Hello all! This may seem like a weird request, but I’m doing a little writing project that involves traffic laws. Are there any comprehensive histories of U.S. Traffic Laws (the bigger the better) or am I going to have to go the state-specific route? Thanks!
by nn_lyser
1 Comment
Retired librarian here. Most of my career was spent in law and legislative libraries as a cataloger.
This is not going to be “a little writing project.” This is a hugely broad subject. Each of the 50 states almost certainly has their own traffic regulations as well as adhering to federal regulations.
[Title 23](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-23) of the Code of Federal Regulations covers current U.S. federal highway law.
Regarding historical research into US traffic laws, if there is a university in your city that has a law school, your best bet would be to go to the library at the law school and ask for help.
Legislative research is *quite* complex.
Or you could check the catalog of whatever library you use in your area (university library or public library) and use this search protocol:
Select advanced search.
Chose “subject”.
Enter this exact phrase:
Traffic regulations—United States—History.
Include two dashes between each segment of the subject heading.
This is the authorized subject heading string used by the Library of Congress subject thesaurus for this topic. This thesaurus is pretty much universally used in US libraries.
But really … it would be way faster to consult a law librarian at an academic law library. They have the expertise and resources to help with this query.
Best of luck.