Sources of Traffic Law

There is no national traffic law. Generally, the traffic law that applies in your jurisdiction is set forth in State statutes. However, in some cases local laws also apply.

In citing specific laws, we will sometimes refer to the Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC), which is a comprehensive traffic law recommended by a private organization. No State's law exactly matches the UVC in all respects. However, most statutes are very similar to the UVC, at least with regard to the core traffic principles we discuss in this section.

You may find it helpful to have a copy of your State's traffic law or vehicle code on hand as you work on this section and the following section. Almost all are available on the Internet.