Little Known New Jersey Law Could Change The Way That You Drive

You can throw beeping in with taxes, traffic lights, construction, bad drivers and politicians as part of a group of things we have enough of at the Jersey Shore, right? We bet you heard illegal beeping at least once today at the Jersey Shore. As a matter of fact, we're almost certain you broke New Jersey law multiple times the last time you were in your own vehicle. I may be time to tone down the honking.

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It turns out there is was law on the books in New Jersey that requires you to honk each time you pass a vehicle on the left to alert the diver you are passing her or him. Yes, you had to beep each time you pass someone, or face a pretty hefty fine.

And while it looks like that has been revised (we can't seem to find it in the current laws, but feel free to check yourself, or ask an expert) there is a law we found about over honking. And we're all doing it.

Here's how the law reads...

The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation, give audible warning with his horn but shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a highway.

That is New Jersey 39:3-69, according to Justia. Let's take a minute to break that one down. The words read "to insure safe operations" are game changers. Can we think of any other time we beep? Umm, like let's say every single time we get even the tiniest bit impatient?

So, let me see if I have this right. The guy in front of me who doesn't floor it at the split second the light turns green, like it's some kid of drag race, isn't causing unsafe operation of my vehicle, right?

That means beeping at him for his mortal sin of a split second hesitation is actually illegal in New Jersey? It's against the law to beep at the guy in front of us for not taking off like Elon Musk's rocket? Oh, this changes everything at the Jersey Shore.

So, no more staring at the light until your eyes bleed?  No more worrying about costing the car behind you the one fifteenth of a second he needs to maybe get to where he's going one fifteenth of a second sooner?

Of course, we all know that absolutely nothing will change. And the police departments would run out of ink writing tickets all day. So, we just deal with the beepers and the honking, and we chalk it up to Jersey Shore living.