Top 20 Reasons People Get Pulled Over

The top 20 reasons people get pulled over range from silly to downright dumb. Indeed, common sense isn’t contagious, unfortunately.

Speeding up or slowing down too quickly

This is kind of a silly reason to get pulled over, but it’s a big safety issue. Break-checking someone is a way to slow down too quickly, but it’s also a good way to get into an accident.

Weaving between lanes

Typically people do this when they’re drunk or tired, or under the influence of something stronger. But if a cop sees it they’re going to get pulled over.

Using a turning radius that’s wider than usual

Does anyone see how this could be an issue? Most cars have a decent turning radius. Some people are indeed timid behind the wheel, but using more space than necessary isn’t a good idea.

Tailgating

Most of us have had this issue. We’ve either followed too closely or had someone ready to ram up the tailpipe. Like many things, this is a huge safety issue.

Texting while driving

Amazingly, anyone has to be told how dangerous this is. When your attention isn’t on the road, you’re bound to miss a lot of things.

Illegal turns

One of the biggest issues is turning the wrong way onto a one-way road. There are usually plenty of signs, all you have to do is look.

No turn signal

A lot of these instances aren’t even noticed, but they’re still irritating. If someone needs to turn it’s nice to get some notice so that one doesn’t run into them.

Leaving your brights on

There are plenty of reasons why this is an issue. For one, bright lights on the road, especially at night, are disorienting. Also, if you’re in a smaller car and a truck or something bigger has its brights on it’s absolutely blinding.

Response time

You don’t sit at a green light, and you don’t run a red. Yellow is subjective since if you enter an intersection on a yellow light it’s understood that you can’t exactly stop.

Your position in your lane

In other words, know where your car is on the road. You don’t get to ride the center line or even the edge of your lane. It’s safer to stay comfortably in the lane.

Don’t use the brakes unless you need to

Some people like to brake check others for kicks: don’t do that. Most things that people are pulled over for on the road have to do with safety, and this is one of the most irritating.

Close calls

If you come close to an object or a vehicle and a cop takes note, you’ll probably be pulled over. This is close to reckless driving, and it’s not something many people support.

Loud or broken exhaust system

There are noise ordinances in a lot of cities that prohibit cars that are way too loud. It might be time to buy a different muffler or fix whatever needs fixing.

Driving on flat tires

Is this really an issue that people don’t understand? If you drive on deflated tires you’re bound to ruin your rims at one point. But again, it’s a matter of safety.

Illegal window tint

Officers do need to be able to identify who is in the car, and dark window tints prevent this. It sounds like a ridiculous reason to get pulled over, but it does happen.

Illegal U-turns

U-turns are usually very disruptive if people don’t pay attention to what they’re doing. Some intersections allow this, but it’s still smart to pay attention to the flow of traffic.

Covered license plate

This is an identification issue if your plate is covered, since officers won’t take it lightly if they can’t run your plate. If it’s covered in dirt or mud you do need to wipe it off. But if you’re covering it purposefully, well, that’s on you.

Cutting drivers off

The funny thing about this is that most of the stuff on this list is common sense. This is about politeness on the road as well, and some people are often in too big of a rush to remember it.

Littering

Yes, throwing stuff out of your window does count as littering, every time. There are plenty of ways to get rid of garbage or other materials, but throwing it out where it can hit other cars or mess up the road is not one of them.

Expired license plate

There are a lot of responsibilities that come with being a driver. Maintaining your vehicle and keeping everything legal can be taxing, but it’s important. It doesn’t take much effort to renew tags, license plates, and even driving licenses.