By LawInspectsNo, it is not illegal to drive with interior lights on. There is no reason for that to be true and for you to get in legal trouble for it, but yes, if you’re driving with interior lights or the dome light on inside your car, it can lead to some suspicion in the eyes of police officers, and they might pull you over for this. But it is not as straightforward as that, and that is the reason why we suggest you keep on reading to understand this in a much better way.
Why Do People Think It’s Illegal Then?
Many parents want to stop their kids from playing with the lights when the family is riding in the car. Eventually, this developed into one of those pesky “unwritten rules” that nobody really cared to verify for themselves.
Go back in time, when car interior lights were much brighter than those we have today. Back then, the brightness itself could be a distraction; it should have been illegal, even though it wasn’t. Now, the common misconception is that the crime of having brightly lit interiors falls under distracted driving laws, which indeed exist and always deserve to be understood.
What’s the Real Issue?
Why is it an unsafe thing to do while driving at night with the lights on?
- It diminishes visibility due to glare on the windshield.
- Your eyes take a longer time to adjust from very bright light inside to darkness outside.
- Looking for something under the light distracts the driver from proper attention to the road.
So, even though all of the above these points do not contradict lawbooks, they still build a perfect setting for a risky situation, which you definitely want to evade.
Can You Still Get Pulled Over?
Well, technically, yes, you can be pulled over. Not just for having the light on, but for what you are doing while having the light on.
Say you are rummaging through your glovebox, the dome light being on, and there is no attention being paid to the road; that’s distracted driving right there. And that is illegal in pretty much every state (Montana being a notable exception). Should anything occur while your attention is divided, you may be cited or held responsible.
The light isn’t the problem; it’s the way it’s being used. Clear?
Can It Affect Your Insurance?
Yes. If you’re in an accident and the insurance company finds out that you were distracted by something as small as the interior light, you will very well be able to raise a red flag.
They would say that you weren’t entirely paying attention. Even if you escape giving any tickets, your premium can be increased. Another factor that might reduce your payout would be if you are found partially at fault with regard to the accident.
What Do Police Say?
Using the dome light for illumination while driving is not illegal per se, according to officers in Texas, New York, California, Illinois, and Georgia. However, it is still not recommended, just to be clear here. Interior lights on while driving at night may be grounds for pulling a driver over by a police officer, who won’t ticket, but may check if everything is all right. It has more to do with safety concerns than the law.
What Counts as Distracted Driving?
A distracted driver is anyone whose attention is being taken away from the roadway, like, a little glance away here, a phone call there, tuning the radio controls, or turning on the interior light with the intention to see something.
The law may not explicitly state that interior lights are illegal to use while driving, but that is beside the point, the law says to stay focused. In the case where one begins to get distracted by the light, it all begins to become a matter of law.