Browse Florida Traffic Offenses
Browse all published traffic offenses alphabetically. Civil and criminal offenses appear together with clear labels.
View Traffic Offenses Categories →201 offenses · 1 guide
Traffic Guides
Aggravated fleeing/eluding — high speed/wanton disregard
Florida Statute § 316.1935(3)(a)
The driver must willfully flee or attempt to elude an officer in a prominently agency-marked authorized patrol vehicle with both lights and siren activated, AND during that flight drive at high speed OR with wanton disregard for safety. Record the patrol prerequisites and specific speed/driving conduct; the statute states alternatives for the aggravating conduct. Causing serious bodily injury or death creates the separate subsection (3)(b) track rather than this subsection (3)(a) entry.
Aggravated fleeing/eluding causing SBI/death
Florida Statute § 316.1935(3)(b) / 316.1935(4)(b)
Select the injury/death theory precisely. Under §316.1935(3)(b), willful flight from a prominently agency-marked patrol vehicle with both lights and siren activated must involve high speed OR wanton disregard and cause serious bodily injury or death. Under §316.1935(4)(b), the person must be unlawfully leaving a qualifying crash, know of an order to stop, willfully fail to stop or flee after stopping, and cause serious bodily injury or death through that flight. Document causation and each selected theory's distinct prerequisites; do not combine them into a single generic fleeing charge.
Aggressive careless driving
Florida Statute § 316.1923
Aggressive careless driving is defined as two or more listed acts committed simultaneously or in succession: the specified speeding, unsafe lane change, following too closely, specified failure to yield, improper passing, or traffic-control/signal violation. Identify each act and its own statutory requirements, and document their sequence. This section supplies a definition rather than a standalone fine schedule; cite the supported underlying violations. It does not automatically establish reckless driving's willful-or-wanton mental state.
Air pollution equipment / excessive visible exhaust emissions
Florida Statute § 316.2935(2)-(3)
On public roads or streets, covered gasoline-powered vehicles may not emit visible exhaust for more than 5 continuous seconds; motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, and specified federally exempt imported vehicles are excluded from that emissions rule. Diesel vehicles have the same duration threshold, except during acceleration, lugging, or deceleration. Operating a vehicle with unlawfully tampered pollution-control equipment is also prohibited; equivalent replacement equipment is allowed. Document fuel type, duration, operating conditions, and the altered device, applying relevant DEP rules. These operating violations are civil nonmoving infractions; knowing/willful sale or certification violations under subsection (1) have separate criminal penalties and are outside this entry.
Attaching an Unassigned License Plate or Sticker
Florida Statute § 320.261
This offense requires knowingly attaching a plate or validation/mobile-home sticker that was not issued, assigned, or lawfully transferred to that vehicle. Compare plate/sticker records with the vehicle's identity and determine who attached it and with what knowledge. A mismatch is important evidence but does not alone prove the current driver knowingly attached it. A lawful transfer is excluded, and forged/counterfeit plates involve a different provision.
ATV unlawful roadway operation
Florida Statute § 316.2123
ATVs are generally prohibited on public roads, with a daytime exception for unpaved roads posted below 35 mph. Counties may opt out or designate qualifying routes, so confirm the local rule and signs. Permitted operation requires a licensed driver or a minor directly supervised by a licensed driver, and the operator must provide ownership proof on request. Document vehicle type, surface, speed limit, time, supervision, and local authorization; the exception is not a general right to use paved streets.
Bicycle improper roadway position
Florida Statute § 316.2065(5)
A bicyclist traveling below normal traffic speed must use the bicycle lane or, if none, stay as far right as practicable. Exceptions permit passing, preparing a left turn, or avoiding hazards/conflicts—including a lane too narrow for a bicycle and vehicle to travel safely side by side. On a one-way road with at least two marked lanes, riding near the left edge is allowed. Record lane width, speed, hazards, and purpose; a rider away from the curb is not automatically in violation.
Bicycle lighting violation at night
Florida Statute § 316.2065(7)
Between sunset and sunrise, a bicycle needs a front white lamp visible from at least 500 feet and both a rear red lamp and red reflector, each visible from 600 feet. Extra lighting does not replace the required devices. Document time, equipment, and visibility. An officer may warn or cite, and the court must dismiss a first charge on proof of purchase and installation of proper lighting; this is ordinarily a pedestrian-penalty violation.
Bicycle traffic-law violation
Florida Statute § 316.2065
Bicyclists generally have vehicle-driver rights and duties, plus bicycle-specific rules. Identify the actual act: improper passenger capacity/child carrier, a rider or passenger under 16 without a compliant helmet, attaching to a vehicle, unsafe two-abreast travel, failure to yield/warn pedestrians on a sidewalk, or inadequate brakes are distinct provisions. Roadway positioning and nighttime lights have separate entries. Record age, equipment, location, and relevant exceptions; bicycle violations generally use pedestrian penalties, and helmet/child-related citation authority has location limits.
Brake equipment violation
Florida Statute § 316.261
Highway vehicles generally need service brakes adequate to control, stop, and hold the loaded vehicle, effective parking brakes, and brakes on all wheels. A trailer at 3,000 pounds or less qualifies for the all-wheel exception only if its wheel-supported weight is no more than 40% of the towing vehicle's weight and the combination meets stopping-performance rules. Heavier trailers generally need automatic breakaway brakes that remain applied at least 15 minutes. Record vehicle/combination weights, brake type, failed component, and the relevant age, equipment, towaway, or vehicle-class exception before applying a technical requirement.
Careless driving
Florida Statute § 316.1925(1)
A driver on streets or highways must act carefully and prudently for the road's width, grade, curves, corners, traffic, and other circumstances so as not to endanger people or property. Describe the driving act and the particular circumstances that made it unsafe; do not rely solely on a conclusory label or the fact that a crash occurred. Ordinary carelessness is distinct from reckless driving, which requires willful or wanton disregard.
Certain vehicles fail to stop at railroad crossing
Florida Statute § 316.159
Passenger-for-hire vehicles other than taxicabs, school buses carrying children, and vehicles carrying explosive or flammable-liquid cargo must stop 15–50 feet from the nearest rail, look and listen, and proceed only when safe without shifting gears on the tracks. An officer, signal, or sign may permit proceeding, but a school bus carrying children still must stop unless an officer directs otherwise. Other commercial vehicles must slow and check for trains. Confirm vehicle use/cargo, stopping point, and the applicable exception.
Child restraint violation
Florida Statute § 316.613
Children age 5 or younger in covered vehicles need a properly used, federally approved restraint: a separate carrier or integrated seat through age 3; a carrier, integrated seat, or booster for ages 4–5. For ages 4–5, a safety belt may substitute during a qualifying gratuitous non-immediate-family ride, the child's medical emergency, or a documented medical condition. Verify age, restraint fit/use, vehicle exclusions, and any exception. Compensated chauffeur transport shifts statutory responsibility to the parent/guardian or person responsible for the child rather than eliminating protection altogether.
Commercial vehicle following too closely
Florida Statute § 316.0895(2)
Outside business/residential districts, a motor truck or vehicle towing another vehicle/trailer may not follow within 300 feet of another motor truck or towing combination. This does not prohibit overtaking/passing and does not apply in a lane specially designated for trucks or slow vehicles. Confirm both vehicle types, location, distance, and purpose. The rule is not limited to vehicles requiring a CDL; caravans also have a separate spacing requirement, except funeral processions.
Counterfeit License Plates, Stickers, and Permits
Florida Statute § 320.26
Identify whether the item is a counterfeit plate/sticker or an altered/counterfeit commercial cab card or permit, and whether the conduct is making, possessing, selling, or disposing of the specified item. Confirm authenticity with issuance records and obtain the evidence linking the person to the prohibited act; unauthorized manufacture or sale also requires checking written department authority. A genuine plate assigned to a different vehicle is a separate §320.261 issue and is not necessarily counterfeit.
Criminal Expired Vehicle Registration
Florida Statute § 320.07
The criminal track requires registration expired more than 6 months AND a second or subsequent offense. Establish the actual expiration period and qualifying prior record, not simply a prior stop or an assumption from the decal. The present owner is responsible, otherwise the operator, subject to the qualifying short-term-lease and statutory exceptions. If the repeat-offense requirement is not established, assess the civil first-offense track instead.
Crossing fire hose without consent
Florida Statute § 316.2034
A vehicle may not cross an unprotected fire-department hose laid on a street, highway, private road, or driveway for use at a fire or fire alarm without consent from the fire official in command. Confirm the hose's use, that it was unprotected, the vehicle's crossing, and whether consent was given. The rule applies on the specified private access areas as well as public roads.
Damage to unattended vehicle/property — fail duties
Florida Statute § 316.063
When a crash damages an unattended vehicle or other property, the driver must stop and either find and notify the owner/operator or securely leave a conspicuous written notice with the driver's name, address, and registration number. The driver must also notify the nearest authorized police office without unnecessary delay; leaving a note alone does not complete the duty. Document damage, the unattended status, and which duty was omitted. A qualifying automated-vehicle reporting exception applies; merely failing to clear traffic is a separate civil provision.
Dangerous excessive speeding
Florida Statute § 316.1922
Choose either complete track. 50+ over — §316.1922(1)(a): operate a motor vehicle at least 50 mph above the applicable speed limit; no additional threat/interference element is required. OR 100+ with threat/interference — §316.1922(1)(b): operate at least 100 mph AND either threaten the safety of other persons/property or interfere with vehicle operation. Document reliable speed evidence, the lawful limit, and specific threat/interference facts for the second track. Prior convictions affect punishment and qualifying repeat violations affect revocation.
Dangerous Excessive Speeding
Florida Statute § 316.1922
Choose either complete track. 50+ over — §316.1922(1)(a): operate a motor vehicle at least 50 mph above the applicable speed limit; no additional threat/interference element is required. OR 100+ with threat/interference — §316.1922(1)(b): operate at least 100 mph AND either threaten the safety of other persons/property or interfere with vehicle operation. Document reliable speed evidence, the lawful limit, and specific threat/interference facts for the second track. Prior convictions affect punishment and qualifying repeat violations affect revocation.
Defective brakes
Florida Statute § 316.263
All brakes must be kept in good working order and adjusted to operate as equally as practicable on opposite sides of the vehicle. Identify the actual defect or unequal operation, such as an inoperative wheel brake or faulty adjustment, rather than merely stating that the vehicle has bad brakes. Distinguish maintenance defects under this section from missing required equipment under §316.261 and stopping-performance requirements under §316.262.
Defective stop lamps / turn signals
Florida Statute § 316.222
Covered motor vehicles and trailers generally need at least two stop lamps and electric turn signals meeting §316.234. Pre-1972 vehicles need at least one stop lamp, and pre-1972 passenger cars/trucks under 80 inches wide are excepted from electric turn-signal equipment. On combinations, visibility is assessed at the rearmost vehicle. Record vehicle year/type, the number and operation of required lamps, and the applicable exception; brake-lamp color/visibility and signal performance are specified in §316.234.
Defective/improper headlamps
Florida Statute § 316.220
Covered motor vehicles need at least two white headlamps, one on each front side, mounted 24–54 inches above level ground as measured under §316.217. A cover or material may not alter the headlamp's light color. Document missing or defective lamps, emitted color, any covering, and mounting height if that is the basis. Apply the vehicle-class provisions and chapter exceptions; motorcycles have their own headlamp requirements.
Defective/improper taillamps
Florida Statute § 316.221
Covered vehicles generally need two rear red taillamps visible from 1,000 feet when required to be lit, mounted at the same level and as widely spaced as practicable. Pre-1972 passenger cars/pickups originally equipped with one need only one. In combinations, the required visibility is from the rearmost vehicle. Covers may not alter the required visibility. Rear plates must be white-lit and legible from 50 feet whenever headlamps/auxiliary driving lamps are lit; dump-body vehicles have the subsection (2) exception.
Disabled parking — unauthorized space / obstructed access
Florida Statute § 316.1955(1)-(3)
Do not stop, stand, park in, or obstruct a designated accessible parking space without the required displayed permit/plate and transport of its holder; do not obstruct a designated access aisle, curb cut, or path of travel. Document markings, signage, permit validity, and holder presence. For unlawful parking in a disabled space with no above-grade sign, only a warning may issue. Temporary standing to load/unload a person with a disability is expressly permitted without a permit. Apply the valid-permit compliance/dismissal procedure in §318.18(6); borrowed-permit fraud is a separate §320.0848(7) misdemeanor.
Disabled parking permit — unlawful use / replica
Florida Statute § 320.0848(7)
Establish fraudulent obtaining or unlawful display of another person’s disabled parking permit while occupying a disabled space or access aisle AND the permit owner is not being transported; OR establish use of an unauthorized replica with intent to deceive. This is a second-degree misdemeanor, distinct from the civil parking violation in §316.1955. Record the permit number, holder, location, transport facts, and deceptive-use evidence; do not infer fraud merely because disability is not visible. Subsection (8) addresses permit confiscation and evidence retention. False application/certification statements are a different subsection (6) first-degree misdemeanor.
