Michigan Driving Laws

This analysis of Michigan's driving laws is based in whole on the Michigan Vehicle Code, mostly Chapter VI, "Obedience to and Effect of Traffic Laws".

257.301 Driver must have a valid driver's license.

257.612 Traffic Lights:

--Green means "go".

--Green arrow means "go in direction indicated by arrow".

--Yellow means "stop if possible, otherwise proceed cautiously through intersection".
--Red means "stop". After stopping, you can turn right on red unless otherwise prohibited. You can turn left on red onto a 1-way street only.

--Flashing red should be treated like a stop sign

--Flashing yellow means "proceed cautiously".

257.617, 257.617a, 257.618, 257.619 If you are involved in an accident, you must:

--Stop.

--Give your name, address, registration number of vehicle, and owner of the vehicle's name and address.

--Show your driver's license to a police officer or the driver of the other vehicle.

--Offer reasonable assistance by getting medical aid or transporting injured persons.

257.620 If you hit a parked car, you must either report the accident to the owner of the car, or to a police officer.

257.624a You may not have open containers of alcohol in the car when you are driving.

257.624b Unless there is someone 21 years or older in the vehicle, no transportation of alcohol is permitted, unless required for a job.

257.625 You may not drive if your bodily alcoholic content (BAC) is at 0.10 or higher. It is also illegal to allow someone to drive your car if they have a BAC of 0.10 or higher. If you are younger than 21, anything higher than a BAC of 0.02 is illegal to drive with. It is also illegal to drive while under the influence of any illegal drugs.

257.625m Commercial drivers cannot drive with BAC's of more then 0.04.

257.626a You may not drag race.

257.627 Speed limits:

--If you are drawing a trailer or another vehicle with more than 2 wheels or is heavier than 750 lbs, you may not go faster than 55 mph.

--Trucks exceeding 10,000 lbs in gross weight may not go faster than 55 mph.

--A school bus may not go faster than 50 mph.

--Unless otherwise noted, you may not go faster than 45 mph through a construction zone.

257.628 Maximum/minimum speed limits:

--Unless otherwise noted, the maximum speed limit on all highways will be 55 mph.

--The maximum speed limit on all freeways is 70 mph. The minimum speed limit on freeways is 45 mph, unless safety requires a lower speed.

257.634 You must drive on the right side of the road, unless passing.

257.636 If someone is passing you, you may not increase your speed until they have completed the pass.

257.637 You cannot pass on the right on a two lane road unless the person you are passing is turning left. On roads with two or more lanes going in the same direction, you can pass on the right as long as traffic is fairly continuous in both (or all) lanes.

257.642 On roads with two or more lanes going in the same direction, you should stay in the extreme right lane except when you are passing or if traffic in all lanes is fairly continuous.

257.644 If a road is divided into two with a barrier space in between, crossovers are to be used only by authorized vehicles.

257.648 You must use turn signals.

257.649 Yielding:

--The first car at an intersection has the right of way.

--If two cars enter at the same time, then the one on the right has the right of way.

--A yield sign means to slow down and yield the right of way.

--A stop sign means to stop, and then follow the normal intersection rules.

257.650 If you are turning left at an intersection, you are only required to let one person pass from oncoming traffic, and then you have the right of way. This is not valid at traffic signals.

257.652 If you are entering a public road from an alley, a private road, or a driveway, you must first stop, and then yield to traffic on the public road.

257.653 When a police car, ambulance, fire engine, or other emergency vehicle is approaching with lights flashing, you must get as far to the right of the road as possible and stop. You may go again once the vehicle has passed.

257.654 A funeral procession has the right of way over every other vehicle, except emergency vehicles.

257.667 You must stop if a train is approaching. You may not go under or around a crossing gate.

257.672 You may not stop in the middle of the road if there is an area that you could pull off to.

257.677 You may not drive if your view is obstructed by passengers or cargo loaded.

257.678 You may not coast down a hill with the gear of the vehicle in neutral or with the clutch disengaged.

257.679 You may not follow a fire truck closer than 500 ft, or park within 500 ft of a fire truck that has stopped in response to a fire.

257.680 You may not drive over a fire hose.

257.682 When a school bus has it's stop sign out and flashing, you must stop for it. If it is on the other side of the road, and there is a barrier or a barrier space between the sides, you do not have to stop.

257.682a You may not have a device on your car for the purpose of making flames or smoke.

257.682b You may not have minors (age less than 18) riding in the open bed of a pickup truck.

257.684 You must use headlights at night.

257.685 You must have two working headlights.

257.696 You may not shine your bright lights into another driver's eyes.

257.710d Any child younger than 4 years old must be secured in a child restraint system (child seat).

257.710e The driver and any front seat passenger must wear a seat belt. People at least 4 and less than 16 years old are also required to wear seat belts. If there are more passengers than seat belts, and all seat belts are being used, then that is legal.

257.601b Although technically not a driving rule, it's worth noting that in construction, school, and emergency zones all traffic fines are doubled.

257.517, 257.518, 527.519 Upon request, you must show proof of financial responsibility. Most people do this with a proof of insurance, but you can also do this with a bond of sufficient money, or a certificate of deposit of sufficient money. By the way, "sufficient" means something like $40,000