If you're driving with wipers on in America you must also do something else or you'll be ticketed in 42 states

Most drivers flip their windshield wipers on the second rain hits the glass.

However, in much of the United States, that alone can actually break the law.

Turns out there’s a rule in 42 states that says if your wipers are on, you must also do something else.

Forget to do it, and you could end up with a ticket.

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What you need to do when using your windshield wipers

Across most of America, there’s a simple rule drivers are supposed to follow: if the wipers are on, the headlights go on as well. 

It sounds obvious once you hear it, but a lot of people genuinely don’t know it exists.

In many states, the law kicks in when your windshield wipers are running continuously because of rain, snow, or sleet. 

Some traffic codes even spell it out pretty precisely. 

If the wipers are working more than a couple of times per minute, that’s considered continuous use, which means the lights should already be on.

The reason is straightforward. 

Rain doesn’t just make it harder for you to see the road, it also makes it harder for everyone else to see you. 

Turning the headlights on makes your car much easier to spot through spray, darker skies, and messy weather.

Some states get very specific about it too. 

California requires lights when windshield wipers are running continuously or when visibility drops below about 1,000 feet. 

Meanwhile, New York says drivers must use low-beam headlights in wet conditions, not just rely on daytime running lights. 

And Pennsylvania even includes intermittent wiper use in its rule.

The rule still matters even in states that don’t mention wipers

There are eight states that don’t directly mention windshield wipers in their headlight laws: Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington.

However, that doesn’t mean drivers there can ignore their headlights during bad weather. 

Instead, those states rely on visibility rules. 

If conditions make it hard to see a certain distance down the road, headlights must be on regardless of what your wipers are doing.

For example, Colorado and New Mexico require headlights when visibility drops below certain distances, while Arizona’s laws focus more on conditions like dust storms.

Modern cars can also confuse things a bit.

Many vehicles have daytime running lights that switch on automatically, but those don’t always count as proper headlights under traffic laws.

So the easiest rule to remember is pretty simple. 

If the wipers are working, your headlights should be too.

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