Want to avoid a ticket? Here are the 10 most common mistakes Wichita drivers make
Mistakes behind the wheel happen to nearly everyone. But even a small driving mishap can end up costing you hundreds of dollars.
Each year, Wichita police write thousands of traffic citations for everything from blowing through red lights and school zones to texting while driving. While some violations are harmless infractions, others are major missteps that can compromise road safety and leave an unexpected dent in your wallet.
If you’re trying to avoid a ticket, here are the 10 most common driving mistakes in Wichita to watch out for — and how much you’ll pay in fines if you get caught.
1. Speeding
In Wichita, police write people tickets for breaking the speed limit more often than any other moving violation. Most people think that driving a few miles over the limit won’t get them a ticket. But officially, law enforcement can pull you over and cite you for going even one mile per hour too fast. So make sure to look for speed limit signs. On streets with no sign, the speed limit is 30 mph, according to Wichita city ordinance.
Fine: $76.50 for 1 mph over. After that, the penalty increases $5 per mile.
5 mph over - $96.50
10 mph over - $121.50
20 mph over - $171.50
50 mph over - $321.50
2. Driving without proof of insurance
Everyone who owns a vehicle is required by state law to carry motor vehicle liability insurance and to keep a current record of it handy. If you can’t show that record to law enforcement when you’re stopped, you risk getting a “no proof of insurance” ticket. Obviously, you can also get ticketed if you ignore the law and drive without carrying any auto insurance. But that’s a separate offense.
Fine: If you have valid liability insurance when you’re ticketed and show proof to the city within 10 days, there’s no charge. If you didn’t have insurance when you were cited, you have to show up in court. Driving without liability insurance is a misdemeanor crime that is subject to a fine of $300 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. Subsequent convictions cost more.
3. Driving with a suspended, revoked, canceled or fraudulent license
In Kansas, it’s against the law to drive without a valid license. You can lose driving privileges for things such as driving under the influence, failing to show proof of insurance, having unpaid fines or too many moving violations in a year, or causing a traffic death.
Fine: Penalties vary. Requires a court appearance. Driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license is a misdemeanor crime that generally carries a fine of at least $100 and possible jail time. Additional convictions cost more and may have other consequences.
4. Driving when your vehicle tags are expired
The most common tag violation in Wichita by far is driving with expired tags. But police can also ticket you if your license plate is illegal for other reasons, if it’s defaced or isn’t affixed to the back of your car (there are exceptions to rear placement, such as truck tractors and antique vehicles), if it’s hidden or concealed, if you use one registered to another vehicle, or if it isn’t properly illuminated.
Fine: $106.50 for license tag violations. Other types of plate violations may be considered a misdemeanor crime and cost more, so make sure your tags are paid up and legally displayed.
5. Not having your driver’s license with you
Even if you have a valid license, you can get a ticket if you don’t take it with you when you drive. Luckily, there’s a no-cost fix for forgetfulness.
Fine: No charge if you have a valid driver’s license and you show proof of it to the city. Other scenarios require a court appearance, including if you obtain a valid driver’s license within 10 days of being cited or if you can’t show a valid license.
6. Running a red light
Running a solid or flashing red light will get you a ticket, regardless of the circumstances. This includes when a driver doesn’t stop before proceeding with a right-hand turn or when a driver with a green arrow on a steady red doesn’t follow the direction indicated. If you’re in an intersection before a light turns red, that’s not considered running it.
Fine: $176.50. It’s also illegal to run stop signs and solid yellow lights in a school zone, which will cost you $101.50 and $126.50 respectively.
7. Inattentive driving
Under Wichita city ordinance, you can be cited with inattentive driving if you hit another vehicle, a person or any fixed object (like a mailbox or building) with your vehicle because of a driving error or because you weren’t paying enough attention to your surroundings. So make sure you avoid distractions like electronics, tending to children or other passengers in your car, applying makeup and turning to talk to someone in the backseat.
Fine: $131.50. You may also be liable for the cost of any damage. A ticket for careless driving, which includes driving that disregard or endangers people or property, also costs $131.50.
Reckless driving, which includes willful or wanton disregard of other people or property under city ordinance, is more serious — and punishable with five to 90 days in jail for and up to a $500 fine for a first offense.
8. You don’t yield right of way to other drivers when making a lefthand turn
If you’re planning to turn left across traffic when you’re in an intersection you must yield to any other vehicle that’s approaching. Failing to do so can cause an immediate hazard — and earn you a ticket, especially if a police officer is around. This also applies to left-hand turns into alleys, driveways and private roads.
Fine: $121.50 for all “fail to yield right of way” violations. If you fail to yield to a pedestrian, the fine is five dollars more.
9. Driving after drinking alcohol or using drugs
Law prohibits drivers from getting behind the wheel after drinking too much or using drugs to a degree that makes them incapable of safely operating a vehicle. Your blood-alcohol concentration can’t be higher than .08 within three hours of driving. The same is true for breath tests. Driving after drinking alcohol or using drugs is not only dangerous, it’s a misdemeanor crime that carries jail time, fines and the possibility of losing your license.
Fine: Penalties vary. Wichita city ordinance says a first violation is punishable with two days to six months in jail (or community service if a judge decides to go that route) and a $750 to $1,000 fine. Consequences increase with subsequent convictions. If you drove intoxicated with a child in the car, you could face additional jail time.
10. You or your passengers, including young children, don’t buckle up
Everyone in a passenger vehicle has to wear a seat belt or be in a child safety seat when the vehicle is moving, or you — and in some cases, they — risk getting a ticket. There are some exceptions to the seat belt rules, including vehicles designed to carry more than 10 passengers (buses and vans, for example), people with a written doctor’s note who can’t wear a seat belt for medical reasons, and postal mail and newspaper carriers working their routes, city ordinance says.
In Wichita, adults get the most tickets for not buckling up. Failing to put children under 4 in child safety seats is the next most cited seat belt-related offense.
Fine: $30 for adults, $60 for kids aged 14-17, $131.50 for children 8-13. The fine for younger kids is also $131.50 but can be reduced to $71.50 if you provide proof you bought or acquired a proper safety restraint.
Note: The most-ticketed offenses were figured using 2024 traffic citation data from Wichita Municipal Court. The full dataset is posted on the City of Wichita’s Open Data Portal under “Community Safety.” The data includes citations for traffic infractions and misdemeanors written by Wichita police and other city employees but not felony crimes or traffic citations issued by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol or other law enforcement agencies. Parking tickets are included in the city’s data but were not included in the list above.
The fine amounts and other information come from the city of Wichita’s fee schedule for moving and parking violations, city ordinance and state law. Costs may be higher if a person contests a citation in Wichita Municipal Court. You can see the fines for other common violations here.
