Minor Misdemeanor Offenses
Not an all inclusive list, but it should help you figure out how your charges may effect your enlistment, and who the waiver authority may be when you use the conduct waiver guide.
Examples of Traffic Offenses
- Bicycle ordinance violation.
- Blocking or retarding traffic.
- Contempt of court for minor traffic offenses.
- Crossing yellow line; driving left of center-line.
- Disobeying traffic lights, signs, or signals.
- Driving on shoulder.
- Driving uninsured vehicle.
- Driving with blocked vision/tinted window.
- Driving with expired plates or without plates.
- Driving with suspended or revoked license.
- Driving without license.
- Driving without registration or with improper registration.
- Driving wrong way on one-way street.
- Failure to appear for traffic violations.
- Failure to comply with officer's directives.
- Failure to have vehicle under control.
- Failure to signal.
- Failure to stop or yield to pedestrian.
- Failure to submit report following accident.
- Failure to yield right-of-way.
- Faulty equipment, such as defective exhaust, horn, lights, muffler, signal device, or wipers.
- Following too closely.
- Hitchhiking.
- Improper backing; backing into intersection or highway; backing over crosswalk.
- Improper blowing of horn.
- Improper passing, such as passing on right, in no-passing zone, or passing parked school bus.
- Improper turn.
- Invalid or unofficial inspection sticker; failure to display inspection sticker.
- Jaywalking.
- Leaving key in ignition.
- Leaving scene of accident (when not considered hit and run).
- License plate improperly displayed or not displayed.
- Operating overloaded vehicle.
- Racing, dragging, or contest for speed.
- Reckless, careless or imprudent driving (considered a traffic offense when the fine is less than $300 and there is no confinement). Court costs are not part of a fine.
- Seatbelt/child restraint violation.
- Skateboard/roller skate violations.
- Speeding
- Spilling load on highway.
- Spinning wheels; improper start, zigzagging; or weaving in traffic.
- Violation of noise control ordinance.
An all-inclusive list of minor traffic offenses would be impracticable. Offenses of similar nature and traffic offenses treated as minor by local law enforcement agencies should be treated as traffic violations.
Note: Parking violations, warning tickets, and faulty equipment tickets are no longer considered minor traffic offenses for any applicant regardless of program rating; except for the Navy Nuclear Field. They do not have to be waived for enlistment purposes, no matter how long ago they occurred.
Offenses of comparable seriousness should be treated as non-traffic offenses. In doubtful cases, the following rule should be applied: “If the maximum confinement under local law is four months or less, the offense should be treated as a non-traffic offense.”
If you have any questions after reading the article, either contact your local recruiter, or you can ask me directly.
*** Once in the Navy, if you are arrested, you have an obligation to self-report the arrest immediately to your chain of command. Withholding that information would be a violation of a direct order and could be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Page written and maintained by NCCM Thomas Goering, USN (Retired).
