Goofy Traffic Laws

Goofy Traffic Laws

Here are some of the wackiest rules you might not have heard about in Driver’s Ed.

As I was driving home from work the other day, I noticed numerous vehicles pulled over by Highway Patrolmen. I thought the amount of traffic stops seemed much higher than normal, when it dawned on me – Ohio’s new Distracted Driving Law went into effect on April 4.

For the next six months, officers will pull drivers over and issue warnings about using their phones while driving. In October, you will actually get a ticket for texting and talking while driving. 

More and more laws like the new one in Ohio are going on the books or already there (I found that out years ago in Reno, NV). I say it’s about time. Hang up the phone and drive, people!

Of course, though they’ve also all been put into place for one safety reason or another, not EVERY traffic law on the books is still necessary. Here are some of the wackiest rules you might not have heard about in Driver’s Ed.

Unless you have a lantern attached to the front of your vehicle, it’s illegal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street in Alabama. 

You’ll be ticketed for honking your horn after 9 p.m. outside of Arkansas dining establishments that serve sandwiches or cold drinks.

“Though they’ve all been put into place for one safety reason or another, not all traffic laws are still necessary.”

Unless you’re killing a whale, it’s against the law to shoot animals from your vehicle in Tennessee.

You can be ticketed in Massachu-setts for having a gorilla in your back seat.

Remember how I said I once got pulled over for holding my phone in Reno? You also can’t ride camels on the highway in Nevada.

In Montana, it’s illegal to be alone with sheep in a truck – you must have a chaperone.

In certain parts of Missouri, you cannot, under any circumstances, drive with an uncaged bear in your car. In other areas, however, it’s obviously allowed.

 In California, women are not allowed to drive in a housecoat. In Memphis, TN, Louisiana and Virgina, women aren’t allowed to drive at all, apparently, unless their husband walks in front of the car.

Don’t drive blindfolded in Alabama.

No matter how much your dogsled team loves being outside, it’s illegal to tie a dog to your car roof in Alaska.

In Florida, if you tie an elephant, goat or alligator to a parking meter, you have to pay the standard fee.

It’s illegal to spit from a car or bus in Georgia, but it’s OK to spit from a truck.

Apparently in Indiana, it’s against the law to sell cars on Sundays, while you can’t BUY one in Maine.

Oklahoma has been against distacted driving for so long that it’s illegal to read a comic book while driving.

In Oregon, you must yield to pedestrians when driving on the sidewalk.

While some may complain that Ohio’s new cellphone law is overkill and the cops should have better things to worry about, the National Safety Council says that distracted driving is a vastly underreported and underappreciated social problem.

So, even though it may be legal to eat road kill in West Virginia, it doesn’t sound like a very good idea. To me, texting and talking while driving is just as unappetizing.  

You May Also Like

Inspection Intervals

If you fail to inspect an item on the schedule, you could miss out on maintenance opportunities.

While researching condition-based monitoring for air filters for an upcoming article, I realized that mileage-based replacement intervals are quickly becoming a thing of the past. If you are not familiar with condition-based monitors, they look at the conditions a component or system is subjected to and recommend replacement by using a message or light on the dash. It first started with oil change intervals and oil life indexes. With air filters, the ECM can look at how much air the filter has processed as well as readings like manifold vacuum and fuel trims to estimate the life of the filter.

Building The Perfect Future By Mentoring

Share your stories of how you have helped others reach their goals.

Parts and Artificial Intelligence

In the past 25 years, things have changed with the Internet.

Why Are Cars So Expensive to Fix?

A combination of everything people require makes vehicle repairs so expensive.

Are You Ready to Rock in 2023

Vehicle Care RockStars is a brand dedicated to celebrating the vehicle care industry and the array of channels it serves.

Other Posts

Future Techs Aren’t The Only Ones In Short Supply

Who’s going to teach the next generation of technicians?

Electrifying The Next Generation of Techs

The future is bright and exciting for vehicle repair.

Free Tesla Service Information?

A few months ago, Tesla quietly changed the pricing on service.tesla.com to $0.00 for service manuals.

The Changing Vehicle Ownership Cycle

Fewer new cars and higher used car prices mean the better option may be for drivers to keep their current vehicle.