| Driving
Elephant secured by rope to a parking meter

You buckle up, stop at red lights, and follow the road signs. You’ve got traffic laws down to a T, right? Well, not so fast! Do you know these weird traffic laws in the U.S.? We put together a list of the most unusual car-related laws in each state where our customers live. Some of them may seem obvious while others feel outdated. Have a chuckle and discover which laws you didn’t know!

Can you guess what else is illegal in these states? Driving without car insurance. Don’t go without — go with Direct! Call 1-877-GO-DIRECT (1-877-463-4732), click, or come in for your free car insurance quote.

Weird Traffic Laws

In Alabama, it’s illegal to:

Drive the wrong direction down a one-way street — unless a lantern is attached to the front of your car.

In Arkansas, it’s illegal to:

Operate a vehicle and sound the horn or bell after 9pm at any place where cold drinks and/or sandwiches are served.

In Florida, it’s illegal to:

Keep your commercial vehicle, RV, or boat in the driveway of your own home in Cape Coral. However, the city is considering parking changes.

(Per the picture above): It may or may not have once been illegal to tie an elephant to a parking meter without paying the meter fee. Many websites claim this antiquated law exists in Florida; however, it’s not on the books.

In Dublin, Georgia, it’s illegal to:

Drive on a public park, playground, or school area. It might be a bit obvious that this would be dangerous, but better safe than sorry!

In Mississippi, it’s surprisingly not illegal to:

Drink alcohol while driving. Mississippi is the only state that doesn’t have an open-container law that bans drinking inside a motor vehicle. However, drivers must maintain a blood alcohol content (BAC) below the .08 legal limit.

In North Carolina, it’s illegal to:

Drive under the speed limit. North Carolina is one of thirteen states where you can get ticketed for driving too slowly in the left lane.

In Ohio, it’s illegal to:

Warm-up your car (although, not in these exact words). According to the Ohio Revised Code (which was actually meant to stop car thefts), “No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine…”

In South Carolina, it’s illegal to:

Display an obscene bumper sticker. Careful! You could be fined up to $200 if your decal “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

In Tennessee, it’s illegal to:

Attach yourself to a streetcar or vehicle when riding on any bicycle, roller skates, sled, or toy vehicle. The danger of tying oneself to a car may seem like a no-brainer to some, but this law is probably in place to help prevent injury to the daredevils out there!

In Texas, it’s illegal to:

Visit the town square or a Taco Bell drive-thru while on horseback (yes, a rider was ticketed) — but in Temple, TX, it’s perfectly acceptable to ride your horse into a saloon.

In Virginia, it’s illegal to:

Have a radar detector in your vehicle to detect if your speed is being monitored by a police officer’s radar gun nearby. In fact, Virginia is the only state in America where radar detectors are still illegal.

Sources:

  • http://www.mikeschaferlaw.com/blog/last-weeks-real-or-not-real–lanterns-in-alabama-.cfm
  • http://web.littlerock.state.ar.us/weblink/DocView.aspx?id=83253&page=1&searchid=fa9ea83d-9d44-448f-a172-1dd2493004be
  • https://www.nbc-2.com/story/37812626/cape-coral-considering-parking-changes-for-boats-rvs-commercial-vehicles
  • https://library.municode.com/ga/dublin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH15PARE_ARTIINGE_S15-1MOVERE
  • https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/open-container-law_n_4653013.html
  • https://www.simplemost.com/states-with-left-lane-passing-laws/
  • http://www.fox19.com/2018/11/28/is-it-illegal-warm-up-your-car-winter-ohio-that-depends/
  • http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.661
  • https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/south-carolina/sc-code/south_carolina_code_56-5-3885
  • https://www.tn.gov/tdot/multimodal-transportation-resources/bicycle-and-pedestrian-program/tennesse-bicycle-laws.html
  • https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/you-cant-even-ride-a-horse-through-a-taco-bell-drive-thru-in-north-texas-suburbs-anymore/
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=gClZDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT101&ots=NlB3Kj-FVy&dq=Temple%2C%20TX%20ride%20horse%20into%20saloon&pg=PT101#v=onepage&q=Temple,%20TX%20ride%20horse%20into%20saloon&f=false
  • https://pilotonline.com/ask/article_88328276-48ce-11e8-8328-53ae311887d4.html
  • https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2015/4/13/traffic_inbox