PRESS RELEASE

Rules of the Road Can Change at State Borders, AAA Says

31 March 1997
Rules of the Road Can Change at State Borders, AAA Says

    ORLANDO, Fla., March 28 -- Motorists taking interstate road
trips need to be aware that some important traffic laws vary from state to
state, according to AAA.
    "Speed limits are usually clearly posted at state lines," said Charles
Butler, director of AAA Driver Safety Services, "but adherence to lesser known
traffic regulations also is important for safe and enjoyable travel between
states."
    To assist traveling motorists, AAA publishes the Digest of Motor Laws -- a
comprehensive description of the laws that govern motor vehicle operation in
the United States and Canada.
    Examples of laws that differ in neighboring states include the following:

    -- In Oklahoma, police can only cite motorists for not wearing seat belts
if they are stopped for another infraction.  In neighboring Texas -- and 12
other states -- police can stop motorists solely for failure to wear a seat
belt.
    -- Drivers in Michigan are permitted to wear radio headsets, but not when
they cross the border into Ohio or travel to 14 other states.
    -- Radar detectors are legal in Maryland -- and 48 other states -- but
can't be used in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
    -- Riding unrestrained in the back of a pickup truck is legal in Oregon,
but not to the south in California or in 17 other states.

    Information for the AAA Digest is submitted by local and state
jurisdictions and organized by state, territory and Canadian province.
    To obtain a copy of the 1997 Digest of Motor Laws, contact your local AAA
club or the traffic safety department of AAA's national office at 1000 AAA
Drive, Heathrow, FL  32746-5063.  The glove-compartment-size book retails for
$8.95.
    AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 99 motor clubs with more than
1,000 offices providing more than 39 million members in the U.S. and Canada
with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.

SOURCE  American Automobile Association
CONTACT: Jerry Cheske or Mike Morrissey of AAA, 407-444-8000