Disobey detour sign
Florida Statute § 316.078
A driver may not drive around a barricade closing a public street or highway for construction or repair, or drive on the closed section before it reopens. Confirm that the closure and barricade concern construction/repair and document the route taken. The person in charge of the work is excepted. Tearing down or defacing a detour sign is a separate nonmoving track; driving around the closure is a moving violation.
Driver License and Identification Card Fraud
Florida Statute § 322.212
Identify the exact act under §322.212: knowing possession/display of a specified false or unlawfully issued credential, making or supplying one, unauthorized transfer, application fraud, or altered required information. Document the credential’s defect, the actor’s conduct, and the required knowledge. Lawful possession/display of another person’s card is excepted. False-age application and altered-birth-date possession have specific misdemeanor treatment; most other covered conduct is felony-level. A genuine borrowed license used as one’s own may instead fit §322.32.
Driver license not carried / displayed
Florida Statute § 322.15
A licensee operating a motor vehicle must possess and display a fully legible license on authorized demand. Authorized digital proof may substitute, but if it cannot be immediately verified the officer may demand the printed license. Establish that the person is licensed and the issue is possession/display, rather than an invalid driving privilege. The statute also directs fingerprint collection when a license is not displayed; follow the applicable citation process. This is a civil nonmoving track.
Driver license restriction — court/supervision recommendation
Florida Statute § 322.16(1)(c), (5)
The driver operated a motor vehicle AND violated a restriction actually imposed by FLHSMV under subsection (1)(c) upon recommendation of a court, the Florida Commission on Offender Review, or the Department of Corrections concerning a person under that entity’s jurisdiction, supervision, or control. Verify the department restriction and its origin; a restriction code alone does not establish this track. This is a second-degree misdemeanor. Ordinary department restrictions and teenage driving-hour violations are civil moving tracks under subsection (6). Do not assume a probation condition is itself a department-imposed license restriction.
Driver license restriction — ordinary civil violation
Florida Statute § 322.16(1)(a)-(b), (6)
The driver operated a motor vehicle AND violated a restriction imposed by FLHSMV under subsection (1)(a) or (1)(b), such as a required mechanical control or a time/purpose restriction. Verify the actual restriction, its source, and how the driving violated it; corrective lenses and business purposes only (BPO) require the restriction record. This is a civil moving violation. Do not classify every restricted-license violation as criminal: subsection (1)(c) restrictions recommended by a court or specified supervising entity have a separate misdemeanor track. The medical-identification-bracelet restriction in (1)(d) has no penalty.
Driving CMV while suspended/revoked/disqualified
Florida Statute § 322.34(7)
A person with canceled, suspended, revoked, disqualified, or equivalent driving status who drives a commercial motor vehicle on a highway falls under §322.34(7). Confirm that the vehicle meets the statutory commercial definition, the active status, and conviction history. A first conviction is a first-degree misdemeanor; a second/subsequent conviction is a third-degree felony. Do not substitute ordinary passenger-vehicle DWLS classifications or presume a CDL is required solely because the driver is working.
Driving left of center prohibited
Florida Statute § 316.087
Driving left of center is prohibited at a hillcrest or curve where the limited view creates an opposing-traffic hazard, within 100 feet of or through a railroad crossing, and near a view-obstructed bridge, viaduct, or tunnel. The 100-foot intersection rule has a specific advance-sign requirement for state/county highways outside city limits. Exceptions include one-way roads, a necessary obstruction avoidance, and left turns into or out of an alley, private road, or driveway. Identify the location, measured distance, sight restriction, and applicable exception.
Driving on sidewalk/bicycle path
Florida Statute § 316.1995
Non-human-powered vehicles generally may not be driven on sidewalks, sidewalk areas, or bicycle paths except on a permanent or authorized temporary driveway. Statutory/local authorizations for specified electric bicycles, scooters, golf carts, and other permitted uses can change the result, and motorized wheelchairs are excluded. Confirm the vehicle/device class, path type, and applicable local authorization before treating all powered devices as prohibited.
Driving outside license classification
Florida Statute § 322.54 / 322.03(5)
Determine the vehicle class and the driver's actual authorization, restrictions, and endorsements. Motorcycle operation requires motorcycle authority under §322.03(5), but an autocycle does not require that endorsement. Commercial vehicles invoke the separate CDL class/endorsement rules and exemptions; a CDL expired no more than 30 days has a civil exception. Record vehicle specifications, license status, and the exact restriction violated. Do not assume every classification issue is the same as having no driver license at all.
Driving Under the Influence
Florida Statute § 316.193
Establish driving or actual physical control of a vehicle in Florida plus either impairment of normal faculties by alcohol, specified chemical substances, or controlled substances, or a blood/breath alcohol level of at least 0.08 in the statutory units. Record control of the vehicle, observations, and properly obtained test evidence. A 0.15 level, a passenger under 18, qualifying prior convictions, or resulting damage/injury can change the penalty or offense level. Alcohol consumption alone does not establish impairment; impairment is not required for the alternative 0.08 theory.
Driving while license permanently revoked
Florida Statute § 322.341
Establish motor-vehicle driving on a highway while the person's license or driving privilege is permanently revoked under §322.26 or §322.28. Obtain records showing the permanent nature and statutory basis of the revocation; an ordinary suspension, temporary revocation, or habitual-offender designation does not by itself satisfy this section. Confirm identity, active status, and the driving act before selecting the third-degree-felony charge.
Driving While License Permanently Revoked
Florida Statute § 322.341
Establish motor-vehicle driving on a highway while the person's license or driving privilege is permanently revoked under §322.26 or §322.28. Obtain records showing the permanent nature and statutory basis of the revocation; an ordinary suspension, temporary revocation, or habitual-offender designation does not by itself satisfy this section. Confirm identity, active status, and the driving act before selecting the third-degree-felony charge.
Driving While License Suspended or Revoked
Florida Statute § 322.34
Verify highway driving, operative license status, knowledge, prior convictions, and the underlying suspension basis. A third conviction alone is not a felony: subsection (2)(c) requires additional specified circumstances. Subsection (10) provides misdemeanor penalties for qualifying financial/attendance suspensions and qualifying HTO histories when there is no prior forcible felony. Check the eligibility guide before selecting the charge. Commercial-vehicle operation and careless/negligent driving causing death or serious bodily injury have separate requirements.
Driving while revoked as habitual traffic offender
Florida Statute § 322.34(5)
Confirm highway motor-vehicle driving and an operative habitual-traffic-offender designation. The ordinary subsection (5) classification is a third-degree felony, but check subsection (10) before selecting that track. A person with no prior forcible-felony conviction and a qualifying §322.264(1)(d) designation based on the suspensions listed in (10)(a)1.-5. may fall under misdemeanor penalties. Verify each suspension underlying the designation and the criminal history; an HTO database label alone does not resolve the exception. Permanent revocation under §322.341 is separate.
DUI
Florida Statute § 316.193(1)
Establish driving or actual physical control of a vehicle in Florida plus either impairment of normal faculties by alcohol, specified chemical substances, or controlled substances, or a blood/breath alcohol level of at least 0.08 in the statutory units. Record control of the vehicle, observations, and properly obtained test evidence. A 0.15 level, a passenger under 18, qualifying prior convictions, or resulting damage/injury can change the penalty or offense level. Alcohol consumption alone does not establish impairment; impairment is not required for the alternative 0.08 theory.
DUI manslaughter
Florida Statute § 316.193(3)(c)3
DUI manslaughter requires DUI, vehicle operation, and a human being's or unborn child's death caused or contributed to by that operation. The ordinary track is a second-degree felony. The first-degree track applies when the driver knew or should have known a crash occurred and failed the information/aid duties, or has a specified prior DUI/boating manslaughter, vehicular-homicide, or vessel-homicide conviction. Document the DUI basis, causation, death, and enhancement facts separately; knowledge of death is not the stated crash-awareness requirement.
DUI with property damage
Florida Statute § 316.193(3)(c)1
This track requires a DUI violation, operation of a vehicle, and damage to another person's property or person caused or contributed to by that operation. Establish DUI through impairment or the statutory alcohol-level alternative and separately document operation, the damage/injury, and causation. The statute does not require that impairment itself be the sole cause. Serious bodily injury or death belongs in the corresponding enhanced track; merely being in actual physical control without operation does not satisfy this damage enhancement.
DUI with serious bodily injury
Florida Statute § 316.193(3)(c)2
Establish DUI, vehicle operation, and serious bodily injury to another caused or contributed to by that operation. Serious bodily injury involves a substantial risk of death, serious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a bodily member or organ under §316.1933. Document the DUI basis, causation, and medical facts supporting that injury threshold rather than relying only on transport to a hospital. Lesser injury/property damage and death have separate statutory tracks.
DWLSR — knowingly, first conviction
Florida Statute § 322.34(2)(a)
For the first-conviction criminal track, establish highway driving, an active qualifying cancellation/suspension/revocation or equivalent status, and the driver's knowledge. Knowledge may be shown by an admission, earlier citation, qualifying notice, or other evidence; the record-based presumption excludes specified financial-responsibility and unpaid-fine suspensions. Confirm status, notice, identity, and prior history. Habitual-offender, injury, commercial-vehicle, and specified financial/attendance suspensions have additional rules that must be considered separately.
DWLSR — knowingly, second conviction
Florida Statute § 322.34(2)(b)
A second or subsequent knowing-driving conviction ordinarily raises the §322.34(2) offense to a first-degree misdemeanor unless the specified felony track applies. Establish current highway driving, active status/equivalent status, knowledge, and a qualifying prior conviction. A third conviction is not automatically a felony; the current or most recent suspension basis matters. Check subsection (10)'s specified financial/attendance cases and habitual-offender/commercial tracks before selecting the charge.
DWLSR — qualifying third/subsequent felony
Florida Statute § 322.34(2)(c)
The subsection (2)(c) felony requires a third or subsequent knowing-driving conviction AND a qualifying basis for the current violation or most recent prior violation: DUI, test refusal, a traffic offense causing death/serious bodily injury, or fleeing/eluding. Verify the convictions and the underlying suspension/revocation basis, not just the count on a record. Establish highway driving and knowledge as well. Other third/subsequent cases can remain misdemeanors, and subsection (10) may govern specified financial/attendance cases.
DWLSR — subsection (10), first conviction
Florida Statute § 322.34(10)(b)1.
First conviction for the same qualifying knowing-driving offense: second-degree misdemeanor under subsection (10)(b). Establish highway motor-vehicle driving and knowledge of the operative license action or equivalent status, AND no prior forcible felony under §776.08, AND an eligible basis in §322.34(10)(a)1.-6. Bases include child-support nonpayment, specified financial obligations (excluding §322.245(1)), civil-penalty noncompliance, chapter 324 financial responsibility, minors' attendance requirements, or qualifying HTO history. Verify the actual suspension basis, conviction history, and forcible-felony record; unpaid fines or an insurance suspension label alone do not establish all requirements. Review subsection (11)'s limited non-CDL compliance election.
DWLSR — subsection (10), second/subsequent conviction
Florida Statute § 322.34(10)(b)2.
Second or subsequent conviction for the same qualifying knowing-driving offense: first-degree misdemeanor under subsection (10)(b). Establish highway motor-vehicle driving and knowledge of the operative license action or equivalent status, AND no prior forcible felony under §776.08, AND an eligible basis in §322.34(10)(a)1.-6. Bases include child-support nonpayment, specified financial obligations (excluding §322.245(1)), civil-penalty noncompliance, chapter 324 financial responsibility, minors' attendance requirements, or qualifying HTO history. Verify the actual suspension basis, conviction history, and forcible-felony record; unpaid fines or an insurance suspension label alone do not establish all requirements. Review subsection (11)'s limited non-CDL compliance election.
DWLSR — unknowingly
Florida Statute § 322.34(1)
The civil track applies to highway driving while a license/privilege is canceled, suspended, or revoked when the criminal knowledge requirement is not established, excluding the habitual-offender track. Verify the actual status and dates and investigate knowledge rather than assuming it from a database return. Admissions, an earlier citation, or statutory notice may support knowledge and change the charge. Record the basis for selecting the civil track; no valid license and commercial disqualification are distinct provisions.
DWLSR/no DL causing death or serious bodily injury
Florida Statute § 322.34(6)
This felony requires operation without a license required by §322.03, OR a cancellation/suspension/revocation under one of the specifically listed provisions, PLUS careless or negligent operation causing another person's death or serious bodily injury. Document the qualifying license basis, negligent act, causal connection, and injury level. A suspended driver merely being involved in a serious crash does not establish the offense; not every suspension reason qualifies for the suspended-license alternative.
