Can you be ticketed for cutting through parking lots? Flashing high beams? Know NC laws
North Carolina has a list of rules for how to properly and safely operate a vehicle, some more widely known than others.
Whether you’ve been driving for 50 years or you just secured your license, there might be some laws you aren’t sure about.
Here are five North Carolina laws you may or may not already know, and remember — there’s no shame in a refresher. The other motorists on the road will be grateful.
Can I flash my high beams?
In North Carolina, there is no law that prohibits drivers from flashing their headlights to warn drivers about speed traps or sobriety checkpoints.
According to North Carolina-based Carl L. Britt Jr. Law Firm, the First Amendment protects drivers’ right to use headlights as a form of communication.
However, those who flash their high beams at cars approaching from less than 200 feet away may be “required to pay a penalty of not more than ten dollars,” according to state law.
Read more: Is it legal to flash your headlights to warn drivers of speed traps? Here’s NC law
Can my headlights be too bright?
According to North Carolina law, headlights must be bright enough for you to see 200 feet in front of your vehicle, but it’s illegal to blind other drivers who are within 500 feet of you on the road.
Drivers are permitted to dim their headlights on highways when passing another vehicle, according to the law.
The most common charge related to headlights is failing to dim them when approaching another vehicle, which mostly occurs in rural areas, a spokesperson for N.C. State Highway Patrol told The Charlotte Observer in an email.
The penalty for failure to dim headlights is a fine of $50 plus court costs, the spokesperson said.
Read more: Are some car headlights too bright? Can you get a ticket for that in NC? Here’s the law
Can I run a red light if it won’t turn?
Cars must always stop at red lights, but there is a rule that allows motorcyclists to run red lights in North Carolina.
If a rider waits at a red light for at least three minutes and it doesn’t change, the state’s safe-on-red law says they can proceed through the light carefully if there are no other drivers approaching the intersection.
The law is in place due to traffic signal sensors not always recognizing motorcycles.
Read more: When is it legal to run red lights in North Carolina? Here’s what state law says
Can I cut through a parking lot to avoid a red light?
No, it is not legal to cut through a parking lot to avoid a red light in North Carolina.
State law requires drivers to come to a complete stop when approaching a red light, and since drivers don’t stop when they cut through parking lots, they are violating the law, attorney Gary Mauney told WCNC.
“Anything that’s not you stopping at a stop sign before you proceed to the intersection violates the statute,” Mauney said. “So even though it doesn’t say [you] can’t go through that side parking lot right there, it says what you’re supposed to do.”
The state doesn’t have a specific law that prevents drivers from taking shortcuts through parking lots, but some cities do.
Read more: Is it legal to cut through a parking lot to avoid a red light in NC? What the law says
How fast can you drive with no posted speed limit?
The state does regulate speed limits if a specific one isn’t posted.
According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, the default speed limit within cities and towns is 35 miles per hour. Outside of incorporated areas, the default speed limit is 55 miles per hour.
Some highways have speed limits of up to 70 miles per hour on certain sections, NCDOT says, but they could drop to 55 miles per hour in certain areas.
Read more: How fast can you drive on NC roads with no posted speed limit? Here’s what state law says
This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Can you be ticketed for cutting through parking lots? Flashing high beams? Know NC laws."
