• All traffic laws apply to drivers in parking lots in Massachusetts.full parking lot image by Aaron Kohr from Fotolia.com
  
  In Massachusetts, parking lots that are generally accessible to the public are regulated with the same traffic laws that govern public roadways. Because of this, drivers must obey all traffic signs and signals in parking lots for public areas, shopping centers, apartment complexes and other parking lots intended for use by the general public. Police may also assess tickets for violation of traffic laws on private property if the lot is accessible to the public.
  
  

Speed Limits

• If a speed limit is posted in a parking lot, it must be followed, and those exceeding the posted speed limit may be ticketed as if speeding on a road. If the speed limit is not posted, Massachusetts General Laws c. 89 §17 defines the maximum speed in a "thickly settled" area---most urban and suburban settings---as 30 miles per hour.
  
  

Right of Way

• Massachusetts General Law c. 89 §8 requires the driver on the left to yield the right-of-way to the driver on the right when two cars reach an intersection at the same time. Right of way is also granted to a vehicle moving along a path such as a roadway over that entering the roadway; in parking lots, this requires cars pulling out from parking stalls to yield right of way to those travelling through the lot.
  
  

Reporting Accidents

• Drivers of cars that collide or hit a parked car in a parking lot are required by Massachusetts General Laws c. 90 §26 to report the accident to police within five days of the accident if more than $1,000 in damage to a vehicle were caused or if a person was killed or injured. The owner of a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident in a parking lot is also required to report the accident within the five-day time frame. Hit-and-run charges may be pressed against drivers for leaving the scene of an accident in a parking lot or failing to leave contact information on a vehicle it has collided with.
  
  

Driving on Suspended or Revoked Licenses

• Massachusetts General Laws c. 90 § 23 prohibits anyone with a revoked or suspended driver's license from operating a motor vehicle anywhere in the state. Because of this, it is illegal for persons with suspended licenses to operate a vehicle in a parking lot, even if it isn't accessible to the public in any way.