Electric bicycle violation
Florida Statute § 316.20655
A qualifying electric bicycle has fully operable pedals, a seat/saddle, a motor less than 750 W and a qualifying assist class: Class 1 pedal assist to 20 mph, Class 2 throttle assist to 20 mph, or Class 3 pedal assist to 28 mph. It shares bicycle duties without driver-license, title, registration or motor-vehicle financial-responsibility requirements. Local access, age and ID rules may differ. Manufacturer/distributor labeling duties are not automatically rider offenses; qualifying modifications require replacement labeling, which cannot legalize a nonqualifying machine. Check bicycle helmets, lighting, brakes and motor disengagement. No pedals or 750 W and above excludes an e-bike but does not alone resolve every other device classification. Identify the exact violation.
Entering highway from private road — fail to yield
Florida Statute § 316.125
Before entering or crossing a highway from an alley, building, private road, or driveway, yield to approaching highway traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard. In a business or residential district, also stop before crossing the sidewalk or its extension; if none exists, stop at the nearest point with a view before entering the street. Yield to nearby pedestrians as well. Document the exit location, sidewalk, stop, and conflicting traffic or pedestrians.
Excessive bumper height
Florida Statute § 316.251
For covered vehicles with net shipping weight no more than 5,000 pounds, measure ground to bumper bottom. Private-car front/rear maxima are 22/22 inches below 2,500 pounds, 24/26 from 2,500 to under 3,500, and 27/29 at 3,500 or more. Truck maxima are 24/26 below 2,000, 27/29 from 2,000 through 3,000, and 28/30 above 3,000 through 5,000. Confirm weight/class and statutory exclusions for new vehicles, antiques, horseless carriages, and street rods; a lift kit alone is not the violation.
Excessive sound from vehicle
Florida Statute § 316.3045
A motor-vehicle operator or occupant on a street/highway may not operate/amplify a sound device so its sound is plainly audible at least 25 feet from the vehicle, or louder than needed for occupants in areas adjoining homes, churches, schools, or hospitals. Record the source, location, audibility/distance, and applicable measurement standard. Required/permitted horns and necessary official emergency/law-enforcement communication devices are excepted. This concerns amplified/device sound, not the separate exhaust-noise rules; local lawful restrictions may be stricter.
Expired driver license 6 months or less
Florida Statute § 322.065
A person driving a motor vehicle on a highway with a driver license expired 6 months or less commits the civil expiration infraction in §322.065. Verify the expiration date, applicable extension, and driving; an active suspension/revocation is a different issue. More than 6 months uses §322.03(6), while commercial-license operation has a separate 30-day exception. This period defines the civil penalty track, not permission to drive on an expired license.
Expired driver license more than statutory grace period
Florida Statute § 322.03(6)
This track applies when a driver operates a motor vehicle on a highway with a license expired MORE than 6 months under current §322.03(6). Confirm the actual expiration date and operation; the first 6 months fall under the civil provision in §322.065. Commercial licenses have a separate 30-day rule. Check any statutory extension or exemption, and distinguish expiration from suspension/revocation. A license valid at arrest but not produced roadside has a statutory dismissal procedure.
Expired registration 6 months or less
Florida Statute § 320.07(3)(a)
This civil track concerns operation with registration expired 6 months or less. Confirm the actual expiration and whether the owner is present; the statute assigns responsibility to the present owner or otherwise the operator. Although registration expires at the specified time, this paragraph bars a citation until midnight on the last day of the owner's birth month in the expiration year. A qualifying lease of 30 days or less protects the operator. An old-looking decal alone does not establish the current registration status.
Expired registration more than 6 months — first offense
Florida Statute § 320.07(3)(b)
Registration expired more than 6 months is still a civil matter on a first offense under §320.07(3)(b). Confirm expiration, operation, owner/operator responsibility, and whether there is a qualifying prior offense before selecting the criminal repeat track. Check the short-term-lease exception. Do not treat the passage of 6 months by itself as a misdemeanor, and distinguish expired registration from a vehicle never properly registered.
Expired registration more than 6 months — repeat offense
Florida Statute § 320.07(3)(c)
The criminal track requires registration expired more than 6 months AND a second or subsequent offense. Establish the actual expiration period and qualifying prior record, not simply a prior stop or an assumption from the decal. The present owner is responsible, otherwise the operator, subject to the qualifying short-term-lease and statutory exceptions. If the repeat-offense requirement is not established, assess the civil first-offense track instead.
Fail to drive on right half of roadway
Florida Statute § 316.081
On a roadway wide enough for two-way traffic, vehicles generally must use the right half. Exceptions include lawful passing, an obstruction requiring a left-side movement with yielding to oncoming traffic, designated three-lane operation, and one-way traffic. Slower traffic generally belongs in the right lane except when passing or preparing a left turn. On multilane roads, a driver who knows or should know a faster vehicle is overtaking from behind must leave the far-left lane unless passing or preparing a left turn. Identify the applicable duty and exception.
Fail to yield to emergency vehicle
Florida Statute § 316.126(1)
When an authorized emergency vehicle immediately approaches while responding to an existing emergency with an audible warning or displayed blue/red lights, other drivers must yield, move as close as reasonable to the nearest curb/roadway edge clear of the intersection, and stop until it passes, unless an officer directs otherwise. Record the warning, approach, available stopping position, and failure to yield. This is the approaching-emergency-vehicle rule; stopped roadside vehicles use the Move Over requirements.
Fail to yield to highway construction worker
Florida Statute § 316.079
Drivers must yield to highway construction or maintenance workers and flagpersons when reasonably and lawfully warned by a flagperson and a warning sign or device. Drivers must also yield to an escort vehicle or pedestrian flagperson managing a permitted oversize load when reasonably and lawfully notified. Document the worker's activity, warning method, visibility, and the driver's failure to yield; a worker's presence alone does not establish the required notice.
Fail to yield to pedestrian in crosswalk
Florida Statute § 316.130
At a signalized crosswalk with a permitted pedestrian signal, or a crosswalk signed to require stopping, the driver must stop and remain stopped for a pedestrian on the vehicle's half of the road or approaching closely enough from the other half to be in danger. At an uncontrolled crosswalk, yield and slow or stop as necessary under the same proximity rule. Drivers must not pass a vehicle stopped for a crossing pedestrian. Record the pedestrian's location, signal/sign, and time available to yield; pedestrians may not suddenly step into an unavoidable path.
Failure to dim high beams
Florida Statute § 316.238
During required-lighting conditions, use beams that reveal people and vehicles at a safe distance without prohibited glare. For an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, use a distribution that does not project glare into the other driver's eyes; lawful low beams satisfy that requirement. When following another vehicle within 300 feet, do not use the uppermost beam. Record relative direction, distance, lighting conditions, and the beam/glare observed.
Failure to give information/render aid
Florida Statute § 316.062
After a crash involving injury, death, or damage to attended property, the driver must provide name, address, and vehicle registration number; show an available license on request; and provide reasonable assistance to injured people, including arranging treatment when apparently needed or requested. If no recipient can receive the information and no officer is present, the driver must report to the nearest authorized police office after completing other duties. Compelled reporting does not override self-incrimination protections. The statute has a qualifying automated-vehicle reporting exception. This section itself is a civil nonmoving violation.
Failure to maintain lane
Florida Statute § 316.089(1)
On a roadway with clearly marked lanes, a vehicle must remain as nearly as practicable within one lane and may leave it only after the driver determines the movement can be made safely. Document the markings, actual lane departure, traffic or other safety consequences, and circumstances affecting practicability, such as an obstruction. Apply the statutory safety and practicability qualifications rather than treating every touch of a lane line as automatically unlawful.
Failure to maintain property damage liability insurance
Florida Statute § 324.022(1)
An owner or operator of a covered vehicle required to be registered in Florida must maintain at least $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL) financial responsibility per crash. A $30,000 combined property-damage/bodily-injury policy or another authorized financial-responsibility/self-insurance method may satisfy the requirement. Verify vehicle identity, registration obligation, the person's owner/operator role, and actual coverage or authorized alternative at the relevant time. Missing an insurance card alone does not establish lack of coverage; failure to display proof is separately addressed by section 316.646. The vehicle definition covers highway-type vehicles with four or more wheels and associated trailers, with exclusions for mobile homes, specified public transit, school buses, certain for-hire vehicles, and personal delivery devices. Check the nonresident and conditional overseas-active-duty provisions. Section 324.221(2) supplies the second-degree-misdemeanor penalty where no other penalty is provided.
Failure to Obey a Lawful Traffic Official Order
Florida Statute § 316.072
The criminal track requires willful failure or refusal to obey a lawful order/direction from an authorized law-enforcement, traffic-crash investigation, or traffic-infraction enforcement officer, or a fire-department member at a fire, rescue, or other emergency. Identify the official’s authority, the order, its lawful traffic/emergency purpose, the person’s ability to perceive and comply, and intentional noncompliance. Ordinary breach of a traffic rule is not automatically this misdemeanor. The statute preserves qualifying emergency medical responders’ duties under applicable protocols.
Failure to pay required toll
Florida Statute § 316.1001(1)
Using a toll facility without paying the required toll is a civil moving violation, subject to §338.155 exceptions. Identify the vehicle, facility, unpaid toll, and responsible driver/owner through the applicable enforcement procedure. Mailed-owner citations have statutory notice and affidavit rules for another custodian or a stolen vehicle. §318.18(7) provides a $100 fine plus unpaid toll or an election to pay $30 plus unpaid toll with adjudication withheld and no points. Points may be imposed only by the court after a §318.14(5) hearing; nonpayment alone does not automatically authorize custodial arrest.
Failure to report qualifying crash
Florida Statute § 316.065(1)
A driver must immediately report a crash by the quickest communication method when it causes injury, death, or apparent property damage of at least $2,000. Notify municipal police within a municipality; otherwise notify the sheriff or nearest FHP office/station. Document the reporting trigger, opportunity to report, and failure to do so. This entry concerns the driver's civil duty in subsection (1), not the criminal repair-shop provision. Qualifying automated vehicles are excepted when the owner reports or the vehicle can alert law enforcement.
Failure to signal turn/lane change
Florida Statute § 316.155
A driver may turn or move right/left only when reasonably safe and must give an appropriate signal when another vehicle may be affected. A turn signal must continue through at least the last 100 feet before turning; a bicyclist may interrupt a hand signal when needed for control. Before stopping or suddenly slowing, signal a vehicle immediately behind when there is an opportunity. Document affected traffic, maneuver, signal use, and distance rather than assuming an absent signal alone resolves every case.
Failure to stop at stop sign
Florida Statute § 316.123(2)(a)
At a stop sign, make a complete stop at the marked stop line; if none, before the near-side crosswalk; otherwise at the nearest point with a view of approaching traffic before entering. After stopping, yield to vehicles already in the intersection or approaching closely enough to be an immediate hazard. At a four-way stop, the first to stop proceeds first; simultaneous arrivals yield to the vehicle on the right. An officer or controlling traffic signal may direct otherwise.
Failure to stop for school bus
Florida Statute § 316.172(1)(a)
A vehicle approaching a stopped school bus displaying a stop signal must stop fully and may not pass until the signal is withdrawn. Opposite-direction traffic is exempt only on a divided highway with an unpaved separation at least 5 feet wide, a raised median, or a physical barrier; painted lines alone do not qualify. Document bus status, displayed signal, travel direction, and divider. Passing on the child-entry/exit side has a separate mandatory-hearing track.
Failure to stop when traffic obstructed
Florida Statute § 316.2061
Do not enter an intersection or marked crosswalk unless space beyond it can accommodate the whole vehicle without obstructing vehicles or pedestrians. A green light or other permission to proceed does not excuse entering a blocked intersection. Document available space, vehicle length, the point of entry, and the resulting or foreseeable obstruction; the duty is assessed before entry.
Failure to yield at intersection
Florida Statute § 316.121
At an uncontrolled intersection, yield to traffic already in the intersection; if vehicles enter from different roads at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. A vehicle entering a state-maintained road from an uncontrolled approach must yield to traffic on that road. Traffic entering a paved city/county road from an uncontrolled unpaved road must also yield. Record arrival order, road type, traffic controls, and which approach had priority; posted controls can modify these rules.
Failure to yield at yield sign
Florida Statute § 316.123(3)
At a yield sign, slow to a reasonable speed and stop if safety requires. After slowing or stopping, yield to vehicles already in the intersection or approaching closely enough to create an immediate hazard. A required stop belongs before the crosswalk, or otherwise at the nearest point with a view before entering. A collision with a crosswalk pedestrian or intersection vehicle after passing the sign without stopping is statutory prima facie evidence of failure to yield; stopping is not mandatory at every yield sign.
