
Is It Illegal In North Dakota To Follow Another Car Too Close?
Is It Illegal In North Dakota To Follow Another Car Too Close?
Don't you love it when another vehicle is riding your a$$? To be honest, it doesn't happen to me a whole lot, as I'm usually the guy going 5 miles per hour over the speed limit.
As you probably have noticed, we have a LOT of drivers in the Bismarck, Mandan, and Lincoln areas who like to go the speed limit or even 5, 10, or 20 miles UNDER the speed limit.
These are the people who are most likely to have someone riding their rear bumper.
As much as that can be frustrating for people like myself who like to get where they are going in a timely manner, it's not something you should do. I see people "tailgating" others quite often on the way home from work.
For one thing, it's EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. All it would take would be a tap on the brakes, and somebody is getting rear-ended. Depending on the speed at the time of impact, it could end up a very serious situation with totaled vehicles and life-threatening injuries.
Okay, so it's obviously dangerous to follow somebody too closely, but is it ILLEGAL to do so?
According to the North Dakota Century Code, YES, it is ILLEGAL to follow another vehicle too closely. It's outlined under Section 39-10-18, which says a driver must not follow another vehicle more closely than is "reasonable and prudent" based on road conditions and vehicle speeds.
This essentially means you can be cited for tailgating!
I spoke to a Law Enforcement officer friend of mine and he told me you could be looking at a fine between $20 to $40 dollars depending on the city code where the violation takes place.
Quit riding people's a$$es. It's illegal, it could cost you money, and maybe even your or somebody else's life.
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