10 Driving Laws Just Changed in 2026

[JEBar]

so far as I know the info provided in the link below is accurate .... some surprised me a bit, most didn't .... should anyone be able to document otherwise, PLEASE post it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg1VIDitZ_o

[clovishound]

Just a quick search on the first one, handheld phone use while driving, I see nothing on the internet about a federal law for non commercial vehicles. The images are AI generated, so I assume the whole thing is.

I also did a quick search of the right lane restrictions on 6 lane highways. Saw nothing on that.

It wasn't an exhaustive search, so take it for what it's worth. Still, something like that should have popped up with the simplest of searches.

[HenryFan]

I don't place much faith in that video. Actually, I don't place any faith in that video.

[JEBar]

thanks for the responses .... it will be interesting to see how much, if any, proves to be true

[Ernie]

Watched half of the video. Did not like the pressure to subscribe and the information was vague. I don't trust these types of performances.

[BrokenolMarine]

One of the new Federal LAWS was no driving in the right lane on multi-lane highways, except when you are turning. Since my state ONLY allows driving in the Left lane for passing on controlled access / limited access highways, this would mean that we would ALL be in the center lane. But, he did add that the right lane restrictions applied only during rush hour.

[Sir Henry]

One of the new Federal LAWS was no driving in the right lane on multi-lane highways, except when you are turning. Since my state ONLY allows driving in the Left lane for passing on controlled access / limited access highways, this would mean that we would ALL be in the center lane. But, he did add that the right lane restrictions applied only during rush hour.

Commercial drivers have had that law for decades. The video never referenced any specific law so I think it’s bogus and I mean the entire video.

I remember watching one video saying planes were built so everyone was killed should the plane crash. This was done because injury accidents are harder to settle than death injuries. In God I trust. All others are subject to scrutiny.

[BrokenolMarine]

Yup, I didn't subscribe.
I noticed he kept begging, plus he kept saying the new "laws" may not apply in every state. Nice dodge.

[daytime dave]

Well, here in NY, we've had a distracted driving law for a while. I've never heard of wait 200 feet before moving with emergency vehicles. We have a move over law if you see flashing anything along the highway. Surprisingly, that one gets obeyed a lot.
We have speed cameras. When he says they are for safety, not money, I started laughing. From hearing people talk about these, I have gathered it's a simple money grab. Say you have one trooper watching a construction zone on the interstate. He can grab one speeder going ten or more miles over the limit. Let's say two minutes to pull out and stop the violator, 5 to 10 minutes for the ticket and 2 to 5 minutes to get back in place. Even the most effective trooper can only get maybe five to seven in an hour. The speed camera gets EVERYONE going by in that hour over the set margin. EVERYONE gets a ticket. The laws are written so it's a civil penalty, no points, just a fine. If the registered owner, the one the ticket is addressed to, doesn't pay, they cannot register their vehicle until fines are taken care of. They send you a picture of your car and license plate in the mail and offer a link to a video. (I didn't get one, but have seen some others got) Just imagine how much money that camera makes in the one hour versus our lone trooper. Is it safer when people fly by, no, but it just made plenty of fine money. The signs are up and visible every-time I drive through those areas. An "officer" employed at the speed camera company reviews the ticket to make sure the plate is the same and speed is right then it's mailed. An upstate city recently added cameras to their school zones. Millions made in a month.
We have cameras on school buses around here. If you pass one illegally it takes pictures. A good idea I'd say. Each district decides.
As far as some of those other laws, never heard of most of it.
NY did just redefine the point system. It seems skewed to generate more fine money, go figure.

[CT_Shooter]

When I got to my brother's house on Christmas, I was asked about the traffic on my 45 minute ride along state roads. I said is was light and steady. I didn't hit a single red light.

A few days later, I got a ticket in the mail along with a photo of my car's license plate. Traffic was light, but there were still half a dozen cars around me, more ahead of me, more behind me. It was a smooth trip; we were all traveling at the same speed, and yeah. We all got a fifty dollar Christmas ticket for going thirteen miles per hour over the posted 35 mile per hour speed limit on a four lane state road. It seems more like revenue raising and less like traffic control to me. I'm not likely to make that same mistake twice, though.

[HenryFan]

I did not watch much of the video in the original post because what I saw didn't seem plausible to me.

It seemed to advise that individual states were enforcing Federal law concerning traffic enforcement. I admit that there are situations where states do enforce Federal law but they are very limited in scope compared to enforcement of state law. Two situations that comes to mind is state wildlife conservation officers enforcing Federal migratory bird laws or when state transportation police enforce ICC commercial vehicle regulations. Probably others but that is all that comes to my mind at the moment.

Also, the video seemed to warn that these situations are point violations on a driver's license. It is my experience, at least in my state, is that safety belt violations, overly dark auto glass tints and failure to use a hand-free cell phone are not point violations. They do incur the possibility of fine but not points.

That is why I quit watching the video after a short period.

I may be wrong and may have given some misinformation above but in any event, I still think the video is hooey.

Be aware that I have never set foot in a law school.

[Sir Henry]

Decades ago small rural towns in Washington would post 35 mph speeds in the town. Then when you were clearly out of town they wouldn’t repost the higher highway speeds. Yep those 35 mph zones didn’t change for a couple miles.

[Headhog]

I wouldn't trust this information provided further that I can throw my computer. It's an AI generate video and the entire channel has less than 6k subscribers. That alone tells me this was just created and placed on YouTube to get clicks. If you watch the spokes person for a few minutes you will notice his motions and movements are repetitive. Too much of this going around now it's very annoying. AI generate videos have a good purpose, but providing information like this is not it.

Paul

[Mags]

When I poked on the video link the first time, it went to a different 10 new laws for 2026. When I went back to review the video again It would appear I got the target video.

Anyway, I googled the 200ft wait distance after an emergency vehicle goes by. Asking many different ways, I got notta. There also isn't a Federal hands free law. Just some states. There is a Federal hands free law for commercial drivers. Signage before cameras. Oregon has a law that requires signage and has had for many years. Oregon does have new teen driver restrictions, but not new for 2026. School zone (and work zone) double fines in Oregon have been here for quite some time. In Oregon you can get DUI for cannabis impairment.

[dave77]

No speed cameras here. We do have 3 red light cameras. I actually wish there were more as drivers here are notorious for running red lights. I always look both ways before starting off after the light turns green. The other two things I hate are tailgaters and people who speed and don't pay attention to pedestrians when driving in parking lots.

[Mags]

Red light cameras here also do speed. You can get a double ticket. One for speeding to rush a yellow light, along with a red light if you haven't cleared the intersection in time..