Failure to yield to public transit bus
Florida Statute § 316.0815(1)
A driver must yield to a publicly owned transit bus traveling in the same direction AND signaling AND reentering traffic from a specifically designated pullout bay. Establish all those conditions together; this is not an unrestricted priority for every private bus, school bus, or bus changing lanes. Document public ownership, direction, signal, bay designation, and the failure to yield. The bus driver still must drive with due regard for everyone’s safety under subsection (2). This civil moving violation is separate from emergency-vehicle yielding and school-bus stop-signal requirements.
Failure to yield while turning left
Florida Statute § 316.122
A driver turning left at an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway must yield to opposing traffic and to vehicles lawfully passing on the left when they are in the intersection or close enough to present an immediate hazard. Document relative positions, speed/distance, and the lawful movement of the conflicting vehicle. A collision can support the account, but the assessment is whether the other vehicle constituted an immediate hazard during the turn.
False crash report/information
Florida Statute § 316.067
A person violates this section by giving false information in an oral, electronic, or written report required by chapter 316 while knowing, or having reason to believe, it is false. Identify the required report, the specific false statement, the accurate facts, and the evidence of knowledge or reason to believe. An unexplained discrepancy or good-faith mistake alone does not establish that mental state. The section applies to required reports, not every inaccurate roadside statement.
Flashing red signal
Florida Statute § 316.076(1)(a)
At a flashing red signal, stop at the marked stop line; if none, before the near-side crosswalk; if neither exists, at the nearest point with a view of approaching traffic before entering the intersection. Proceed only under the same yielding rules that apply after stopping at a stop sign. A rolling stop does not satisfy the duty. Flashing yellow requires caution rather than a stop. Railroad-crossing signals are governed by separate railroad provisions.
Fleeing or attempting to elude
Florida Statute § 316.1935(1)
The vehicle operator must know that a duly authorized officer ordered a stop and willfully refuse/fail to stop, or stop in knowing compliance and then willfully flee to elude the officer. Document the order, how the driver perceived it, and conduct showing intentional noncompliance. This subsection does not require the marked-patrol-car/lights-and-siren facts of subsection (2). Mere delay or failure to notice an order does not itself establish willfulness and knowledge.
Fleeing or Attempting to Elude
Florida Statute § 316.1935
Select the statutory theory: knowing, willful refusal of an officer’s stop order; willful flight from a prominently marked patrol vehicle with both lights and siren; or an aggravated track. High speed OR wanton disregard adds an enhancement to the marked-vehicle theory, and resulting serious injury/death adds another. Flight while unlawfully leaving a qualifying crash has different prerequisites. Document perception of the order, intentional evasion, markings/warnings, driving conduct, and causation rather than merging the theories.
Fleeing/eluding with lights and siren activated
Florida Statute § 316.1935(2)
This track requires willful flight or attempted eluding of an officer in an authorized patrol vehicle with prominent agency jurisdictional markings and BOTH siren and lights activated. Document the patrol markings, activation, and the suspect's conduct showing intentional evasion. Do not substitute an unmarked vehicle or lights alone for the specific prerequisites. High-speed/wanton driving and resulting serious injury/death are separate enhancements.
Following fire apparatus too closely
Florida Statute § 316.2025
Unless driving an authorized emergency vehicle on official business, do not follow responding fire apparatus closer than 500 feet. Also do not drive into or park within the block where apparatus has stopped for a fire alarm. Document the response, distance, and location. Following too closely is the moving track; prohibited parking has a different nonmoving classification.
Following too closely
Florida Statute § 316.0895(1)
A driver must not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent for speed, traffic, and highway conditions. Document following distance or time gap together with speed, visibility, surface, and available reaction/stopping room. The statute does not set a universal seconds rule for ordinary vehicles. A collision is not required, and the mere occurrence of a rear-end crash does not replace assessment of the following conduct and conditions.
Golf cart unlawful roadway operation
Florida Statute § 316.212
Golf carts may use public roads only through the designated-road, approved-crossing, park-road, or other statutory authorization. Daylight-only operation applies unless nighttime use is authorized and the cart has headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and a windshield. Required basic equipment includes brakes, steering, safe tires, rearview mirror, and front/rear red reflectors. Operators under 18 need a valid learner's or driver license; adults need government photo ID. Check local designation and vehicle type: low-speed vehicles have different rules. Road-use violations and equipment/ID violations have different classifications.
Handheld wireless device in school/work zone
Florida Statute § 316.306
While moving through a designated school crossing, school zone, or qualifying work zone, a driver may not use a wireless device in a handheld manner. The work-zone rule requires construction personnel present or equipment being operated on or immediately adjacent to the zone. Stationary vehicles are excluded; hands-free use/navigation, emergency reporting, specified messages, official duties, and autonomous operation have exceptions. Record the zone, activity, and device type on the citation. Follow the statute's device-search notice, warrant, nonconfiscation, and voluntary-consent safeguards.
Headlamps required
Florida Statute § 316.217
A vehicle operated on a highway must display the lights required for its class from sunset to sunrise, including twilight, and during any rain, smoke, or fog. Determine which required lamps were unlit and the actual time/weather; daytime running lights may not illuminate all required lamps. Stop and turn lamps must also work when used. A narrow law-enforcement exception requires necessity, a written agency policy, compliance with that policy, and safe operation; parked vehicles have separate exceptions.
Horn/warning device violation
Florida Statute § 316.271
A highway motor vehicle needs a working horn audible under normal conditions from at least 200 feet. Horns/warning devices may not be unreasonably loud or harsh or emit a prohibited whistle; use a horn when reasonably necessary for safety. Sirens, whistles, and bells are generally restricted to statutory authorizations, with separate emergency-use, theft-alarm, and trolley exceptions. Document the device, audibility or improper sound/use, vehicle authorization, and whether an exception applies.
Ignition interlock — tampering / circumvention / assistance
Florida Statute § 316.1937(6)-(8)
Select the act: tampering with or circumventing a court-ordered ignition interlock device; soliciting another person to blow/start for a restricted driver; providing that assistance; OR knowingly leasing/lending a vehicle without the required functioning certified device. Establish the operative restriction, prohibited act, and required knowledge/purpose. An employer-owned/leased vehicle may qualify for subsection (7)’s notified-employer exception with proof carried in the vehicle; the restricted person’s owned/controlled business is excluded. Subsection (8) specifies a civil nonmoving violation, with additional subsection (5) revocation consequences. Separate any independently established criminal restriction, suspension, or probation violation.
Illegal front side window tint
Florida Statute § 316.2953
Front side windows and wings adjacent to or ahead of the driver's seat may use tint only within the statutory limits: at least 28% visible-light transmission and no more than 25% visible reflectance. Test the installed glass-and-material combination, using an approved transmission device, and apply the ±3% statutory measurement tolerance. Record the window, reading, device, and material. Check valid medical and specified law-enforcement, process-server, or private-investigator exemptions under §316.29545 before citing.
Illegal rear window tint
Florida Statute § 316.2954
For film on windows behind the driver, the usual minimum transmission is 15%, or 6% for multipurpose passenger vehicles, with reflectance no more than 35%. Perforated materials, louvers, and open/secured privacy curtains have different conditions; a nontransparent rear window requires mirrors on both sides. Apply the ±3% tolerance and check §316.29545 exemptions. Document vehicle class, window, material type, and approved-device reading; do not apply front-window limits to every rear window.
Illegal/modified exhaust
Florida Statute § 316.272
Motor vehicles need a continuously operating exhaust system—including muffler, manifold pipe, and tailpiping—in good working order to prevent excessive or unusual noise. Using a muffler cutout, bypass, or similar device on a highway is prohibited. The engine and power mechanism must also prevent excessive fumes or smoke. Document the defective or bypassed equipment, observed noise, or escaping fumes/smoke; a modified appearance alone does not establish a violation. A numerical noise allegation must use the applicable regulatory decibel limit and measurement procedure. This section is a civil nonmoving violation.
Improper auxiliary/spot lamps
Florida Statute § 316.233
Check the lamp type before applying the limit: no more than two each of spot, fog, auxiliary passing, or auxiliary driving lamps. Spot beams may not strike another occupied/in-use vehicle's windows, mirror, or occupants. Fog lamps must be 12–30 inches high and meet the 25-foot beam-aim limit; auxiliary passing lamps 24–42 inches; auxiliary driving lamps 16–42 inches. Document count, measured height/aim, and use. Optional lamps are not automatically unlawful merely because added after manufacture.
Improper backing
Florida Statute § 316.1985
Backing is allowed only when it can be done safely and without interfering with other traffic. Backing on the roadway or shoulder of a limited-access facility is separately prohibited. Document the location, path, visibility, and conflicting traffic or hazard. Outside a limited-access facility, reversing alone is not the violation; identify the unsafe movement or interference.
Improper CDL class
Florida Statute § 322.54
Match the combination/vehicle weight or rating and use to the required license class. Class A generally covers combinations at least 26,001 pounds with a towed unit over 10,000; Class B covers qualifying heavy single vehicles and specified smaller towed units; Class C covers smaller vehicles requiring specified passenger, school-bus, or hazardous-material endorsements. Apply §322.53 exemptions, valid nonresident authority, and license restrictions. The civil exception for a CDL expired no more than 30 days must be separated from operating without the required class.
Improper driving on divided highway
Florida Statute § 316.090
On a highway divided by a median, physical barrier, or clearly indicated dividing section, vehicles must use the right-hand roadway unless traffic-control devices or police permit otherwise. Drivers may not travel over, across, or within the divider except through an established opening, crossover, or intersection, or with specific public authorization. Document the divider, crossing location, and lack of an authorized opening or direction.
Improper lamp color
Florida Statute § 316.224
Front clearance/identification lamps and front-side markers or reflectors must be amber; rear clearance/identification lamps and rear-side markers or reflectors must be red. Rear lighting is generally red, with specific exceptions: stop/signal devices may be red, amber, or yellow; the plate lamp must be white; backup lamps may be white or amber; authorized deceleration lights are amber. Identify the lamp's function and position before deciding that its color violates this section.
Improper license plate display
Florida Statute § 316.605
A vehicle on a public road must display its assigned plate outside the body, securely fastened against swinging, generally 12–60 inches high and within 24 inches of the centerline. Required characters/decal must be clear and legible from 100 feet, and the plate normally reads horizontally, not inverted or reversed. Check exceptions for truck-tractor front plates, qualifying former military vehicles, motorcycle mounting, and out-of-state vehicles. Document actual visibility or mounting defects; knowing alteration/concealment has a separate criminal provision in §320.061.
Improper parking
Florida Statute § 316.195
On a two-way roadway, park or stop with the right wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the right curb or roadway edge. On a one-way roadway, park in the lawful direction with the wheels on the selected side within 12 inches of that curb/edge, unless a local ordinance provides otherwise. Authorized angle parking is an exception. Document road direction, wheel-to-curb distance, orientation, and any applicable ordinance or marked parking arrangement.
Improper passing on right
Florida Statute § 316.084
Passing on the right is allowed when the other vehicle is turning or about to turn left, or when the roadway has sufficient unobstructed width for the permitted multiple lines of traffic, including qualifying one-way roads. The pass must be safe and may not leave the pavement or main-traveled roadway. Document lane layout, the other vehicle's movement, available width, and whether the driver used a shoulder or other off-roadway area.
Improper passing opposite direction
Florida Statute § 316.082
Vehicles meeting from opposite directions must pass to each other's right. On a road wide enough for only one line of traffic each way, each driver must provide the other approximately half of the main-traveled roadway, as nearly as possible. Document road width, vehicle positions, available room, and the encroachment. This section concerns meeting opposing traffic; use the overtaking provisions for vehicles traveling in the same direction.
Improper signal lamps/devices
Florida Statute § 316.234
Stop lamps must activate with the foot brake, emit red or amber, and be visible at least 300 feet behind in normal sunlight. Turn signals must flash on the turning side, with white/amber to the front and red/amber to the rear; required visibility is 500 feet for vehicles at least 80 inches wide and 300 feet for narrower vehicles. Covers may not alter those visibility requirements. Record lamp function, color, operation, vehicle width, and observation distance.
Improper towing
Florida Statute § 316.530
A towing connection must be strong enough for the load and generally no longer than 15 feet; indivisible structural loads have a length exception. A chain, rope, or cable connection needs a white flag/cloth at least 12 inches square. A rear-hitch trailer or semitrailer also needs adequate safety chains, cables, or approved devices linking it to the tow vehicle. Fifth-wheel hitches and farm equipment traveling below 20 mph are excepted from that safety-device subsection. Document connection type, length, marking, strength, and exception facts.
