Traffic law in the United States

There is also a "Uniform Vehicle Code" which was proposed by a private, non-profit group, based upon input by its members.

As with uniform acts in general, some states adopted selected sections as written or with modifications, while others created their own sui generis statutes touching upon the same subject matter.

As required by the federal Highway Safety Act of 1966, all states and territories have adopted substantially similar standards for the vast majority of signs, signals, and road surface markings, based upon the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

[5] However, this is unusual as most states have a ban on crossing a double yellow line except when turning, or when pedestrians, bicycles, or other obstructions in the road make it necessary.

Overtaking another vehicle across a solid yellow line is usually considered a serious traffic violation in most states.

[8] This standard does not require states to precisely conform to the MUTCD, which allows for a degree of local variation in certain minor aspects of road signs and markings.

One example of the resulting complexity is that in 1979, the NCUTLO needed 262 pages just to explain all state-by-state variations of each section of UVC Chapter 11, Rules of the Road.

In the absence of NCUTLO, the NCUTCD (the NCUTLO's counterpart in the development of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) has appointed a task force to review potentially outdated portions of the most recent edition of the UVC, and to propose updated language.

However, the United States has not signed or ratified subsequent treaties like the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.