Drifter Eddie Moore (Stephen McHattie) and his new girlfriend Cam Johnson (Kay Lenz) witness corrupt sheriff Leroy Rankin (Lonny Chapman) shoot blackmailing deputy Chip Tylor (Dennis Redfield). Rankin frames the two for the crime, and they become the target of a massive manhunt.
Moving Violation contains examples of:
- Blackmail: Rankin kills Tylor for demanding a bigger cut of the bribes and threatening to report Rankin's corruption to the mayor if he doesn't get it.
- Chase Scene: The Movie. Vans, police cars, passenger cars, motorcycles, luxury coupes, station wagons (including one hauling a boat behind it), and pickups are all featured in at least one chase scene.
- Chase-Scene Obstacle Course: The movie's many chase scenes feature cars smashing through a number of obstacles, including road signs, two buildings, some cardboard boxes that explode into a flurry of packing peanuts, and an oil well and a gas station, both of which create huge explosions.
- Cry into Chest: Cam cries into Eddie's chest in fear from being a fugitive in an unfamiliar town.
- Dirty Cop: Sheriff Leroy Rankin. He'll kill one of his own men to save his own ass, put countless officers in danger to kill two witnesses, and even resorts to hiring a hitman.
- Dumb Struck: Cam stops talking and becomes borderline catatonic after she, Warren, and Eddie are all shot, Warren dies, and she mistakenly thinks Eddie has died as well. She starts talking again when she sees Eddie.
- Every Car Is a Pinto: Dick Miller attempts to take out Cam, Eddie, and Warren by barreling down a boat ramp towards them. They move out of the way at the last second, resulting in Miller T-boning a Toyota Corona so hard it blows up and sets his car on fire as well as sending it flying. Fortunately for Miller, his car's next stop is into the drink.
- Freeze-Frame Ending: The credits roll over a freeze-frame of Cam climbing over the fence around her institution to run away with Eddie.
- Friend or Foe?: Rankin starts shooting at a police car that he thinks was stolen by Eddie and Cam. He doesn't realize until he's run it off the road, due to the trunk being stuck open from a rear-end collision, that it's actually occupied by Deputy Frank (Paul Linke).
- Instant Convertible: A big rig with a high-riding trailer pulls out in front of Rankin during a chase, resulting in the windshield, roof, and all windows in the car getting torn off. The car is then abandoned, despite being well-able to continue the chase.
- Punk in the Trunk: Alex Warren (Eddie Albert), a lawyer hired by Eddie and Cam, has Eddie hide in his trunk while he smuggles the two of them back to his house.
- Putting the Pee in Pool: Cam tells Eddie how, every graduation at the local high school, the football team pees into the pool from the diving boards.
- Ram by Braking: A deputy is pursuing Cam and Eddie's car in a motorcycle. He opens fire into the car and Eddie slams on the brakes, causing the deputy to crash into their car and fly over the roof.
- This actually resulted in the stuntman breaking his leg.
- Reverse Arm-Fold: Tylor stands with his hands folded behind his back while he talks to the mayor.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: A brief one; finally fed-up and sick of dealing with Sheriff Rankin and his corrupt officers after the assassination attempts, Eddie pays a visit to a military armoury and gets his hands on a high-powered rifle which he then takes to a ledge overlooking the police station and opens fire on the police cars parked out front to lure out Rankin and his men, all four cars going up in fireballs. Rankin receives two high-powered gunshots straight to the belly, fatally wounding him.
- Shower of Love: Eddie and Cam shower together while she cleans the bullet wound in his arm. Then they have sex.
- Undercrank: Used heavily during the car chases.
- Ur-Example: This was the first movie to show an airbag deploying during a car accident... in 1976, over 20 years before airbags were made mandatory!
- The Vietnam Vet: While not directly stated, Eddie is implied to be a veteran of a war. Given his young age, the fact that he has no problems obtaining a high-powered military-grade rifle from a military armoury and is able to hit targets at great distances, it is likely he served in Vietnam.
- Zipping Up the Bodybag: A deputy pulls a sheet over Warren's face after he's gunned down.