Improper turn at intersection
Florida Statute § 316.151
A right turn must approach and turn as close as practicable to the right curb/edge. A left turn must begin from the extreme left lane lawfully available and end in a lawful lane for the new direction. Traffic-control devices may prescribe another path. When overtaking a same-direction bicycle before turning right, signal and turn only when the bicycle is at least 20 feet from the intersection and the turn is safe. Document lane geometry, markings, and the actual path; bicycles have additional permitted left-turn methods.
Improper turn on red
Florida Statute § 316.075(1)(c)1
A right turn on steady red is permitted only after the required complete stop, unless a visible sign prohibits it. The driver must yield to pedestrians and traffic proceeding under the signal. A left turn on red is permitted only from a one-way street onto another one-way street carrying traffic to the left, after stopping and yielding, unless prohibited by signage. Record the approach, signal, stop location, signage, and any failure to yield; a turn on red is not automatically unlawful.
Improper U-turn
Florida Statute § 316.1515
A U-turn is permitted only if it can be made safely, without interfering with other traffic, and is not prohibited by posted traffic-control signs. Identify the sign prohibition or the actual interference/safety problem. Do not treat every U-turn as illegal merely because it occurs at an intersection. A curve or hillcrest with restricted visibility may also invoke the separate 500-foot visibility rule in §316.152.
Improper use of center lane
Florida Statute § 316.089(2)
On a three-lane roadway carrying traffic in both directions, the center lane may be used only for a safe pass of same-direction traffic, preparation for a left turn, or travel in a direction exclusively assigned by traffic-control devices. Establish the three-lane/two-way layout and the purpose of the center-lane use. A general travel lane must not be assumed from an unoccupied center lane; record opposing traffic, markings, and any permitted turn or pass.
Improper use of registration/license plate
Florida Statute § 320.261
This offense requires knowingly attaching a plate or validation/mobile-home sticker that was not issued, assigned, or lawfully transferred to that vehicle. Compare plate/sticker records with the vehicle's identity and determine who attached it and with what knowledge. A mismatch is important evidence but does not alone prove the current driver knowingly attached it. A lawful transfer is excluded, and forged/counterfeit plates involve a different provision.
Inoperative traffic signal intersection
Florida Statute § 316.1235
A driver approaching an inoperative traffic signal must stop as at a stop-sign intersection: at the line, otherwise before the crosswalk, otherwise at the nearest point with a view before entering. If only some lights are out, the driver facing the inoperative light still must stop. Apply the associated yielding rules after stopping and document the signal's actual condition. A flashing red or yellow signal is operating and is governed by its separate flashing-signal rule.
Insufficient clearance at railroad crossing
Florida Statute § 316.1576
Do not enter a railroad crossing unless there is enough space beyond it to clear completely without stopping or obstructing vehicles, pedestrians, trains, or rail equipment—even on a green signal. A vehicle must also have enough undercarriage clearance to cross without becoming stuck or obstructing rail traffic. Document queue space, vehicle length, crossing profile, and actual or predictable obstruction. The prohibited act is entering without sufficient clearance, not only a resulting collision.
Knowingly presenting proof of insurance not in force
Florida Statute § 316.646(4)
An operator who presents required proof of insurance while knowing the insurance represented by that proof is not currently in force commits a first-degree misdemeanor. Establish actual presentation, policy status at that time, and knowledge. Preserve the proof and specific statements and corroborating facts. A missing card alone is a civil proof issue; a canceled policy return or expired card does not by itself establish knowing presentation. This is separate from failure to maintain required property damage financial responsibility under 324.022(1).
Learner license — no qualifying accompanying driver
Florida Statute § 322.1615(2), (4)
A learner-license holder operating a motor vehicle must be accompanied at all times by a driver who holds a valid license for that vehicle type AND is at least 21 AND occupies the closest seat to the right of the driver. Document operation, learner status, companion age/license, and seating position. A licensed adult riding elsewhere does not satisfy the stated seating requirement. A violation is a civil moving infraction under subsection (4), distinct from having no valid driver license. Learner driving-hour restrictions under subsection (3) remain separately applicable.
Learner license — operation outside permitted hours
Florida Statute § 322.1615(3)-(4)
A learner-license holder may drive only during daylight hours for the first 3 months after issuance; after those 3 months, operation is permitted until 10 p.m. Establish the issuance date, learner status, actual operation, daylight conditions when relevant, and time. This is a civil moving violation under subsection (4). Passing the first 3 months does not remove the accompanying-driver requirement, and the work exceptions for fully licensed teenage drivers under §322.16 are not written into this learner-hours provision. Distinguish the learner track from the full-license teenage hours.
Leaving child unattended in motor vehicle
Florida Statute § 316.6135
A responsible person may not leave a child younger than 6 unattended/unsupervised in a motor vehicle for more than 15 minutes, or for any time while the engine runs, the child's health is endangered, or the child appears distressed. The over-15-minute track is criminal; the engine/danger/distress track is civil unless additional facts support an enhanced offense. Causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement invokes a felony track. Document age, duration, responsibility, supervision, and conditions. Officers may use reasonably necessary means to protect and remove the child.
Leaving scene crash involving attended vehicle/property
Florida Statute § 316.061
After a crash causing only damage to an attended vehicle or other attended property, the driver must immediately stop at or near the scene, return if necessary, and remain until completing the information and aid duties in §316.062. Establish that the property was attended and identify the unperformed duty. Unattended property is addressed in §316.063; injury or death invokes §316.027. Moving a damaged vehicle to avoid unnecessarily obstructing traffic is not itself leaving the scene.
Leaving scene crash involving death
Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(c)
A driver involved in a fatal crash on public or private property must stop and remain to provide identification and reasonable aid under §316.062. Document the willful failure to stop/remain, awareness of the crash, and the death caused by the crash; fault for causing the crash is distinct from the duty to remain. This is the fatal-crash track, with a four-year mandatory minimum subject to the statutory departure rule for non-DUI cases. The motorsports-event/closed-course exception applies.
Leaving scene crash involving injury
Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(a)
A driver involved in a crash on public or private property that injures another person must stop at or as near the scene as possible and remain to provide identification and reasonable aid under §316.062. This track requires a willful failure to stop/remain and an injury that does not meet the serious-bodily-injury definition. Document the driver's awareness of the crash, the injury, and the duty not performed. Separate the failure to move an obstructing vehicle from leaving the scene. The motorsports-event/closed-course exception applies.
Leaving scene crash involving serious bodily injury
Florida Statute § 316.027(2)(b)
A driver involved in a crash on public or private property must stop and remain to provide identification and reasonable aid when someone suffers serious bodily injury. Serious bodily injury means a substantial risk of death, serious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a bodily member or organ. Document the willful failure to stop/remain, the driver's awareness of the crash, and medical facts supporting that injury level. The motorsports-event/closed-course exception applies.
Leaving the Scene of a Crash
Florida Statute § 316.027 / 316.061 / 316.063
Determine whether the crash involved attended property only, unattended property, injury, serious bodily injury, or death. The driver’s stop/remain, identification, aid, and reporting duties differ by track. For unattended property, notifying the owner or leaving a proper note must be followed by police notification. For attended property/injury, remaining and completing §316.062 duties are central. Document awareness, actual damage/injury, and the specific omitted duty; moving a vehicle to clear traffic is not automatically leaving the scene. Check statutory automated-vehicle and motorsports exceptions where applicable.
Low-speed vehicle unlawful operation
Florida Statute § 316.2122
Low-speed vehicles and mini trucks generally may travel only on streets posted 35 mph or less, although they may cross a faster road at an intersection. They need the applicable registration, title, insurance, and driver license; low-speed vehicles also need the listed lights, reflectors, parking brake, mirrors, windshield, seat belts, and VIN. Local authorities or DOT may prohibit use for safety. Confirm the vehicle classification before citing: low-speed autonomous delivery vehicles have separate equipment and limited 45-mph-road allowances.
Lower beam required
Florida Statute § 316.2385
Use the lower/passing beam during morning and evening twilight and during fog, smoke, or rain. Twilight is the period between sunset and full darkness or between full darkness and sunrise. Record the condition and use of an upper beam. This requirement applies independently of whether another vehicle is within the high-beam dimming distances.
Mirror violation
Florida Statute § 316.294
A vehicle, including one towing another, must have a mirror positioned to give the driver a view of the highway at least 200 feet behind the vehicle. Assess the actual available view, including obstruction by a trailer or load, and document a missing, damaged, or poorly positioned mirror that prevents it. This section does not require a particular number of mirrors when the required rearward view is otherwise provided; tint-related side-mirror rules are separate.
Motor vehicle noise violation
Florida Statute § 316.293
Total vehicle noise may not exceed the class/year-specific limit measured under approved procedures, ordinarily 50 feet from the lane center. For 1979-and-newer ordinary vehicles the limits are 72 dBA where the speed limit is 35 mph or less and 79 above; motorcycles use 78/82, and qualifying 1975-and-newer vehicles rated at least 10,000 pounds use 86/90. Older classes have different limits. Separately, exhaust/noise-control modifications may not make a highway vehicle louder than originally manufactured. Record the applicable class, measurement or modification evidence, and any emergency, competition, testing, construction, or agricultural exception.
Motorcycle — handlebars above operator shoulders
Florida Statute § 316.2095(2)-(3)
A person may not operate a motorcycle with handlebars or handgrips higher than the top of that person’s shoulders while properly seated. Establish operation AND the actual handlebar/handgrip height relative to the properly seated operator; appearance, an “ape hanger” description, or a measurement taken without the operator does not itself establish the statutory comparison. Document posture and the comparison clearly. This is a civil nonmoving equipment infraction under subsection (3). Passenger footrests are addressed separately in subsection (1), and helmet or eye-protection requirements are separate statutory tracks.
Motorcycle — missing passenger footrests
Florida Statute § 316.2095(1), (3)
A motorcycle carrying a passenger must have footrests for that passenger unless the passenger rides in a sidecar or enclosed cab. Establish actual passenger carriage AND missing required passenger footrests; a solo motorcycle without passenger footrests does not establish this specific violation. Document the seating arrangement and any sidecar/enclosed-cab exception. This is a civil nonmoving equipment infraction under subsection (3), separate from helmet, eye-protection, seating, endorsement, or lane-operation offenses. The separate subsection (2) handlebar-height rule measures against the properly seated operator’s shoulders, not the passenger.
Motorcycle brake equipment violation
Florida Statute § 316.440
Motor-driven-cycle brake equipment is governed by §316.261 with motorcycle-specific exceptions. Motorcycles and motor-driven cycles do not need parking brakes. A sidecar wheel and the front wheel of a motor-driven cycle may lack brakes if the vehicle still meets required braking performance; the front-wheel exception is not stated for every motorcycle. Identify the vehicle class, missing or failed equipment, and applicable performance requirement before citing.
Motorcycle headlamp violation
Florida Statute § 316.405
A motorcycle or motor-driven cycle operated on a public street or highway must have its headlamp on during both day and night. Record operation and whether the lamp was illuminated; daytime visibility alone is not an exception. A headlamp may modulate between maximum and reduced intensity during daylight if it complies with the federal standard, so lawful modulation is not the same as an unlit lamp.
Motorcycle helmet/eye protection violation
Florida Statute § 316.211
Motorcycle riders generally need a securely fastened compliant helmet, and operators need approved eye protection. The helmet-only insurance exception applies to a person over 21 with at least $10,000 in motorcycle-crash medical benefits; it does not itself remove the operator's eye-protection duty. Enclosed-cab riders and qualifying riders age 16 or older on low-power, low-speed motorcycles have separate exceptions. Moped riders under 16 must wear compliant helmets. Confirm age, vehicle specifications, insurance, and the precise equipment violation.
Motorcycle improper lane operation
Florida Statute § 316.209
A motorcycle is entitled to a full lane. Riders may not pass another vehicle within its occupied lane, ride between lanes or rows of vehicles, or ride more than two motorcycles abreast in one lane. Two motorcycles abreast are permitted. The same-lane passing and between-lane restrictions do not apply to police officers or firefighters performing official duties. Record the lane configuration and actual maneuver rather than treating lawful side-by-side riding as lane splitting.
Motorcycle taillamp violation
Florida Statute § 316.410
A motorcycle or motor-driven cycle needs at least one taillamp mounted 20–72 inches above the ground. The rear plate must be illuminated with white light and readable from 50 feet; taillamp and plate lighting must come on with the headlamp or auxiliary driving lamps. Record the missing/defective lamp, measured mounting height if relevant, or plate visibility. Use the motorcycle-specific requirements instead of assuming the general two-taillamp rule applies.
