Believing you can’t be at fault in a rear-end collision is a dangerous mindset. So is thinking a police officer in jeans can’t ticket you for speeding. Or that wearing flip-flops violates the law. These are not just random urban legends. They are pervasive misconceptions that cost drivers money and cause unnecessary friction on the road.
Hosts Scott Benjamin and Ben Bowlin tackle these myths head-on in the CarStuff episode on common traffic misconceptions. The takeaway is simple. Just because you heard it on the radio or read it on a forum doesn’t mean it’s legally binding. Or physically possible.
The Zipper Merge Reality
Let’s look at merging first. It’s easy to feel righteous about it. You see a lane closure sign. You move over early. You take the high road. You watch drivers at the end of the lane zip out, and you judge them for being lazy.
You’re wrong. And your early merge makes traffic worse.
The efficient way to handle a closing lane is the zipper merge. This is where you use both lanes until the point of closure, then take turns merging. One car goes, then the next. It’s like a zipper on a jacket. This method keeps maximum capacity flowing. It prevents bottlenecks. Early merging blocks a lane for too long, wasting space and causing unnecessary braking.
“It’s actually the way it’s supposed to work… making the process smoother and more efficient.”
If you want to know how to merge correctly in a lane closure, look up zipper merging protocols. Your patience at the end of the line helps everyone move faster.
Police Tickets and Radar Guns
Now for the ticket myths. There is a persistent belief that officers must wear specific uniforms. They don’t. Plainclothes officers can issue citations. Any variation of uniform works. The badge matters. The authority matters. The clothes do not.
Speeding violations are another minefield. Drivers often wait for the radar gun to be shown to them. Don’t hold your breath. The officer does not have to display the device. They don’t even have to use a radar gun. Laser guns. Visual estimation. Pacing. All are legal methods to establish speed.
Out-of-State Tickets and Warrants
Here is the big one. People from Minnesota think a ticket from Michigan is just a nuisance. They ignore it. They assume distance protects them.
It doesn’t.
If you don’t pay the fine and don’t show up in court, a bench warrant is issued. This isn’t a local memo. It’s a legal command. That warrant travels with you. You might be pulled over for a burned-out taillight in Michigan. The officer runs your name. They see the outstanding warrant for speeding in Minnesota. Now you’re facing more than just the original fine. You’re looking at arrest.
Distance is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Jurisdictions share data. Warrants are real. Ignoring them escalates the situation from a traffic stop to a criminal matter.
Clerical Errors Don’t Save You
Even if the officer spells your name wrong, you still owe the money. Clerical errors are just that. Errors. They can be amended. They don’t invalidate the citation.
The best-case scenario is a reduced fine if the typo causes confusion. But expecting the ticket to vanish because of a misspelled surname is naive. The debt remains. The legal obligation stands.
There are dozens more myths out there. The world of traffic law is full of “what ifs” that don’t hold up in court or in practice. The safest bet is to assume the standard rules apply unless you have a lawyer telling you otherwise.
You might think you’re safe because you don’t live in the state. You might think you’re right because you merged early. Don’t. Just drive.
