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Eight essential Kentucky traffic laws every driver should follow

Stories by Lexington Herald-Leader journalists, with AI summarization

These curated articles discuss key Kentucky traffic laws that drivers should follow to ensure safety and compliance. Each article focuses on specific rules, such as legal maneuvers and consequences of violations.

One article highlights the controversy of "rat running," where drivers cut through parking lots to avoid red lights, potentially violating laws that demand cautious driving. Another article explores Kentucky's implied consent law. While drivers can refuse breathalyzer tests, doing so may lead to a pretrial license suspension. A third article examines roundabouts. Drivers within a roundabout have the right-of-way, requiring entering vehicles to yield. Stopping within a roundabout is discouraged, and cyclists should be treated as other vehicles.

Vehicles navigate the dual-lane roundabout at Eagle and Amity roads on July 19, 2022.

NO. 1: HOW DOES A ROUNDABOUT WORK AND WHO HAS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY? WHAT KENTUCKY TRAFFIC LAW SAYS

One Kentucky city is scheduled to get 10 more roundabouts by the end of 2024. | Published August 25, 2023 | Read Full Story by Meredith Howard

A high school student was hit by a vehicle while trying to board a school bus in Pennsylvania, authorities said.

NO. 2: WHEN DO YOU HAVE TO STOP FOR A SCHOOL BUS ON KENTUCKY ROADS? HERE’S WHAT THE LAW SAYS

A 2022 survey found more than 2,300 vehicles illegally passed school buses on a single day in the state. | Published February 13, 2023 | Read Full Story by Meredith Howard

The intersection of KY 1006 and US 25 is photographed in London, Ky., on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Cars are moving along KY 1006, the road that leads into the Greer Industrial Park where WB Transport is located.

NO. 3: ARE YOU ‘RAT RUNNING?’ WHAT KY LAW SAYS ABOUT CUTTING THROUGH PARKING LOTS TO SKIP A LIGHT

Is the practice legal? A few laws may apply. | Published February 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Aaron Mudd

Kansas judges and prosecutors will be on call this weekend so officers can quickly obtain warrants for blood tests for anyone who refuses a breath test after being stopped for drunk driving. By RICH SUGG rsugg@kcstar.com

NO. 4: CAN YOU REFUSE A BREATHALYZER TEST IN KY? HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES

Declining to take a field sobriety or breath test may not be wise. Here’s why. | Published March 6, 2024 | Read Full Story by Aaron Mudd

An unmarked police car displays a blue light in this stock image from Getty Images. By Elmar Gubisch

NO. 5: CAN A KENTUCKY POLICE OFFICER IN AN UNMARKED CAR PULL YOU OVER? WHAT STATE LAW SAYS

Kentucky law outlines which types of vehicles can use flashing lights and sirens. | Published June 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Aaron Mudd

Special placards enable disabled Kentuckians to park in accessible spots, but there are several rules around their use. By Roman Bulatov

NO. 6: WHO CAN USE DISABLED PARKING PERMITS AND PLATES IN KENTUCKY? SEE STATE’S RULES

More than 44 million people in the U.S. | Published August 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Aaron Mudd

According to Florida law, it is illegal to possess an open container of alcohol or to consume alcohol while you’re driving or while you’re a passenger in a motor vehicle.

NO. 7: CAN YOU DRINK WHILE SOMEONE ELSE DRIVES IN KENTUCKY? WHAT STATE LAW ALLOWS

Fewer Kentuckians are dying in fatal crashes, with the number of highway fatalities in 2024 dropping to their lowest level in 10 years. | Published August 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Aaron Mudd

Distracted drivers accounted for 22% of fatal crashes occurring in Kentucky in 2024. What do state laws have to say about it? By BitsAndSplits

NO. 8: CAN I GET A TICKET FOR USING A MAP APP IN KENTUCKY? IT CAN DEPEND ON YOUR AGE

Distracted drivers accounted for more than 20% of the fatal crashes that occurred in the Bluegrass State in 2024, according to figures released by Gov. | Published September 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Aaron Mudd

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.