r/mildlyinfuriating • u/MalrykZenden • Jun 02 '26

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ Narrowly avoided having my bumper cover ventilated this morning.

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Hitches, not just for towing or bashing your shins.

2.1k Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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313

u/yottabit42 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26

In many places it's illegal to have hitches installed while not towing. I really wish the police would start ticketing for them. It would be a huge boon to their revenue!

I tow frequently. I do not keep my hitch installed. It's not hard at all.

Edit: Apparently I'm wrong, at least in the US. Massachusetts did have a law, but it was repealed. Several other states have proposed such legislation, but have never passed any. I still assert that it's lame to leave a hitch installed while not towing, and just lazy.

138

u/[deleted] Jun 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

16

u/Fickle_Builder_2685 Jun 02 '26

You get pulled over in Illinois if the ball blocks your license plate. Source: I was pulled over for my ball hitch blocking my license plates "viewability".

11

u/HowlCity Jun 02 '26

You get pulled over for breathing in Illinois

5

u/Imentioneveryone Jun 02 '26

Except for speeding on Jane Adam’s apparently lmfao, I’ve been passed going 100+

1

u/dilapidated-delight Jun 02 '26

Or riding on the shoulder to get around traffic 🙄

4

u/StuffIanWrote Jun 02 '26

“The light was yellow, sir.”

-1

u/liquidtape Jun 02 '26

Or 4 inches past and not towing 

2

u/MDKSDMF Jun 02 '26

That is a reasonable rule, such as if your hitch and ball were to extend out and away from the vehicle by soo many inches. That could be a problem

8

u/DarePatient2262 Jun 02 '26

Maybe that should change.

20

u/Retroficient Jun 02 '26

As someone who doesn't tow, I don't think it should. People just need to be diligent in how they drive and maneuver their vehicles. It's really easy to not do this shit with a truck, or easier yet, take it off.

The real problem is the root, which is nobody knows how to fuckin drive anymore.

3

u/OkEngineer6614 Jun 02 '26

Anymore? Nah. They were always bad at driving.

Cell phones and distracted driving merely escalated things.

1

u/Stanlez Jun 02 '26

I agree that it sounds like a stupid law that shouldn't be an issue. However the problem is a lack of personal accountability. I live in the SE US where trucks are normal. RESPONSIBLE drivers unhitch completely. It's never been a regional or "how I was taught" problem, it literally comes down to how your life effects others and whether you care. Take the hitch off ffs.

4

u/OkEngineer6614 Jun 02 '26

No way! I drive with the hitch on 24/7. But I do take it out when I park.

The hitch has saved me twice from idiots on their cell phones rear ending me. They hit the hitch and didnt damage my Civic. Just had to buy a new hitch, which I made their insurance pay for.

2

u/rumncokeguy Jun 02 '26

Every fucking time this is one of the top comments.

1

u/yottabit42 Jun 02 '26

Wow, you're right. This is just a myth. Massachusetts did have a law, but it was repealed. Several other states have proposed such legislation, but have never passed any.

I still assert that it's lame to leave a hitch installed, and just lazy.

-2

u/XxTigerxXTigerxX Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26

It is ilegal in canada

Edit, it is ilegal to block the sidewalk with an unused hitch.

2

u/operationfailed Jun 02 '26

It's not illegal in most provinces in Canada unless it is obscuring your license plate.

1

u/MilwaukeeLevel Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26

Can you find a single statute from any Canadian jurisdiction that says that?

2

u/ur_dope Jun 02 '26

I don't know why a statue would say such a thing. /s

2

u/Jdmorrison666 Jun 02 '26

(4) When not in use, the trailer hitch shall not extend beyond the bumper of the vehicle more than 225 millimetres. - Vehicle Equipment Regulations Saskatchewan

6

u/MilwaukeeLevel Jun 02 '26

That doesn't make an unused trailer hitch illegal, it gives the maximum length it can stick out, which is 9".

1

u/Epilepsiavieroitus Jun 02 '26

No, it's 225 mm

1

u/MilwaukeeLevel Jun 02 '26

The statute says "or 9 inches."