Improper turns and signals, unsafe stopping and starting are all NY traffic violations

There are 19 different New York vehicle and traffic laws that deal with stopping, starting, or turning and vehicle, as well as signaling your intentions to other drivers. Pleading or being found guilty of any of these will result in two points on your driver’s license. Here’s the rundown of the different violations of these types an officer may accuse you of committing:

• VTL 1160 deals with improper turns and u-turns, including not turning when it’s required

• VTL 1161 covers u-turns considered riskier: inside of a school zone, and on a hill

• VTL 1162 is an unsafe start. This is how that section of law is written: “No person shall move a vehicle which is stopped, standing, or parked unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety.”

• VTL 1163 is all about signals. It includes not signaling for a turn or the intention to stop, as well as both failing to use flashers when warranted, and using them improperly. Flashers must be used if your car breaks down on a highway or there is a hazard ahead, but can’t be used for other reasons, such as running into a Starbucks to pick up a coffee.

• VTL 1164 establishes that, while hand signals are acceptable in many cases, you need operable turn signal lamps on a highway.

• VTL 1165 only comes up if you use hand signals improperly. If you can’t recall these, it may be time to take another defensive driving course, but the hand-signal descriptions are at this link.

• VTL 1166 describes how to legally turn a vehicle into an alley, a driveway, or a one-way road. The crux of it is that you can’t wander into oncoming traffic while you’re doing it.

Have you been cited with a turning violation in the mid-Hudson Valley? Contact Selby Legal for a free consultation.