In case you’re wondering the top driving violations that may net you a ticket:

No. 1: Speeding. CHP Officer Jon Sloat said this is by far the biggest reason local CHP officers give out tickets.

No. 2: Registration and mechanical issues, such as a headlight out.

No. 3: Right-of-way violations, such as cutting another driver off or failing to signal.

No. 4: Failure to obey a “traffic control device,” meaning running a stop light or stop sign or driving in an exit lane that says you must exit but you don’t.

Among other top violations he said are not using seat belts, DUIs and holding your cell phone to your ear rather than going hands free.

Sloat said most drivers probably wouldn’t have run afoul of the law if they had been aware of their surroundings. If they had, he noted, they would’ve noticed the officer nearby.

And being aware of your surroundings apparently goes both ways. Sloat said a CHP sergeant recently noticed an officer on patrol yakking on the phone for a quite a while and later asked the officer who he was talking with. The officer confessed it was a relative — under the law officers only can use cell phones while driving if it’s official business. Sloat said the officer received a written reprimand.