Motorcycle/moped improper operation
Florida Statute § 316.2085
Motorcycle/moped operators must sit facing forward astride an appropriate seat and keep both wheels on the ground; brief wheel lift from road conditions or circumstances beyond the rider's control is excepted. Deliberate wheelies under 316.2085(2) invoke 316.1926(1) and the additional/repeat penalties in 318.14(13); verify qualifying history before escalation. An isolated wheelie is not automatically reckless driving or statutory stunt driving. Passenger, load, plate and under-16 over-150-cc/rental rules have separate elements. Do not convert electric watts into cc for the age rule. Classify an electric machine under the applicable definitions before citing this section.
Motorized scooter/micromobility violation
Florida Statute § 316.2128
Motorized scooters and micromobility devices generally follow bicycle rules, except provisions that cannot apply to their seating/child-carrier design. Local ordinances may regulate where they operate and impose age or government-photo-ID requirements. These devices do not require a driver license, motor-vehicle registration, or insurance under the cited exemptions. Identify the actual bicycle-rule or valid local-rule violation and device class; do not cite ordinary unlicensed driving solely because a scooter has a motor. Miniature motorcycles have distinct restrictions.
Move Over Act violation
Florida Statute § 316.126(1)(b)
For qualifying roadside emergency, sanitation, utility, recovery, maintenance/construction, or disabled vehicles, move out of the closest lane as soon as safe on a road with at least two lanes in the same direction. If moving over is unsafe, or on a two-lane road, reduce speed by 20 mph below a posted limit of at least 25 mph, or to 5 mph for limits of 20 mph or less. A disabled vehicle qualifies through warning/hazard lights, flares/signage, or a visibly present person. Document the qualifying roadside activity, warnings, lane availability, and speed.
Municipal/county speed zone violation
Florida Statute § 316.189
Determine the municipal or county road's applicable speed limit, including a lawfully established local speed zone. The general municipal/business/residential limit is 30 mph, but authorized changes must be posted with plainly visible, legible signs before taking effect. Record the precise location, speed, limit, signage, and any zone boundary. State-highway limits are set by the Department of Transportation, so do not assume a local ordinance changes a state road's limit. Mandatory court date: an excess of exactly 30 mph qualifies under §318.19(5) when cited under §316.183(2), §316.187, or §316.189. The person must appear before the designated official at the scheduled hearing; ordinary payment or driver-school election under §318.14(4) or (9) is unavailable. See the dedicated Speeding 30+ MPH over limit — mandatory court hearing entry.
No CDL
Florida Statute § 322.53
A driver of a commercial motor vehicle generally needs a valid CDL. Confirm vehicle weight/rating, passenger or hazardous-material use, and license status. Exemptions include qualifying emergency/military operation, specified farm transport, recreational vehicles, certain own-property straight-truck use, and restricted transit-yard work; for-hire commercial drivers remain subject to the stated CDL rule. Some exempt residents still need a Class E or military license. Distinguish no CDL from the wrong class/endorsement or a CDL expired no more than 30 days.
No proof of insurance/security
Florida Statute § 316.646(3)
A person operating a vehicle for which required liability/PIP security applies must carry and display proper proof on demand; paper and authorized electronic proof are accepted. Document whether the driver is the owner/registrant because failure to establish coverage at the time can affect that person's license and registration. Knowingly presenting proof of insurance that is not in force is a separate criminal offense, not this ordinary civil failure-to-display track. Showing an insurance screen does not consent to searching other phone content.
No proper endorsement
Florida Statute § 322.57
Determine whether the actual vehicle/use requires an endorsement: doubles/triples, passenger service, school bus, tank vehicle, placarded hazardous materials, combined tank/hazmat, or motorcycle. Compare required endorsements with the license and restrictions, including valid nonresident authority. Commercial endorsements require an appropriate CDL; motorcycle authority may instead be a motorcycle-only Class E license. Do not apply a commercial misdemeanor classification to every motorcycle-endorsement issue. A CDL expired no more than 30 days has a separate civil exception.
No valid driver license
Florida Statute § 322.03(1)
Driving a motor vehicle on a Florida highway without a valid required license violates §322.03(1), subject to chapter exemptions such as qualifying nonresident licenses, official federal operation, temporary farm equipment, and authorized adult golf-cart use. Establish highway operation, identity, license status, and the absence of an applicable authorization. First, second, and later convictions have different penalties. A valid license merely not carried is a different civil issue; producing a license valid at arrest may require dismissal under subsection (7).
No Valid Driver License
Florida Statute § 322.03
Driving a motor vehicle on a Florida highway without a valid required license violates §322.03(1), subject to chapter exemptions such as qualifying nonresident licenses, official federal operation, temporary farm equipment, and authorized adult golf-cart use. Establish highway operation, identity, license status, and the absence of an applicable authorization. First, second, and later convictions have different penalties. A valid license merely not carried is a different civil issue; producing a license valid at arrest may require dismissal under subsection (7).
Obedience to traffic control devices
Florida Statute § 316.074(1)
Drivers must obey an applicable official traffic-control device lawfully placed under chapter 316 unless an officer directs otherwise or an authorized-emergency-vehicle exception applies. Identify the sign, signal, or marking and the instruction violated. When a device is legally required, it must be properly positioned and sufficiently legible to an ordinarily observant person. Driving from one roadway to another to avoid the device is also prohibited. Use the more specific signal or sign provision when it describes the conduct.
Obstruction to driver's view/control
Florida Statute § 316.2004
A driver may not operate with a load or front-seat occupants obstructing the forward/side view or interfering with the controls. Passengers also may not position themselves to obstruct the driver's view/control. Signs, posters, or other nontransparent material on specified windows violate the section when they materially obstruct the view of the highway or an intersecting highway. Describe the actual obstruction and affected view/control; the mere presence of an object or sticker is not enough without the statutory effect.
Open container — driver
Florida Statute § 316.1936
An operator may not possess an open alcoholic beverage container or consume alcohol while operating a vehicle; the prohibition also covers sitting in a motor vehicle parked/stopped within the broadly defined road/right-of-way. A broken seal or immediate ability to drink makes a container open. A container not possessed by a passenger is attributed to the operator unless in a locked glove compartment, trunk, or other locked nonpassenger area. Verify alcohol, seal, location, possession, and lawful sealed takeout exceptions; driver violations are moving.
Open container — passenger
Florida Statute § 316.1936
A passenger's physical control of an open alcoholic container establishes possession; consuming alcohol is also prohibited. The law covers operating vehicles and specified parked/stopped road locations. Passenger exceptions include qualifying contracted transport with a passenger-endorsed CDL driver, buses with such drivers, and self-contained motor homes over 21 feet; parked/stopped vehicles have additional passenger exceptions. Lawfully sealed takeout beverages are excluded. Document the passenger's control, beverage/seal, vehicle use, and applicable exception; the passenger track is nonmoving.
Passing in no-passing zone
Florida Statute § 316.0875
Drivers must obey clearly visible signs or pavement markings establishing a no-passing zone and generally may not drive left of its boundary. Exceptions permit safely and briefly crossing only as necessary to avoid an obstruction, turn into/out of an alley/private road/driveway, or pass a bicycle, electric bicycle, or other nonmotorized vehicle under the applicable safe-passing rule. Record markings, visibility, the maneuver, and whether one of these limited exceptions actually applies.
Passing school bus on side children enter/exit
Florida Statute § 316.172(1)(b)
Passing a school bus on the side where children enter or exit while it displays a stop signal triggers the specific mandatory-hearing violation. Document the stop signal, the vehicle's path, and that it passed on the loading/unloading side; the general school-bus stopping duty also requires the bus to be stopped. Distinguish this from opposite-direction travel separated by a qualifying median or barrier. Identify any resulting injury because it changes consequences.
Pedestrian disobey traffic-control device
Florida Statute § 316.130
Pedestrians must follow traffic-control devices that apply to them unless directed otherwise by police. Identify the actual signal or sign and the pedestrian's action: entering against a steady red indication, starting on yellow where the vehicle signal controls, or disobeying a pedestrian-specific signal are different facts. Do not assume every crossing outside painted lines is prohibited: unmarked intersection crosswalks, adjacent signalized intersections, and yielding rules affect the analysis. The driver still has a duty of due care.
Pedestrian improperly walking along roadway
Florida Statute § 316.130
When a sidewalk is provided, pedestrians generally must use it rather than walk along the paved vehicle roadway, unless circumstances require otherwise. Without a sidewalk, walk on the left shoulder facing approaching traffic when practicable. Document sidewalk availability, shoulder conditions, direction of travel, and circumstances making compliance impracticable. Walking on a limited-access facility or its connecting ramp is separately prohibited, with an exception for governmental maintenance personnel.
Permitting unauthorized minor to drive
Florida Statute § 322.35
A person may not cause or knowingly permit their child or ward under 18 to drive a motor vehicle on a highway without chapter 322 authorization. Establish the parent/guardian relationship, minor's age, actual highway driving, license/restriction status, and causation or knowing permission. A minor can lawfully drive with the required license and supervision, so age alone is insufficient. Permission involving another person's vehicle or an unrelated driver may fit §322.36 instead.
Permitting unauthorized person to drive
Florida Statute § 322.36
An owner or person controlling a vehicle may not authorize or knowingly permit it to be driven on a highway/public street by someone not duly authorized under chapter 322. Identify ownership/control, the driver's lack of authority, and permission or knowledge; mere ownership does not establish the offense. Knowingly lending to a suspended driver who then has an injury/death crash carries additional license consequences. Unauthorized assistance on a CDL examination is a separate subsection, not the loan-of-vehicle conduct summarized here.
Projecting load — no required lamp/flag
Florida Statute § 316.228
A load projecting at least 4 feet behind the body/bed requires prescribed red rear and side lamps and rear reflectors during required-lighting hours. At other times, loads projecting beyond the sides or more than 4 feet to the rear need red flags at least 18 inches square marking the extremities. Measure overhang from the vehicle body/bed and record time and visibility. Unprocessed logs/pulpwood on commercial vehicles have an additional amber-strobe and red-flag rule for rear projections over 4 feet; do not substitute the ordinary daytime flag rule for that requirement.
Purchase/possession of license plate obscuring device
Florida Statute § 320.262(2)
Purchasing OR possessing a qualifying license plate obscuring device violates 320.262(2), a second-degree misdemeanor. A switch-controlled electronic blackout cover may meet 320.262(1)(c)/(d) when designed or adapted to hide or interfere with reading/recording the plate number or validation sticker. Establish purchase or possession/control and the device definition; activation or a separate crime is not required for subsection (2). Document the switch, wiring, before/after visibility, awareness and control; mere proximity is insufficient. Frames leaving the plate number and decal visible are excepted. Subsection (3) addresses manufacture/sale/distribution; (4) requires crime-assisted use for a felony. NTA is conditional on lawful authority, Rule 3.125 and agency procedure, not automatic. Assess electronic-switch blackout plates, plate flippers and remote control tag blockers under the same device definition.
Racing / street takeover / stunt driving
Florida Statute § 316.191
Identify the person's role: driving in a race/exhibition, facilitating or coordinating it, knowingly riding as a passenger, deliberately impeding traffic, operating a filming vehicle, or supplying fuel are separate prohibited acts. A street takeover blocks or impedes traffic on a highway, roadway, or parking lot for the specified driving activity; a coordinated takeover involves at least 10 vehicles. Mere spectatorship is a separate civil track requiring knowing attendance by affirmative choice. Document the competition/stunt, role, location, and any prior-offense or emergency-vehicle enhancement. Authorized tracks and designated venues are excepted.
Racing, Street Takeovers, and Stunt Driving
Florida Statute § 316.191
Identify the person's role: driving in a race/exhibition, facilitating or coordinating it, knowingly riding as a passenger, deliberately impeding traffic, operating a filming vehicle, or supplying fuel are separate prohibited acts. A street takeover blocks or impedes traffic on a highway, roadway, or parking lot for the specified driving activity; a coordinated takeover involves at least 10 vehicles. Mere spectatorship is a separate civil track requiring knowing attendance by affirmative choice. Document the competition/stunt, role, location, and any prior-offense or emergency-vehicle enhancement. Authorized tracks and designated venues are excepted.
Railroad crossing traffic-control violation
Florida Statute § 316.1575
Stop 15–50 feet from the nearest rail when a crossing signal warns of approaching rail traffic, a gate is down, an officer/flagger signals, or an approaching train/equipment gives an audible warning or presents the specified immediate hazard. Proceed only when clear and safe. Do not drive through, around, or under a gate while closed, opening, or closing. Record the signal/gate condition, rail traffic, stopping point, and movement; pedestrian and vehicle violations have different penalty tracks.
Reckless driving
Florida Statute § 316.192
Reckless driving requires driving with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, not merely ordinary carelessness. Document the driving pattern and circumstances showing that level of disregard. Fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle is reckless driving per se under this section. Identify any damage to another's property/person or serious bodily injury caused by the operation because those facts create separate enhanced tracks. Prior convictions change the baseline statutory punishment; consult the detailed guide for the applicable track.
