Weirdest Traffic Laws from Each State

Even on the Federal Highway System, the Rules of The Road vary from state to state. Here we’ve collected and commented on some of the more arcane and unusual traffic laws you may want to remember if you live in, or travel in the United States. Read up! Ignorance of the law is no excuse, and if you break the law, you may have to take traffic school to dismiss the ticket.

Alabama – It’s illegal to drive a car while blindfolded.

Alaska – No driving with a dog tethered to your car.

Arizona – It’s against the law to drive a car in reverse on a public road.

Arkansas – in Little Rock it’s against the law to honk your car horn anywhere that serves cold drinks or sandwiches after 9 p.m.

California – In Glendale, it’s illegal to jump from a car going over 65 mph.

Colorado – It’s illegal to drive a black car on a Sunday in Denver.

Connecticut – it’s illegal to hunt from a car.

Delaware – “R” rated movies shall not be shown at drive-in theaters.

Florida – It is illegal to skateboard without a license.

Georgia – There’s no driving through playgrounds in Georgia.

Hawaii – It’s against the law for a vehicle in motion to use its hazard lights. People might think it’s a Luau.

Idaho – it’s forbidden for Senior Citizens over the age of 88 must lose all sense of balance, them to ride a motorcycle in Idaho Falls.

Illinois – It’s illegal to drive a car without a steering wheel. And, of course, impossible.

Indiana – It’s against the law to sell cars on Sundays. Try Maine.

Iowa – No vehicle may sell ice cream in Indianola, Iowa.

Kansas – No tire screeching in Derby, Kansas.

Kentucky – It’s illegal for your pet to molest a vehicle in Fort Thomas.

Louisiana – A woman’s husband is required by law to walk in front of the car waving a flag as she drives it.

Maine – It’s illegal to buy a car on a Sunday. Better move to Indiana.

Maryland – It’s a misdemeanor to swear from a vehicle while driving through Rockville.

Massachusetts – You cannot drive with a gorilla in your backseat. In the front seat is okay with the seat belt buckled.

Michigan – It’s against the law to sit in the middle of the street and read a newspaper. But in Detroit you may lie there and be covered by one.

Minnesota – You can be charged as a public nuisance if your truck leaves mud, dirt or sticky substances on the road in Minnetonka.

Mississippi – In Oxford, it’s illegal to honk your horn, even though it is an additional means of communication included in the price of your car.

Missouri – You can’t honk someone else’s car horn in University City, Missouri.

Montana – You can’t drive a herd of livestock numbering more than 10 on an interstate highway unless the herd is preceded and followed by flagmen.

Nebraska – By law, drivers on mountains should drive with caution near the right edge of the highway. Surprisingly, Bighorn Mountain rises to 4,731 feet.

Nevada – Even though it’s the desert, t’s illegal to ride a camel on the highway.

New Hampshire – It’s against the law to inhale bus fumes with the intent of inducing euphoria. If you want to kill yourself, that’s covered under a different law.

New Jersey – If you have been convicted of DUI, you can never apply for personalized license plates.

New Mexico – It may or may not be kidnapping, but it is illegal for cab drivers to reach out and pull potential customers into their taxis.

New York – It’s against the law to disrobe in your car in the beach town of Sag Harbor, Long Island.

North Carolina – In Dunn, North Carolina it’s illegal to play in traffic.

North Dakota – it’s illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

Ohio – It’s illegal to run out of gas in Youngstown.

Oklahoma –Cars must be tethered outside of public buildings. No guidance on to what.

Oregon – It is illegal to place a container filled with human fecal matter on the side of any highway. No containers!

Pennsylvania –Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass.

Rhode Island – One must make a loud noise before passing a car on the left. Preferably with your vehicle’s horn.

South Carolina – When approaching a four way or blind intersection in a non-horse driven vehicle you must stop 100 ft. from the intersection and discharge a firearm into the air to warn horse traffic.

South Dakota – No horses are allowed into Fountain Inn unless they are wearing pants.

Tennessee – It’s illegal to shoot game from a moving vehicle. But hitting it with your car is legal, and can be delicious.

Texas – You must have windshield wipers to register a car.

Utah – By law, birds have the right of way on all highways. Luckily, they don’t usually exercise it.

Vermont – It’s illegal for cars to backfire in Rutland.

Virginia – Radar detectors are illegal.

Washington – A motorist with criminal intentions must stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town.

West Virginia – It’s legal to eat road kill. No info on whether you can shoot it from your car.

Wisconsin – One may not camp in a wagon on any public highway.

