"Turn that off, it's illegal." Is it really illegal to drive with your car's dome light on in New York, or were our parents lying?

If you were ever a kid, it's likely your parents told you to turn off your car's interior lights while they were driving because they could "get a ticket." Were they telling you the truth, or was this another tale along the lines of the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.

Is It Illegal To Drive With Your Dome Light on In NYS?

According to CarsGuide.com, it is NOT illegal to drive with your cars interior light on. They say these lights were once called "map lights" because before we all had smart phones and Waze, we used to navigate using real paper maps - and sometimes you needed a light to read those.

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Not entirely satisfied, we decided to take a look at NYS Vehicle Traffic Law. We read and read, and couldn't find a single thing about driving with the dome light on. We did discover that you'd better have a front bumper on your car, though.

Finally we checked in with Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol. He says "Myth." There you have it.

So in conclusion: It is NOT illegal to drive with your car's interior lights on, although it probably isn't the best idea, since it makes it tough to see. But you can still tell the kids it is. Tell them Santa told you.



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