Reckless Driving
Florida Statute § 316.192
Reckless driving requires driving with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, not merely ordinary carelessness. Document the driving pattern and circumstances showing that level of disregard. Fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle is reckless driving per se under this section. Identify any damage to another's property/person or serious bodily injury caused by the operation because those facts create separate enhanced tracks. Prior convictions change the baseline statutory punishment; consult the detailed guide for the applicable track.
Red traffic signal
Florida Statute § 316.075(1)(c)1
A driver facing steady red must stop before the near-side crosswalk or, if none, before entering the intersection, and remain stopped until permitted to proceed. For an authorized turn on red, stop at the marked stop line, otherwise before the crosswalk, otherwise at the nearest point with a view before entering. Document that the signal was red when the vehicle entered, rather than merely changing while it was already inside. Lawful turns on red remain subject to posted restrictions and yielding duties.
Red-light camera - owner notice / citation
Florida Statute § 316.075(1)(c)1. / 316.0083
Camera enforcement of failure to stop at a red traffic signal uses the owner-liability procedure in 316.0083; identify the vehicle, prohibited entry, images/video, and authorized traffic infraction enforcement officer review. This differs from an officer-issued roadside red-light citation. A notice of violation must be sent within 30 days after the violation; pay $158, furnish a qualifying affidavit, or request a hearing within 60 days following notification to avoid issuance of a UTC. A later UTC follows statutory certified-mail rules and court procedures. Do not issue a camera notice/citation for a careful and prudent right turn where permitted, or a permitted right turn after a complete stop beyond the stop line. Owner defenses include yielding to an emergency vehicle or traveling as part of a funeral procession, officer direction, another custodian (including stolen-vehicle documentation), a duplicate officer-issued UTC, or the deceased-owner provision; follow the applicable affidavit and reissuance deadlines. Camera enforcement has no points and may not be used to set insurance rates under 322.27(3)(d)6. This is a civil enforcement track; no criminal jury instruction applies.
Refusal to Submit to DUI Testing
Florida Statute § 316.1939
A lawful breath/urine refusal charge requires DUI probable cause, lawful arrest unless the specified implied-consent exception applies, the required suspension and criminal-penalty warnings, and refusal after the request and warnings. Under current law, a first qualifying refusal is also criminal; a qualifying prior refusal suspension or boating-refusal fine supports the enhanced track. Document the lawful test basis, exact warnings, response, and prior record. This provision does not make every refusal of any test criminal; blood requests and the test-specific implied-consent rules require separate analysis.
Refusal to submit to testing — first refusal
Florida Statute § 316.1939(1)
A first qualifying refusal of a lawful breath or urine test is a second-degree misdemeanor. Establish DUI probable cause, lawful arrest unless the specified implied-consent exception applies, the lawful test basis/request, required suspension and criminal-penalty warnings, AND refusal after the warnings. A prior refusal is not required for this first-refusal track under current law. Record exact warnings and response; not every refusal of every test is criminal, and blood requests require separate analysis. A qualifying prior refusal suspension or boating-refusal fine invokes the separate first-degree repeat track; administrative and criminal proceedings remain independent.
Refusal to submit to testing — qualifying repeat refusal
Florida Statute § 316.1939
For this first-degree misdemeanor track, establish a qualifying prior refusal suspension OR prior fine under §327.35215, together with DUI probable cause, lawful arrest unless the specified implied-consent exception applies, a lawful breath/urine request, the required suspension and criminal warnings, and refusal after those warnings. Obtain the actual prior record; a prior DUI conviction alone does not establish a prior refusal. A first qualifying refusal is separately a second-degree misdemeanor. Administrative and criminal dispositions are independent; blood-test requests require separate test-specific analysis and are not automatically criminal under this breath/urine provision.
Registration documentation not carried / displayed
Florida Statute § 320.0605(1)
While the vehicle is operated on Florida roads, the operator must possess or carry in the vehicle AND exhibit on demand an authorized registration document: registration certificate/official copy, qualifying rental or lease documentation, temporary Internet-renewal receipt, or IRP cab card. Check the §320.0657 exception and first 30 days after purchase of a replacement vehicle. Qualifying rental/lease documentation may be electronic; displaying it does not consent to access other device information. This civil nonmoving violation differs from an unregistered vehicle. Proof of registration valid at citation may support clerk dismissal under §318.18(2)(b)1.
Safety belt violation — driver
Florida Statute § 316.614
A driver of a covered motor vehicle or autocycle must be properly belted and must ensure every occupant under 18 is restrained by a belt or required child restraint. The law also covers a vehicle stationary at a traffic-control device. Check physician certification, specified delivery/collection-route duties, federal-equipment exclusions, and excluded vehicle/living-area categories. Record driver/child age, seating, restraint use, and exception facts. An adult front-seat passenger's own violation is a separate track.
Safety belt violation — passenger
Florida Statute § 316.614
An adult passenger age 18 or older in the front seat of a covered motor vehicle or autocycle must wear a properly fastened and adjusted safety belt while it is moving. This subsection does not impose the same requirement on adult rear-seat passengers; under-18 occupants are covered through the operator's duty. Verify age, seat location, vehicle type, and statutory medical, occupational, or equipment exceptions. A loose or unfastened belt does not meet the restraint definition.
School zone speeding
Florida Statute § 316.1895(10)
School-zone unlawful speed is cited under 316.1895(10): driving a vehicle within a designated school zone above the lawfully posted speed in force. Subsections (5), (6) and (7) govern active arrival/departure periods, posted times or beacons, and portable signs. Record speed, operative limit, zone location, date/time, signs, school schedule and measurement foundation. The reduced limit is not automatically active all day. Officer citations use 318.18(3)(b)/(c), including a $50 school-zone fine for 1–5 mph over. Camera enforcement under 316.1896 uses a separate more-than-10-mph threshold, $100 penalty and no points. Section 318.19(5) does not list 316.1895; do not presume a mandatory 30-mph-over hearing solely for this subsection. Crash consequences and separate criminal speed offenses require their own facts.
Speeding 15 MPH or less over limit
Florida Statute § 316.183 / 316.189
Establish the vehicle's speed and the lawful limit in effect at that location and time; this entry covers an excess of 15 mph or less. Record the measurement method, speed, posted/statutory limit, and any active school or work zone. A 1–5 mph excess generally carries a warning under §318.18 outside the specified school/construction exceptions; it is not the same penalty band as 6–15 mph. Even below a maximum, speed may be unlawful for actual hazards under §316.183.
Speeding 30+ MPH over limit — mandatory court hearing
Florida Statute § 318.19(5) / 316.183(2) / 316.187 / 316.189
Mandatory court appearance applies when BOTH the vehicle exceeds the lawful speed limit by 30 mph or more AND the cited speeding infraction is under §316.183(2), §316.187, or §316.189. Exactly 30 mph over qualifies. Record measured speed, lawful limit, excess speed, measurement method, location, and the applicable speeding statute. Section 318.19(5) is the hearing requirement, not a separate speeding charge. The person must appear before the designated official at the scheduled time and location; §318.14(2), (4), and (9) options are unavailable, including ordinary payment and driver-school election. Section 318.19(5) does not list §316.1895; assess a school-zone citation by its actual statutory track and any other hearing trigger. The 30+ threshold alone is a civil infraction; separately assess dangerous excessive speeding under §316.1922 at 50 mph or more over, or at 100 mph or more with the required threat/interference. A second or subsequent qualifying 30+ mph speeding conviction within 12 months doubles the scheduled fine under §318.18(3)(i).
Speeding more than 15 MPH over limit
Florida Statute § 316.183 / 316.189
Establish the measured speed and lawful limit; this entry covers more than 15 mph over that limit. Record the exact excess because points, fine bands, and mandatory-hearing rules differ, including hearings for 30 mph or more over. Check whether §316.1922's separate criminal threshold applies at 50 mph or more over, or at 100 mph or more with the specified threat/interference. Document school/work-zone status and conditions rather than treating all high-speed violations as the same charge. Mandatory court date: an excess of exactly 30 mph qualifies under §318.19(5) when cited under §316.183(2), §316.187, or §316.189. The person must appear before the designated official at the scheduled hearing; ordinary payment or driver-school election under §318.14(4) or (9) is unavailable. See the dedicated Speeding 30+ MPH over limit — mandatory court hearing entry.
Stopping/standing/parking prohibited
Florida Statute § 316.1945
Identify whether the conduct is stopping, standing, or parking: the exceptions differ. No stopping includes sidewalks, crosswalks, intersections, tracks, bicycle paths, and specified obstructing locations. Standing/parking restrictions include 15 feet from hydrants, 20 feet from intersection crosswalks, 30 feet approaching specified roadside signals/signs, driveways, and exclusive bicycle lanes, with a momentary passenger-loading exception. Parking near rails uses a 50-foot rule and a loading exception. Check officer/control-device directions, necessary traffic avoidance, and limited-access breakdown/aid exceptions; document the exact location and distance.
Teen driver hours — licensed driver age 17
Florida Statute § 322.16(3), (6)
A licensed 17-year-old may not operate a motor vehicle after 1 a.m. and before 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a driver at least 21 with a valid license for the vehicle type OR driving directly to or from work. Verify age, operation, precise time, the accompanying driver’s authorization, and any work exception. This is a civil moving violation. Drivers under 17 have different hours; learner-license holders have separate accompaniment and daylight/10 p.m. restrictions. Do not infer criminal license status merely from being out during restricted driving hours.
Teen driver hours — licensed driver under 17
Florida Statute § 322.16(2), (6)
A licensed driver under 17 may not operate a motor vehicle after 11 p.m. and before 6 a.m. unless accompanied by a driver at least 21 who holds a valid license for the vehicle type OR driving directly to or from work. Establish age, operation, time, accompaniment, and any work exception together before citing. This is a civil moving violation, not an automatic curfew arrest or no-valid-license charge. A learner’s license has separate accompaniment and daylight/10 p.m. rules under §322.1615; do not substitute these full-license hours.
Television/video visible to driver
Florida Statute § 316.303
A moving vehicle on a highway may not actively display moving television or prerecorded video entertainment visible from the driver's seat. Establish that the vehicle was moving, the content was entertainment, and it was visible to the driver—not merely that a screen was installed. Navigation displays, approved safety/law-enforcement equipment, specified autonomous/platooning displays, and operation with the automated driving system engaged have statutory exceptions.
Too fast for conditions / special hazard
Florida Statute § 316.185
Driving below the posted limit does not excuse failure to reduce speed for an intersection, curve, hillcrest, narrow/winding road, pedestrian/traffic hazard, weather, or roadway condition. Identify the particular hazard and why the speed was unsafe or a reduction was necessary to avoid a collision. Document visibility, surface, traffic, and the driver's response. This section requires a conditions-based assessment rather than proof that a posted numerical limit was exceeded.
Trailer — clearance lamps, side markers & reflectors
Florida Statute § 316.2225(4)-(6)
Under §316.217 lighting conditions, trailers and semitrailers over 3,000 pounds gross weight require two front clearance lamps; two side marker lamps and two reflectors on each side (front/rear); and two rear clearance lamps, two rear reflectors, and a stop light. Pole trailers over 3,000 pounds have the separate subsection (5) configuration. At 3,000 pounds gross or less, trailers, semitrailers, and pole trailers require two rear reflectors; a trailer/semitrailer obscuring the tow vehicle stop lamp also requires a stop light under (6). These are additional requirements; assess §316.221 taillamps and §316.222 stop lamps/turn signals separately. Document actual gross weight, trailer type, lighting conditions, lamp position and visibility. Boat trailer, utility trailer, trailer lights.
Trailer / vehicle combination — excess length
Florida Statute § 316.515(3)
Unless specifically excepted, noncommercial combinations may have no more than two coupled units and may not exceed 65 feet overall including the load, excluding approved safety/energy devices. Straight trucks generally may tow one trailer with a 68-foot overall limit under (3)(a). Tractor-semitrailer limits differ: 48 feet generally; more than 48 through 57 feet may qualify under (3)(b)2. with the required kingpin-to-rear-axle distance and underride protection, subject to route restrictions. Commercial tandem units, auto/boat transporters, horticultural loads, and other specialized configurations have separate rules. Identify the configuration and relevant measurement before selecting the limit. Trailer size, boat trailer, utility trailer, double towing. Measure vehicle and load, identify the actual configuration and route, and check statutory exemptions and any valid special permit under §316.550. Agricultural/forestry and other specialized exceptions must be assessed under §316.515. Section 316.516 allows measurement based on reason to believe dimensions are unlawful and, after measurement with no valid special permit, stopping in a suitable place until a permit is obtained or irregularities are corrected.
