60 Weird Driving Laws in US States

Planning a road trip? Well, you better be sure not to drive with trash in your car when passing through South Carolina. And make sure you don’t frown at a police officer in New Jersey – it’s against the law. The US is home to some truly odd driving regulations, some of which time clearly forgot, but they still stand.

Read on for our list of the weirdest traffic regulations in America to ensure you don’t fall foul of the law on your next interstate trip – you never know when the highly illegal urge to ride a camel on a highway in Nevada might strike, after all.

Alabama

1. Sorry Alabamians, but state law mandates that you must drive with your eyes open. Absolutely no blindfolds are permitted at the wheel, ok?

Alaska

2. Dog owners in Anchorage be warned: it’s illegal to strap your pet to the roof of your car.

Arizona

3. Overshot your turn in Arizona? Well, keep driving, my friend. Reversing on a public road is forbidden by local traffic laws.

Arkansas

4. No honking after 9pm near a deli please! It’s illegal to use your horn in the vicinity of anywhere serving cold drinks or sandwiches after hours in Little Rock.

California

5. The state of California feels strongly that women should be properly dressed when driving; no bathrobes are allowed.

6. Aspiring stunt performers must not practice their skills in Glendale, California, where it’s illegal to jump from a car travelling at 65mph.

Colorado

7. Sunday is a day of enforced rest for owners of black cars in Denver; it’s against the law to drive a black car on the Lord’s Day.

8. Best to have a clear idea of where you’re going when driving around Westminster, Colorado, since it’s illegal to pass a traffic control point three times in the same direction during the day – both the driver and owner of the car can be penalized.

9. More enforced Sunday resting in Colorado, this time for car dealers, who may not show potential clients any of the vehicles in their dealership on the Sabbath.

Connecticut

10. Even in an emergency, fire engines should not exceed a speed of 25mph in New Britain, Connecticut. Which is… reassuring.

Delaware

11. When heading to Delaware’s award-winning coastline, it’s best to change into your swimwear before you get in the car; the changing of clothes in a vehicle is prohibited.

Florida

12. In Florida, it isn’t only cars that must pay for parking; according to the law, any alligators occupying a parking spot must also be paid for.

Georgia

13. Spitting in Marietta, Georgia: illegal from a car or bus. From a truck, though? It’s fine.

14. This one makes more sense: you’re not permitted to drive through a children’s playground in Georgia.

Hawaii

15. If you run into difficulties while in your vehicle in Hawaii, better not hit those hazard lights. Moving cars must stop before they employ the hazard lights or they fall foul of the law.

Idaho

16. While elderly Idahoans are permitted to drive cars, once you turn 88 it’s against the law to be in charge of a motorcycle in Idaho Falls.

Illinois

17. In Illinois, it’s illegal to drive a car without a steering wheel. Why only the Prairie State, you may wonder? A valid question.

Indiana

18. Just as in Colorado, it’s against the law to sell cars on Sundays in Indiana.

Kansas

19. Step away from the Colonel when you’re in the car in Kansas; it’s illegal to transport dead poultry in this state.

20. Screeching tires is anti-social, but in Derby, Kansas, it’s also illegal. Ditch the wheelspins and doughnuts or you could find yourself hit with a $500 fine and even serving 30 days in jail.

Louisiana

21. The state of Louisiana requires a woman’s husband to wave a flag in front of her car before she can drive it to be on the right side of the law. The jury is out on whether unmarried women may proceed without the flag ceremony.

Maine

22. Colorado, Indiana and now Maine; it’s illegal to purchase a new car on a Sunday in this state, too.

Maryland

23. Mind your language when you’re in Rockville, Maryland, since cursing from a moving car is strictly verboten here.

Massachusetts

24. Sorry to disappoint, but the infamous Massachusetts law banning travelling with gorillas in the back seat is actually an urban myth. However, it’s probably derived from the very real law that animals may not be transported in the back of a vehicle without proper containment or caging – designed to prevent unsafe wild animal loading.

Michigan

25. In Michigan, it’s against the law to read a newspaper in the middle of the street. Clarity is required on whether other reading materials are permitted while mid-traffic.

Minnesota

26. Red cars are banned from cruising on Lake Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

27. It’s best to stop by a car wash before entering Minnetonka, since trucks with dirty tires are not welcome. You’ll be committing a public nuisance if your vehicle leaves mud or other substances on its roads.

Mississippi

28. Oxford, Mississippi, is very protective over its equine population; it’s illegal to honk your horn for fear of scaring the horses.

