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Is driving with your trunk open illegal?

My mom is giving me her old bike. My car doesn’t have a bike rack so I was going to transport it in my trunk. The problem is the trunk won’t close with the bike in it. Can you legally drive with your trunk open?

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Liz Jenson · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
It’s so nice of your mom to give you
her old bike
! Luckily, it isn’t illegal to drive with your trunk open if you’re transporting bulky cargo—as long as the cargo doesn’t stick out past the legal limit. While that limit changes from state to state, it is 4 feet in most places.
If you don’t have an apparent reason for driving with an open trunk, however, you might be stopped along the way. Even if your new bike doesn’t stick out that much, consider adding caution tape to make it more obvious to other drivers. That way, you can avoid accidents and unnecessary traffic stops.
When transporting cargo, it’s important to make sure that you’re covered by a good insurance policy. It’s easy to find the best deal on the coverage you need when you use the car insurance comparison super tool,
Jerry
. The average Jerry user saves $887 a year on car insurance.
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