Turning on curve/crest of grade
Florida Statute § 316.152
A driver may not turn to reverse direction on a curve, or approaching or near a hillcrest, when the vehicle cannot be seen by a driver approaching from either direction within 500 feet. Document the reversing turn, the curve or grade, and the available sight distance in both directions. This provision is about a direction-reversing turn with restricted visibility, not every turn made on a curved roadway.
Unattended motor vehicle
Florida Statute § 316.1975
Before leaving a motor vehicle unattended, stop the engine, lock the ignition, and remove the key. On a perceptible grade, also effectively set the brake and turn the front wheels toward the curb/roadside. Exceptions include qualifying official emergency vehicles with an activated immobilizing antitheft device, active deliveries, waste collection, remote-start vehicles with ignition/transmission/doors locked, and qualifying automated-driving operation. Record unattended status, engine/key/grade conditions, and whether an exception actually applies.
Unauthorized red/blue/special lights
Florida Statute § 316.2397
Red/red-and-white/blue light visible directly from the front, blue lights generally, and flashing lights are restricted unless the vehicle and use fit a statutory authorization. Confirm color, direction, operation, and emergency, wrecker, service, security, or other authorized status. Turn signals, lawful stopped/disabled warnings, intermittent headlamp flashes, and hazard use in extremely low visibility on roads posted at least 55 mph have exceptions. A subsection (1) violation used to stop or attempt to stop another vehicle is a separate felony track; ordinary unauthorized lighting is civil.
Unauthorized vehicle/use on limited access facility
Florida Statute § 316.091
Enter or leave a limited-access roadway only at established public entrances and exits. Bicycles, motor-driven cycles, animal-drawn vehicles, and vehicles incompatible with safe traffic flow are generally prohibited; animals may not be ridden there. Human-powered travel on the roadway or shoulder is allowed only under the specified signed and marked bicycle-lane exception. Officially designated shoulder-use traffic can also be authorized. Identify the facility, vehicle type, access point, and controlling signs before citing.
Unlawful alteration/obscuring of license plate
Florida Statute § 320.061
A person knowingly altering an assigned registration document, plate, or sticker, or applying material that interferes with plate-number/decal legibility, angular visibility, detection, or recording, may violate §320.061. Document the alteration/material, its effect, and knowledge. A frame or decorative border is expressly allowed if it leaves the plate number and registration decal visible. Distinguish intentional alteration/concealment from an ordinary civil display defect; a plate frame alone is not criminal.
Unlawful conveyance / fraudulent obtaining of fuel
Florida Statute § 316.80
This section prohibits maintaining or possessing a vehicle/conveyance equipped to haul motor or diesel fuel on a public highway in containers that fail the federal conformity or U.S. DOT approval requirements. Containers of 8 gallons or less are excepted. Document container capacity, configuration, approval/compliance, and the fuel-transport purpose. The enhanced track also requires obtaining or attempting to obtain fuel through specified payment-card, computer-access, or payment-device fraud; it is not a general failure-to-pay-for-fuel offense.
Unlawful riding on exterior of vehicle
Florida Statute § 316.2015
An operator may not let someone ride on specified exterior parts of a passenger vehicle, such as the hood, roof, bumper, or trunk, on publicly maintained roads. Riding elsewhere not designed for passengers has occupational, emergency, and truck-body exceptions. Under-18 riders in an open pickup/flatbed body on limited-access roads need the specified secure seating/restraints, subject to medical-emergency and county exemptions. Exhibitions/parades are separately excepted. Identify vehicle type, rider age/position, road, and exception; operator and rider tracks differ in classification.
Unlawful speed
Florida Statute § 316.183
A driver must keep speed reasonable and prudent for actual and potential hazards, even below the posted limit, and must obey the applicable maximum. Reduce speed appropriately for intersections, rail crossings, curves, hillcrests, narrow roads, weather, and other hazards. Excessively slow driving that blocks normal traffic is also prohibited unless needed for safety or legal compliance. Identify whether the violation is excessive measured speed, unsafe speed for conditions, or unlawful impediment; document the supporting conditions and applicable limit. Mandatory court date: an excess of exactly 30 mph qualifies under §318.19(5) when cited under §316.183(2), §316.187, or §316.189. The person must appear before the designated official at the scheduled hearing; ordinary payment or driver-school election under §318.14(4) or (9) is unavailable. See the dedicated Speeding 30+ MPH over limit — mandatory court hearing entry.
Unlawful Use of a Driver License
Florida Statute § 322.32
Select the §322.32 act: knowingly possessing/displaying a canceled, suspended, revoked, or disqualified license; lending it or permitting unlawful use; representing another person’s license as one’s own; refusing lawful surrender; or obtaining photographic licenses in different names. Document the act and any required knowledge, notice, or lawful demand. Possessing someone else’s genuine license for an innocent purpose is not the same as claiming it as one’s own. Forged credentials and application fraud may invoke §322.212 instead.
Unregistered Motor Vehicle
Florida Statute § 320.02
An owner or person in charge must register a vehicle operated on Florida roads unless a chapter 320 exception applies. Establish road operation, vehicle identity, actual registration status, and the person’s responsibility; merely lacking a registration paper is not the same as an unregistered vehicle. Check valid nonresident, temporary, dealer, or other authorized use before charging. An expired prior registration has separate civil and repeat-offense tracks under §320.07 and should not automatically be treated as failure ever to register.
Unsafe lane change / improper passing
Florida Statute § 316.085
Before passing left into opposing traffic, a driver must have a clear view and sufficient open distance to complete the pass without interfering with either vehicle. Return to an authorized lane as soon as practicable and before coming within 200 feet of an oncoming vehicle. Before changing course or lanes, the driver must determine that no vehicle is approaching or passing on that side and that the movement can be completed safely. Record the conflicting traffic and unsafe movement, not simply that a lane change occurred.
Unsafe overtaking/passing
Florida Statute § 316.083
A driver overtaking same-direction traffic must signal appropriately, pass left at a safe distance, and return right only after safely clearing the other vehicle. When passing a bicycle, electric bicycle, or other nonmotorized vehicle in the same travel lane or a bicycle lane, allow at least 3 feet; if unsafe, stay behind until a safe pass is possible. The specified bicycle clearance provisions exclude separated bicycle lanes. The overtaken driver must yield right on the prescribed signal and must not accelerate until passed.
Unsafe start from parked position
Florida Statute § 316.154
A stopped, standing, or parked vehicle may begin moving only when the movement can be made with reasonable safety. Document the starting maneuver and the traffic, pedestrian, or other circumstances that made it unsafe, such as pulling into the path of a nearby vehicle. Starting from a parked position is not itself a violation; the unsafe circumstances are essential.
Unsafe vehicle / defective equipment
Florida Statute § 316.610
A highway vehicle may not be operated in a condition endangering people/property or without legally required equipment in proper condition. Identify the specific danger or equipment requirement and the observable defect. An officer with reasonable cause may require an appropriate inspection/test. If continued operation would probably be unduly hazardous, require immediate repair or removal from use; otherwise the statute calls for written repair notice within 48 hours, excluding Sunday, for the described nonhazardous defects. Cosmetic damage alone is not automatically unsafe equipment.
Unsecured load
Florida Statute § 316.520
A highway vehicle must be built and loaded to prevent cargo from dropping, shifting, leaking, blowing, or escaping. Owners and drivers hauling loose material, trash, or other objects must use an appropriate close-fitting cover or securing device. Limited traction-sand and road-maintenance discharges are excepted; the agricultural local-haul exception removes a specified cover requirement but does not eliminate the general duty to prevent escape. Document load and securement defects. A willful failure causing serious bodily injury or death creates a separate criminal track.
Vehicle / trailer — excess height
Florida Statute § 316.515(2)
General height may not exceed 13 feet 6 inches including the load. Automobile transporters may be up to 14 feet including the load. Establish actual height and vehicle type, rather than treating every load as subject to the transporter exception. Trailer size, boat trailer, utility trailer, tall load. Measure vehicle and load, identify the actual configuration and route, and check statutory exemptions and any valid special permit under §316.550. Agricultural/forestry and other specialized exceptions must be assessed under §316.515. Section 316.516 allows measurement based on reason to believe dimensions are unlawful and, after measurement with no valid special permit, stopping in a suitable place until a permit is obtained or irregularities are corrected.
Vehicle / trailer — excess width
Florida Statute § 316.515(1)
General outside width, including the load, may not exceed 102 inches (8 feet 6 inches), excluding approved safety devices. Certain roads may restrict vehicles exceeding 96 inches. Qualifying noncommercial recreational units may exceed 102 inches only for appurtenances within the specified rearview-mirror limits and conditions. Establish actual width and applicable exception facts. Trailer size, boat trailer, utility trailer, wide load. Measure vehicle and load, identify the actual configuration and route, and check statutory exemptions and any valid special permit under §316.550. Agricultural/forestry and other specialized exceptions must be assessed under §316.515. Section 316.516 allows measurement based on reason to believe dimensions are unlawful and, after measurement with no valid special permit, stopping in a suitable place until a permit is obtained or irregularities are corrected.
Vehicular Homicide
Florida Statute § 782.071
Vehicular homicide requires operation of a motor vehicle in a reckless manner likely to cause death or great bodily harm, causing a human being’s death or an unborn child’s death through injury to the mother. Ordinary negligence or a fatal outcome alone is insufficient; document the dangerous manner of driving and causation. The first-degree track requires specified failure-to-give-information/aid facts with crash awareness, or a qualifying prior homicide/manslaughter conviction. Impairment is not an element of this offense.
Wearing headset/headphones while driving
Florida Statute § 316.304
A person operating a vehicle generally may not wear headphones, a headset, or another listening device. Exceptions include hearing aids; qualifying official/emergency equipment; a motorcycle-license examination; helmet speakers positioned away from the ears so surrounding sounds remain audible; and a cellular-phone or central-base headset providing sound through only one ear while the other hears surroundings. Document use, configuration, and purpose. One-ear use is not a blanket exception for every listening activity.
Window tint labeling violation
Florida Statute § 316.2955 / 316.2956(3)
Installers or sellers must provide the specified permanent/destructible compliance label identifying the material trade name and business; the installer must affix it inside the left door jamb. Compliant factory glazing does not need this label. Establish who sold or installed the material and the omitted requirement: an absent label on a driver's vehicle alone does not prove the driver committed the installer/seller misdemeanor under §316.2956(3). Operational tint limits and their ±3% measurement tolerance are separate issues.
Windshield - Sign/Covering/Sunscreen Material
Florida Statute § 316.2952(2)
Windshield tint extending below the AS/1 line into the driver's direct forward viewing area is prohibited when the motor vehicle is operated on a public highway, road, or street unless an applicable exemption exists. The ordinary sunscreen exception permits only a transparent top strip outside that viewing area. Verify any FLHSMV-issued medical exemption certificate for the vehicle; a prescription alone is not that certificate. The subsection also prohibits windshield signs, products, or coverings, but allows legally required papers, government/designee-issued electronic toll devices, and qualifying GPS navigation, driver-safety monitoring, or routing devices. Document operation, material, and placement relative to the AS/1 line. Check undercover/canine law-enforcement sunscreening exemptions and the conditional vehicle exceptions in subsections (5)-(6). The process-server/private-investigator exemption does not extend to section 316.2952. Side-window tint percentages do not establish windshield compliance.
Windshield and wiper requirements
Florida Statute § 316.2952(1), (3)-(4)
A motor vehicle operated on public highways, roads, or streets must have a fixed, upright windshield with federally compliant safety glazing; motorcycles and implements of husbandry are excepted from that windshield requirement. Windshields must have driver-controlled moisture-cleaning equipment, and wipers must work. Document the missing or defective required equipment. Check the grove-equipment, specified electric-vehicle, and department-approved former-military-vehicle exceptions and their conditions in subsections (5)-(6). For windshield signs, coverings, and sunscreen material, use the separate section 316.2952(2) entry in Window Tint.
Wireless device — texting while driving
Florida Statute § 316.305
While a motor vehicle is moving, manually typing multiple characters or sending/reading nonvoice interpersonal messages such as texts, email, or instant messages is prohibited. Stationary vehicles are excluded. Navigation, specified safety/vehicle messages, emergency reporting, qualifying official duties, limited feature activation, and automated-driving operation have exceptions. Document the communication activity, not merely a phone in hand. Inform a stopped driver of the right to decline a device search and follow the statute's warrant, nonconfiscation, and voluntary-consent safeguards; a citation does not itself authorize access to phone contents.
Wrong way on one-way roadway
Florida Statute § 316.088
On a roadway designated for one-way travel, drive only in the direction and during the times shown by official traffic-control devices. A vehicle going around a rotary traffic island must pass to the island's right. Document the direction of travel, applicable signs or markings, and any time restriction. The designation must apply to the roadway or lane where the vehicle was driven.