8 new traffic laws go into effect August, 2025
There are at least eight major new traffic laws going into effect in August 2025. Not knowing them could cost you $350, or get your car towed. Here’s the roundup courtesy of The Sun.
- Louisiana now fines you up to $350 or jail for dawdling in the left lane—yes, even if you’re just 1 mph under the minimum.
- North Dakota just made speeding pricier: $5 per mph over, plus a bonus fine if you’re 16+ mph too fast.
- Florida teens need 50 hours of driver ed, a substance abuse course, and a permission slip from mom or dad.
- North Carolina now mandates breathalyzer ignitions for DWI convicts—blow clean or the car won’t even start.
- Minnesota flipped the switch on speed cams in Minneapolis and Mendota Heights—repeat leadfoots get $40–$80 tickets.
- Louisiana also banned handheld phone use while driving—$250 if you’re scrolling past a school zone.
- Newport, Oregon can now tow your car if you ghost even one parking ticket for more than 45 days.
- New Orleans has temporarily killed school zone speed cameras—but red-light cams are still alive and well.
Louisiana’s left-lane slowpoke fine may seem a bit high–at up to $350. But know that Louisiana joins a whole slew of states, many of them in the South, that are cracking down on dawdling in the passing lane. Some are passing new laws, others are directing the police to enforce the existing laws.
The North Dakota speeding fine law is a bit more nuanced than it seems. While it tacks on $5 for each mph you’re going over the limit. But North Dakota is also joining the many Western states with higher speed limits. Its new default is 80 mph, though many roads may be different.
Minneapolis joins the growing list of cities with speed cameras automatically sending tickets t o drivers with a heavy right foot. But while some states are hopping on the bandwagon, others are souring on the automated systems. Virginia just proposed stricter limits on how police departments can use speed cameras, with one lawmaker slamming the “policing for profit scheme.” New Orleans is hitting pause on school zone speed cameras.