29. And horses may not be kept within 50 feet of any Mississippi roadway.

Missouri

30. Keep your hands off other drivers’ horns in Missouri, where it’s only permitted to honk your own.

Montana

31. In Montana, you’ll need a passenger if you’re planning to transport any sheep. Driving sheep across town here requires a chaperone to keep things under control.

Nebraska

32. There are famously no mountains in Nebraska. But if there were, you’d need to drive with caution on the right edge of the highway when passing them to abide by local laws.

Nevada

33. Camels may have transported goods and people across the Nevada desert since the 1800s, but today it’s illegal to ride one on the highway.

New Hampshire

34. Who knew inhaling exhaust fumes needed to be legislated against? New Hampshire police did: it’s illegal to inhale bus fumes with the intent of “inducing euphoria” in this state.

New Jersey

35. Take care to rearrange your face when out and about in New Jersey, where frowning at a police officer is against the law.

36. Thinking of applying for a vanity plate in the Garden State? You’ll need a clean licence. The application requires you to wait 10 years if you’ve ever been convicted of driving under the influence before personalized plates can be yours.

New Mexico

37. In New Mexico, there’s a law no-one knew we needed forbidding cab drivers from reaching out and pulling prospective punters into their taxi.

New York

38. Sag Harbor, New York, may be a beach town, but you’ll need to change into your swimsuit before you hit the road. Taking your clothes off in a vehicle is illegal, and clothes must stay firmly on in public or you’ll be hit with a $100 fine – which, if left unpaid will land you 90 days in jail.

North Carolina

40. Another law that apparently needs to be spelled out: North Carolina forbids playing in traffic.

North Dakota

41. Over in North Dakota, make sure you have plenty of loose change when getting a parking ticket – it’s against the law to insert a penny into an automatic ticket machine.
Ohio

42. In Youngstown, Ohio, running out of petrol isn’t only hugely inconvenient and annoying – it’s also illegal.

43. Hot and sticky Cincinnati summers are even more so if you’re a taxi driver; shorts are only permitted from 16 May until Labor Day in September. After that, it’s back to long trousers and hoping the air conditioning holds up.

Oklahoma

44. The law in Oklahoma forbids the reading of a comic book while driving. The jury is out on whether graphic novels are permitted.

Oregon

45. Don’t hang around when loading or unloading your car in Oregon. Whether it’s people or objects going in or out of a vehicle, police will be ready with a fine if they deem your car door to be open for an excessive amount of time.

46. The law says that driving on the sidewalk is fine in Oregon – just so long as you yield to any pedestrians.

Pennsylvania

47. Be sure to stock up on flares and allow plenty of time when driving down Pennsylvania’s country roads at night. A proposed law stated that you must stop every mile to set off a flare, then wait 10 minutes to allow any local livestock to cross the street.

Rhode Island

48. While many states have laws prohibiting the honking of horns, Rhode Island actively encourages you to toot. Drivers must honk the horn whenever they pass another motorist; failing to do so could land you a ticket.

49. Need to test the speed of a horse? Don’t do it on a Rhode Island highway. Horse racing or conducting speed tests are illegal on roads here.
South Carolina

50. Keep it clean in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where storing trash in your car is against the law. Take that empty soda can with you.

South Dakota

51. You only have to be 14 years old in South Dakota to legally get your licence. Hopefully, most teens can see over the steering wheel by then.

Tennessee

52. Feeling drowsy? Don’t fall asleep at the wheel in Tennessee, as you can’t legally take a nap while driving a vehicle.

Texas

53. Texas legislated for windshield wipers to be present in order to register a car, but seems to have forgotten to insist on the windshield, too – these are optional.

Utah

54. Give birds right of way on Utah highways and definitely don’t race anything with feathers; it’s against the law.

Virginia

55. In Main Street, Waynesboro, women are outlawed from driving a car – unless her husband is walking ahead of the car and waving a red flag. No word on what single women are to do if they need to drive down the street.

56. The madness continues in the state of Virginia where there’s legislation permitting people to scavenge for roadkill and allowing it for human consumption.

57. Radar detectors that drivers can use to alert themselves to any approaching police vehicles aren’t legal in Virginia.

Washington

58. Any driver intending to commit crime must stop his vehicle at Washington’s city limits, where he should call the chief of police to alert him of his entrance into the town.

Washington DC

59. In Washington DC, check your car isn’t hanging off your driveway; if your car isn’t fully pulled into the drive you could find yourself with a ticket – despite being on your own property.

Wisconsin

60. Look mum, no hands. Not in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. It’s illegal to not hold both handlebars when cycling, or to take your feet off the pedals.