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Originally Posted by Topspinmo
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Which states in the US make it illegal to drive with a tow hitch ball installed when you are not pulling a trailer?
Unlike other states, driving with a trailer hitch in California is against the law, just like running a stop sign or driving while using a cell phone is illegal. Contact an accident lawyer for more information. This is a primary.Mar 8, 2022
Now who would have guessed California?  |
Having spent a significant amount of time reading the 3-inch thick, onion-skin papered tome known as the CVC - California Vehicle Code, there are certainly laws to cover just about ANYthing. One cannot drive 1/8 mile without violating *Some* thing in that book. However, I am completely unfamiliar with any section prohibiting having a tow hitch/ball in place when not towing. Wheels extending outside fender flares, etc., sure. But tow ball, no. If one has the CVC section to quote the authority, I'd be interested in reading it. The previously mentioned section regarding bumpers is vague and would depend on specific judicial interpretation. It is not written in a manner directly prohibiting driving with one's trailer hitch installed but without a trailer attached.
That 3-inch book has so much in it, no one can enforce them all. Usually the big ones (speeding, stop signs, red lights, etc) are regularly enforced, and then every enforcer has a few favorites they keep in mind - like caboosing through intersections or DUIs. Caboosing is when 2 to 4 cars pull out into an intersection, and then make the left turn after the light turns red. They "caboose" thorough the intersection when they no longer possess the right of way.
There are A LOT of sections (like the aforementioned fender flare one) that my father used to call CSLFA. Chicken $hit Laws For A$$holes. These are the obscure tickets one gets when one cannot remain polite and keep one's mouth closed during a traffic stop. If there is a trailer hitch section, you can bet cash money it falls into the CSLFA category for 99% of the traffic enforcers out there.