Buckle up for some of America’s most bizarre or just plain silly outdated traffic laws! While some of these regulations may seem irrelevant today, it's fascinating to consider the times when they were deemed necessary. On the other end of the spectrum, some of these laws feel so obvious that it’s hard to imagine them needing to be stated. From livestock to cleanliness and etiquette, these unusual laws reveal a little bit about our states’ histories and how they’ve worked to create safety and order.
Our first set of bizarre driving laws are the ones that have to do with livestock. In Connecticut, drivers must grant right-of-way to anyone guiding cattle across the road. In Montana, it’s against the law to have unchaperoned sheep in a truck. Speaking of sheep, back when Hollywood, California was an independent city, it was illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at a time—you could do it in batches though. Now it’s unlikely that camels count as “livestock” but just in case, Nevada prohibits them from walking on public highways. While these laws definitely seem arbitrary now, it’s fascinating to think of a time whenever they would have been more relevant.
Cleanliness is not a suggestion for this next group of vehicle laws. In Los Angeles, you cannot legally wash your neighbor’s car without their permission. California also has another weird car-washing law: San Francisco has a law against cleaning your car with dirty underwear. When considering this law, the first one makes a little more sense—if only they were in the same city! Our next two are in Minnesota: vehicles driving on dirty roads need to have mud flaps to prevent debris from hitting other cars. Along this same line of thinking, it is also illegal for vehicles to drive with dirty tires. The reason was to maintain clean roadways and prevent the spread of debris. Finally, South Carolina also has a law against dirtiness—specifically, it’s illegal to accumulate garbage in your car. So keep those cars clean!
What about laws that are about being just plain rude? That’s where Arkansas comes in. In Little Rock, it’s illegal to honk your car horn at a drive-thru after 9pm. Although not fully confirmed, this law likely aims to maintain peace at dining establishments in the evening. Speaking of preserving peace, Derby, Kansas has a law against screeching tires. This law was put in place to limit noise pollution in residential areas. In Marietta, Georgia, it is illegal to spit out of a car or bus window (though it’s allowed for truck drivers). As for rude drivers, Rockford, MA has a law against shouting profanities or being rude while driving that can land you with a fine and a misdemeanor.
Let's wrap up with two laws that might actually make sense, even if they sound silly at first. Maine prohibits parking in front of Dunkin' Donuts in South Berwick—probably to prevent traffic jams, though the specific reason remains a mystery. And in Youngstown, OH, running out of gas is actually illegal. While this might seem harsh, the law aims to "discourage negligent driving practices that could put the driver and road users at risk." Plus, it prevents traffic backups from cars stalling on empty tanks. You know what? This one might be worth keeping!
Many of these laws have been around since the creation of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s—just like us! Wherever you travel across the United States, Interstate Signways has been there to guide the way.
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