Is It Illegal To Drive With Interior Dome Lights On In Iowa?
We all try our best to drive safely anywhere we go. One thing that has stuck with many people is the idea of how dangerous, and illegal it is to have your dome lights on in Iowa, and any other state.
I personally remember my dad getting mad at me for trying to turn it on once as a child. I and many others have been told that it is illegal... so is it the truth or just a myth?
The Dangers
Obviously, one part that is true is the dangers of driving with the light on. Some also consider driving with the lights on in your car 'Distracted Driving' which we will talk more about later.
Most experts agree that the dangers of driving with lights on do exist and are very real. One source stated,
Driving with your interior lights on, especially at night, can make it harder to see the road and may distract other drivers on the road which could lead to accidents.
Is It Illegal?
We also spoke with the Davenport police, and are waiting for a more in-depth explanation. When we reached out they didn't have an answer for us. From the research we've done, here is what we found.
Dangerous? Yes
Not advised? Yes
Illegal? No
The final answer is a soft no it is not technically illegal to drive with your dome lights on. According to Policygenius,
No, states generally do not have laws that explicitly say it is illegal to drive with your interior dome lights on.
Distracted Driving
WAIT! Before you go turning on that light just now that getting a ticket all depends on the officer, one could pull you over if you are using that dome light to read something, find something, etc. Those are all forms of distracted driving that could end up giving you a ticket. It's always the technicalities that get you.
In the end, this idea of turning your light on being illegal may just be a myth, but I believe another source at tomfowlerlaw.com said it best,
It's not technically a violation to switch on the interior lights in a car; however, doing so would be unsafe.
Top 10 Adventureland Rides
Banned Baby Names In America