You know the basics: Come to a complete stop at a red light, follow the speed limit – and so on. But what about the more obscure state traffic laws? Here are 50 of the craziest state driving laws:
Alabama – No driving while blindfolded
Alaska – It’s illegal to tie a dog to your car roof
Arizona – It’s against the law to drive a car in reverse on a public road
Arkansas – Don’t honk your car horn anywhere that serves cold drinks or sandwiches after 9 p.m.
California – It’s against the law for women to drive in a housecoat
Colorado – It’s illegal to drive a black car on a Sunday in Denver
Connecticut – A fire engine should not exceed 25 m.p.h. – even on the way to a fire
Delaware – You should not change clothes in your vehicle
Florida – By law, you must feed the parking meter if you tie an elephant, goat or alligator to it
Georgia – It’s illegal to spit from a car or bus, but it’s OK to spit from a truck
Hawaii – It’s against the law for any vehicle in motion to use its hazard lights
Idaho – Anyone over age 88 is forbidden to ride a motorcycle in Idaho Falls
Illinois – It’s illegal to drive a car without a steering wheel
Indiana – It’s against the law to sell cars on Sundays
Iowa – In Mount Vernon, it’s illegal to throw a Red Ryder onto the highway
Kansas – You can’t transport dead poultry in this state
Kentucky – It’s illegal for your pet to molest a vehicle in Fort Thomas
Louisiana – A woman’s husband is required by law to wave a flag in front of her car before she can drive it
Maine – It’s illegal to buy a car on a Sunday
Maryland – It’s a crime to swear from a vehicle in Rockville
Massachusetts – You cannot drive with a gorilla in your backseat
Michigan – It’s against the law to sit in the middle of the street and read a newspaper
Minnesota – You’re a public nuisance if you drive a truck in Minnetonka that leaves mud, dirt or sticky substances on the road
Mississippi – In Oxford, it’s illegal to honk your horn because it might scare nearby horses
Missouri – You can’t honk someone else’s car horn
Montana – Unless you have a chaperone, it’s illegal to have sheep in your truck
Nebraska – By law, drivers on mountains should drive with caution near the right edge of the highway, even though there are no mountains in Nebraska
Nevada – It’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
New Jersey – Frowning at a police officer is against the law here
New Mexico – It’s 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 Sag Harbor
North Carolina – It’s illegal to play in traffic
North Dakota – You’re breaking the law when you put a penny in an automatic parking ticket machine
Ohio – It’s illegal to run out of gas in Youngstown
Oklahoma – It’s illegal to read a comic book while driving
Oregon – By law, you must yield to pedestrians when driving on the sidewalk
Pennsylvania –When driving on a country road at night, you must stop every mile and set off flares or other warning signals and then allow 10 minutes for livestock to clear the road
Rhode Island – It’s illegal to ride a horse on a highway for the purpose of racing or testing the speed of the horse
South Carolina – It’s unlawful to store trash in your vehicle in Hilton Head
South Dakota – You only need to be 14 years old to get your license in South Dakota
Tennessee – It’s illegal to shoot any game other than whales from a moving vehicle
Texas – You must have windshield wipers to register a car, although having a windshield is optional
Utah – By law, birds have the right of way on all highways
Vermont – It’s illegal for cars to backfire in Rutland
Virginia – Women are prohibited from driving a car on Main Street unless her husband is walking in front of the car waving a red flag
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
Wisconsin – It’s against the law for a person to ride a bicycle with their hands off the handlebars
Wyoming – By law, you must close a gate crossing over a road, river, stream or ditch or you risk a $750 fine
Now that we’ve covered some of the stranger driving laws around, learn more about state car insurance requirements and get a quote for car insurance in your state.
