Strangest Driving Laws around the World

As a road trip blogger, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the strangest driving laws I’ve come across.

Driving in another state, or even overseas, will illustrate how cultures can vary greatly across the world—driving/car culture is no different. Driving ethos can change completely just a few miles down the road, much less halfway across the globe. This means transportation laws can be drastically different. One of the strangest driving laws in Alabama is that you cannot drive while blindfolded. Duh! I can’t believe this was such a problem that lawmakers had to deal with it by making a law. I wonder if anyone has actually been cited for this before.

In my home state of Arizona, one of the strangest driving laws is that you cannot drive a car in reverse on a public road. Oops, I’m actually guilty of this one. Maybe there is something with states that start with an “A,” because in Arkansas, one of their strangest driving laws is that you cannot honk your horn after 9pm anywhere near a place that serves cold drinks or sandwiches. In the liberal state of California, women are not allowed to drive in their bathrobe (or housecoat depending on where you’re from).

These strange driving laws are not just in the States—in Beijing, it is forbidden to stop at crosswalks. In the ever-courteous country of Japan, it is against the law to splash mud or water on a pedestrian. Now, I like this one!

In Moscow they believe that cleanliness is close to Godliness, so if your car is too dirty, you’ll be slapped with a fine. I wonder how they decide how dirty is too dirty? Get this one, in Germany, it is illegal to stop or break down for any reason on the autobahn, including running out of fuel. This actually happened to me, but fortunately I made it to the off-ramp before running out. Click here to read the incredible story.

Driving laws were meant to keep order on the roads, but in many cases, these laws are archaic or spawned from a bizarre series of events. Needless to say, there are some incredibly strange driving laws out there. In fact, The Zebra found so many weird laws that they decided to create a funny infographic that I’ve shared below with their permission.

Here are a few more of the strangest driving laws I’ve heard of:

• In Colorado it is illegal to drive a black car on a Sunday in Denver.
• In Delaware you cannot change clothes in your vehicle. Ugh, another one I am guilty of doing.
• In Denmark, the law states that you must check for children hiding underneath your car before taking off. Those Danes are so protective of their kids.
• In Cyprus, it is illegal to eat or drink anything while driving. Ugh, yet another one I am guilty of.
• In Florida if you tie an alligator to a parking meter, you must feed it (the meter, not the alligator). Only in Florida.
• In Illinois It’s illegal to drive a car without a steering wheel. Not to mention…IMPOSSIBLE!
• Thankfully this next law has recently been changed. Until recently, in Saudi Arabia, women were not allowed to drive, but they could own a car.
• In Louisiana, this one is a bit backwards too…a woman’s husband is required by law to wave a flag in front of her car before she can drive it. Believe it or not, Virginia has a similar law on the books.
• This one should probably be a law in every state, but in Massachusetts, you cannot drive with a gorilla in your backseat. Haha.
• In Nevada, one of their strangest driving laws is riding a camel on the highway…because they have so many in Nevada.
• Better turn that frown upside down if you get pulled over in New Jersey, they made it frowning at a police officer illegal.
• In North Carolina too many frustrated parents told their kids to go play in traffic, so they made a law against it.
• Only in Oregon, one of the only states that you cannot pump your own gas would force drivers to yield to pedestrians while driving on the sidewalk.
• This is an interesting one in Pennsylvania…when driving on a country road at night, you must stop every mile and set off flares (or other warning signals), then allow 10 minutes for livestock to clear the road.
• This is one of the strangest driving laws in Tennessee…you cannot shoot any game, other than whales, while in a moving vehicle. Mind you, Tennessee is landlocked.
• The laws of physics govern this law in Utah that says birds have the right-of-way on a highway.
• I love this strange driving law from Washington state… a motorist with criminal intentions must stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police and let them know that he is entering town. Yeah, this goes for guns too.
• Don’t even think of eating that road kill in West Virginia!

For travelers navigating various countries, it’s important to understand that each destination may have unique driving requirements. Before heading abroad, check the international driver’s license requirements for the countries you’ll be visiting to ensure a smooth and hassle-free driving experience.

What is the strangest driving laws you’ve heard of? Please share below by leaving a comment.