Is It Illegal to Drive With Your Interior Lights On For Too Long in New Jersey?

I know I can't be the only one that's been confused about this simple car mechanic well into adult hood.

The interior lights of your car. They're obviously there for a reason, and it's not illegal to switch it on when you momentarily need an extra light source to find or read something.

Get our free mobile app

But is it illegal to have it on for too long while someone's driving the vehicle?

I feel like there was a whole generation of people who grew up being made to believe that leaving the interior lights on in the car could lead to getting pulled over by the police.

Maybe that's just something our parents told us as kids so the light wouldn't distract them from driving at night. But were they actually telling the truth?

Is it illegal to keep interior lights on while driving in New Jersey?

The truth is, no it's not illegal to drive with interior lights on while driving in New Jersey, even for an extended period of time, but you could still possibly get pulled over.

According to Auxito:

"The laws of most states don't specifically make it illegal to turn on the interior lights while driving. However, when the police are stationed, if you pass by with the interior lights on, they can pull you over."

Why can you get pulled over? Just because using the interior light is perfectly legal, doesn't mean it's perfectly safe. If left on for too long, the situation can then fall under the category of distracted driving, which you can absolutely get pulled over for.

Driving with the interior lights on at night can cause glare and reduce the driver's visibility. So if you need to quickly read something or dig around for something in your purse or seat, best to keep it quick.