Wyoming – If you open a gate over a road, river, stream or ditch, you’d must close it behind you.

More Class Time For New Drivers In Louisiana

Louisiana legislators are attempting to make the roads a safer place for everyone by requiring more classroom time and more behind-the-wheel experience for all new drivers who are trying to earn their driving privileges in the state.

The new law was passed this spring and will take effect on August 1. The new law requires 17-year-olds to attend a 38-hour driver education course instead of the previous requirement of just a six-hour pre-licensing course. It will also impact new applicants 18 and older by requiring eight hours of behind-the-wheel driving instruction in addition to the six hours of classroom instruction.

All this added instructions means that new drivers will be better prepared for whatever driving situation they find themselves in, or at least that is the hope of the new legislation. Although, graduated licensing programs now in effect n states like New York and New Jersey show a marked improvement and decrease in vehicle collisions for drivers who get more instruction rather than less.

And it makes sense. The more you practice something the better you get at it. that is human nature. By increasing the learning time for new drivers the state of Louisiana is hedging its bet when it comes to new drivers. It has evidence which supports the theory that more instruction makes better drivers and it has the support of legislators who are trying to save lives. We are not sure what new drivers think of the increase in classroom and behind-the-wheel learning time required of them, but since they are probably anxious to start driving they likely are not too happy.

Then again, anyone who is sharing the road (or a family car) with a new driver probably thinks giving them more instruction time before letting them loose on the roads is a great idea!.

Louisiana Lawmakers Aim At Drunk Drivers

In an effort to crack down on what it considers a major public safety issue, the Louisiana legislature is moving a set of bills aimed at drunk drivers. The new proposed laws run the gamut from increasing penalties on repeat offenders to giving police more ways of testing drivers to see if they are intoxicated.

They are also working furiously to increase the penalties on anyone caught driving a vehicle intoxicated regardless of if it is their first offense or their fifth. It only takes one time drunk behind the wheel for someone to injure themselves of someone else, so why quibble over how many times is ok?

Defensive drivers understand the dangers the drunk driving and don’t do it. They secure a ride from a sober friend in advance or they arrange for a paid ride home from a local cab company. There are a myriad ways for you to get home, no matter where you live, so why should you climb behind the wheel drunk?

According to a study conducted by Louisiana State University, 288 people died in alcohol-related crashes last year. This study along with other state statistics compiled by the state department of transportation and state police, were enough to prompt lawmakers to engage in a furious battle to see how they could better use the legal system to combat the problem.

Louisiana has a reputation as a party capital, and its scattered and isolated of rural communities create the perfect storm of problem areas, especially where drunk driving is concerned. It seems likely that increased vigilance from lawmakers and those who enforce the laws can help bring down the number of people killed by drunk drivers in the state by increasing the punishment for those who get behind the wheel of an automobile drunk. Perhaps then Louisiana will get a reputation for being safe, instead of a place where you can drive drunk with impunity.

Louisiana Cell Phone Ban Fails

The Louisiana Senate this week failed to gather enough support for a comprehensive statewide ban on the use of cell phones by drivers.

Despite heavy lobbying by supporters of the proposed ban, including safety experts, other lawmakers and law enforcement, the Senate Transportation Committee voted 2-1 Thursday against the House-backed proposal.

The bill would have allowed the use of a hands free device, such as a Bluetooth enabled cell phone, but would have prohibited drivers from talking on their cell phones while holding them.

Unlike Texas to the West and Florida to the East, Louisiana already has a ban on texting while driving. This measure won overwhelming support from law makers on both sides of the aisle and passed easily.

Prevented the use of handheld devices, however, has been a tougher sell to some, especially politicians concerned about alienating part of their constituency.

A December report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Board showed that the number of fatal crashes caused by distracted driving had eclipsed the number of fatal crashes caused by driving under the influence of alcohol for the first time in 2011. The NHTSB also said with their report that the trend seemed to indicate that this was going to remain a problem until distracted driving could be regulated, specifically the use of handheld devices by drivers. The NHTSB called for an immediate nation wide ban on the use handheld devices. This caused some states to react swiftly and others to denounce the NHTSB report as fear mongering.

Texas lawmakers for instance have repeatedly said that a statewide ban on handheld devices was overkill, and that the issue was best left to municipalities who could decide for themselves if they wanted or needed a handheld devices ban.

Louisiana appears to be one of those states caught in the middle. They want to provide some regulation to control distracted driving but have so far hesitated to enforce too many rules on drivers.