Traffic Violation Law

The Law Enforcement Discipline deals with issues surrounding law enforcement and the promotion of traffic/highway safety. The Law Enforcement Discipline exists to promote highway safety and security within the motor vehicle administration community.

NHTSA was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 to carry out safety programs previously administered by the National Highway Safety Bureau. Specifically, the agency directs the highway safety and consumer programs established by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, the Highway Safety Act of 1966, the 1972 Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, and succeeding amendments to these laws.

Speeding—traveling too fast for conditions or in excess of the posted speed limits—is a factor in almost one-third of all fatal crashes and costs America approximately $27.7 billion dollars in economic costs each year. Speeding is a safety concern on all roads, regardless of their speed limits. Much of the public concern about speeding has been focused on high-speed Interstates. The Interstate System, however, actually has the best safety record of all roads and the lowest fatality rate of all road classes. Almost 50 percent of speeding-related fatalities occur on lower speed collector and local roads, which carry only 27.9 percent of the total vehicle miles traveled in the United States. Collector roads usually have legal speed limits of 55 mi/h or less. Speed limits on local roads are often 35 mi/h or lower.

State and local enforcement should focus on the types of drivers and situations where speeding has a significant impact on public safety. Speed enforcement must be complemented by focused public information and education campaigns. Research shows that compliance with, and support for, traffic laws can be increased through aggressive, targeted enforcement combined with vigorous public information and education program. This approach has been successful in addressing impaired driving, occupant protection, red-light running, and commercial motor vehicle safety issues. Public information and education also contribute to public support for speed management by increasing the awareness of the consequences of speeding.

Almost all states have laws defining a speed limit that is in effect when no limit is posted. This default speed limit is called the "statutory speed limit". Except as noted below it is the same as the maximum speed limit.

At The Unofficial DMV Guide, we encourage you to make safe driving a priority. For your convenience, we've provided easy-to-follow details on how to find local traffic schools and defensive driving courses that may help you lessen the impact of too many traffic tickets. And, if you've recently received a traffic ticket, The Unofficial DMV Guide can tell you how to interpret the citation, help you find out how the ticket will affect your driving record and auto insurance rates, or advise how to fight the ticket if you believe you're not guilty of the offense.

A traffic ticket is a summons and citation issued by police officers to motorists and other road users who fail to obey traffic laws. Traffic tickets generally come in two forms, citing a moving violation, such as exceeding the speed limit, or a non-moving violation, such as a parking ticket. Traffic tickets are generally heard in traffic court.

The mission of the Department is to: Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.

Enforcement of traffic rules means making sure that they are being applied. Different aspects or stages are part of enforcement: checks to find and pursue violations of traffic rules and sanctions imposed on violators of the rules. Sanctions can be imposed in different ways, for instance directly on the spot (e.g. on-the-spot-fines), automatically as a follow-up of checking violations (e.g. by automated speed cameras), by separate administrative decisions or by court decisions.

Of all modes of transport, transport by road is the most dangerous and the most costly in terms of human lives. For this reason, the Road Safety Action Programme (2003-2010) proposes a series of measures such as stepping up checks on road traffic, deploying new road safety technologies, improving road infrastructure and measures to improve users' behaviour. The ultimate objective is to halve the number of people killed on the roads by 2010.

At present, drivers committing an offence under the Highway Code in a Member State other than their own often avoid paying the penalty imposed on local drivers. The European Parliament approved legislation to ensure that drivers will be able to be identified and fined for offences they commit anywhere in the EU. Speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a seat belt and failing to stop at a red light should all be covered by the proposal.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries on the roads. It is a not-for-profit, publicly-supported charitable educational and research organization. Since 1947, the Foundation has funded over 200 projects designed to discover the causes of traffic crashes, prevent them, and minimize injuries when they do occur. We have used this research to develop dozens of focused, high-impact educational materials for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users.

The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) or the "National Committee" is an organization whose purpose is to assist in the development of standards, guides and warrants for traffic control devices and practices used to regulate, warn and guide traffic on streets and highways. The NCUTCD recommends to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and to other appropriate agencies proposed revisions and interpretations to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and other accepted national standards. NCUTCD develops public and professional awareness of the principles of safe traffic control devices and practices and provides a forum for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints to exchange professional information.

The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances is a private, non-profit membership organization dedicated to providing uniformity of traffic laws and regulations through the timely dissemination of information and model legislation on traffic safety issues.

Traffic violations are generally divided into two categories: parking violations and moving violations. Moving violations are the more serious of the two, carry stiffer penalties, and occur while the vehicle is in motion. Among moving traffic violations, speeding is the most common. If the driver's manner of speeding is also posing a threat to the lives of pedestrians or other traffic, he or she might also be charged with reckless endangerment. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are also traffic violations, as is driving a vehicle that is in unsafe condition —- for instance a vehicle with a broken windshield. In some states, using a cell phone while driving is illegal unless it is a "hands-free" style. Other traffic violations include not using a child's safety seat for small children and failing to fasten your safety belt.

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