The Weirdest Rules of The Road

It’s time to look at the most unusual driving laws in the world. We’ll travel across the world to investigate the oldest methods to get a speeding ticket or even jail time while behind the wheel.

Singing and Dancing

We’ve all done it before. Driving along, minding your own business, and Bohemian Rhapsody comes on the radio. Who are you to say no to going full Wayne’s World and smashing every note, maybe even knocking out a headbang in the process?

It’s probably not worthwhile, so the next time, just turn down the radio and resist the urge. Because if Wayne, Garth, and co were on a UK road for this iconic moment, there would have been less partying and more attempting to pay a £5,000 penalty for driving without due care and attention.

Keeping The Lights On

It’s against the law in Norway to shut off your headlights while driving. As a result, you must always have those headlamps on, day or night, rain, or shine. It’s not an insignificant regulation (see what I did there), and Norwegian police may issue on-the-spot penalties of up to 1,000 Euros for offenders. Norwegian police are notorious for suppressing rule-breaking drivers, and it’s difficult to fault their methods since Norway has some of the world’s safest roads.

Drinking and driving is permitted in Costa Rica

Drink-driving laws in Costa Rica are, to say the least, lax. They’re quite permissive because if you’re drinking while driving and aren’t drunk, you’re legal in the eyes of the law. It’s not all fun and games, however, and while it’s fine to bring a bottle of beer with you for a drive, however if your blood alcohol level is above 0.75 per cent you’ll be thrown in jail. Swings and roundabouts are two other strange regulations observed on the roads of Costa Rica. If you illegally park on a certain thoroughfare, the cops will take your registration plates. So, swings and roundabouts it is.

Dirty Number Plates

Clean number plates are necessary for police and ANPR cameras for your car to be recognized as needed. It’s critical that you have a clean Number Plate if you get fined £1,000 by the police.

In all walks of life, dirt may accumulate on your number plate fast, regardless of if you work or reside on a farm. Car drivers will tell you that travelling along A-roads and highways adds to the grime, not to mention inclement weather that can cause your registration to become illegible in a hurry.

Driving a Dirty Car

Forget about a filthy plate jeopardizing the police’s powers, in Moscow, it’s against the law to drive your car if it’s too filthy. Moscow drivers can be fined 10 Roubles for failing to meet the country’s vehicle cleanliness standards, as well as a search by the cops. Strangely enough, washing your automobile within city limits is also prohibited and doing so may result in a 30 Rouble penalty.

Cleaning it at a river, lake, or reservoir can cost you up to 100 Roubles, which doesn’t make much sense when you consider that water cleanses impurities from vehicles naturally.

Not to mention a ban on using mobile phones, eating, or drinking in the car, and even bringing your pet with you. The policy is frequently applied throughout the year rather than during the cold and challenging winters, according to Russian authorities, and it’s linked to being able to read number plates similarly as in the UK.

Bathrobes are a big no-go for motorists

Next up is a trip to the United States of America, specifically California. There is a peculiar piece of legislation on the books that states that women can’t drive in bathrobes.

It’s legal, but the cops might enforce it if they see it because it’s technically lawful. In Alabama, driving down a one-way street in the wrong direction is legal—as long as you hang a lantern from the front of your car…

Now, this is unquestionably a law that was written many years ago for many slower-moving cars. When a jam occurred, it was only a couple of horse-drawn carriages or bicycles backing up rather than the numerous high-speed and heavy vehicles seen today. While this is still technically legal, you’d have a hard time convincing a court that you shouldn’t be penalized if you caused a pile-up while driving the wrong way down a one-way street with a lantern on your vehicle.

Does your car attract rats?

A third from the United States of America, this one in Hilton Head, South Carolina. In South Carolina, it is unlawful to keep trash in your car. It’s impossible to tell what effect a few empty McDonald’s glasses having has on your driving abilities, but here we are.

The law is in place because trash left in a building or vehicle might offer food or shelter to rats. As if rats would congregate in your car as a consequence of an empty crisp wrap or two! However strange this seems, it is still considered a public nuisance offence, with penalties of up to $500 and imprisonment of up to 30 days.

Spain demands double vision

In the UK, motorists’ licenses can be revoked for having bad eyesight or not wearing prescription glasses while driving, whereas in Spain, people who wear glasses must carry a spare pair with them while driving. If you break this law, you will be fined heavily, and if you pay your fine within 20 days, the police may be more forgiving towards tourists.

In addition to the mandatory items already mentioned, drivers must carry a copy of their driving license, proof of insurance and ownership, two warning triangles, and a high-visibility jacket. All of which appear much more reasonable when compared to a spare pair of glasses.

Driving restrictions on a Monday

Finally, in Manila, you cannot drive on Mondays if your license plate ends in a 1 or 2. This seems strange, but there is a coding system in Manila that restricts the number of vehicles on the road, which starts to make sense. So, each vehicle has an alphanumeric digit at the end of its license plate and is prohibited from driving on designated days to reduce car pollution and congestion.

 

Manila cops are notorious for being difficult to deal with, and if you unknowingly break this law, you could be fined 500 pesos on the spot. This fine may also be a payoff, so exercise caution when out there!

A few bonuses crazy laws

Before you drive it in Denmark, you must check under your car for sleeping children, as it is a legal obligation. In San Francisco, automobiles may not be polished with used underwear. You can’t shoot an animal from your car in Tennessee unless it’s a whale. It’s a little odd because the nearest ocean is at least a six-hour drive away.

It is, however, legal to spit from a vehicle moving in Georgia. In Colorado, it’s against the law to drive in a black car on a Sunday. Finally, in Alaska, tying a dog to the roof of your car is prohibited.