous there would be no basis for a ticket under CA law. Refusing to Sign a Moving Violation Will Get You Out of the Ticket This is a dangerous misconception because not only will refusing to sign your moving violation NOT get you out of the ticket, it could very well lead to you being arrested on the spot. Your signature on a ticket merely serves as your promise to appear in court to answer the alleged infractions. If you won’t promise to appear in court, some cops will conclude they have no other choice but to arrest you and immediately take you before a judge to answer. So, our advice is definitely to never employ this “tactic” to get out of a ticket. You Can’t Be Convicted of DUI if Your BAC is Less Than .08% The strongest DUI cases are those in which the defendant’s blood alcohol percentage exceeds .08% as this provides definitive proof of intoxication and the CA Penal Code expressly prohibits driving with more than a .08% BAC. However, many people are unaware that the CA Penal Code also makes it a crime to “drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs” with no qualification as to BAC percentage at all. This means that if you exhibit signs of intoxication, you can be charged and convicted of DUI on that basis alone, even if your BAC comes back less than .08%. It’s Illegal to Drive With Your Interior Cabin Lights On Nothing in the California Vehicle Code prohibits driving with your interior cabin lights on. Certainly, it is likely to attract the attention of police and highway patrol, but so long as you aren’t doing anything else illegal, it is not a basis to pull you over or issue you a ticket.

You Don’t Need a Front License Plate Truth be told, the absence of a front plate is rarely ticketed. However, the California Vehicle Code does specifically require all cars to be equipped with front plates. Even though you are unlikely to receive a ticket for not having a front plate, driving around without one gives cops a pretext to pull you over for other reasons, should they be so inclined. We therefore advise everyone to keep their front plates ON.