40 Highly Strange Driving Laws From Around The World

If you do it by mistake, it’s careless and unpleasant. If you do it on purpose, it’s downright evil. We’re talking about driving through a puddle and splashing a pedestrian. As per the website of U.K. car dealership Wilsons, if you do this in Japan, accidentally or deliberately, you’re actually committing an offense. If you’re caught you could be fined for your bad manners. 

If you’re driving in the Chinese capital Beijing, forget about being courteous to jaywalkers, advises website The Travel. If you see someone walking over the road against the lights at a crossing, drive on. There’s a local regulation that actually says you must not stop for jaywalkers. This is apparently to discourage pedestrians crossing when they shouldn’t!

We’d have to say that is particular law from Alabama is not so much strange as utterly pointless. After all who actually decides to put on a blindfold before driving off in their car? Well, as per What Car? magazine, it seems that Alabama lawmakers thought that scenario was at least a possibility. So they duly created a rule stipulating that there was to be no blindfold driving.

The city of Manila has something called the Unified Vehicle Volume Reduction Program. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but what does it mean? Well, from Monday through Friday you can’t drive in the city if your license plate ends in a particular number. So be sure to know your number and check when you’re allowed to drive. 

We’re having to scratch our heads and ask ourselves a question. What sane individual wants to dive out of a moving car? Whatever the motivation, you’d better not do it when in Glendale, California, as it’s illegal there, as revealed by the website of Rhino Car Hire. Bizarrely the relevant regulation apparently even stipulates the speed above which you can’t jump from a vehicle: 65mph or more.

This French law required all drivers to carry a breathalyzer in their vehicle at all times. Sounds like a good idea to help eliminate the scourge of DUI. But in reality the practicalities overwhelmed the good intentions: the country basically ran out of breathalyzers. As per news website The Local, the law was scrapped in 2020.

You might be used to striding out of your front door, jumping in your car and driving off. But as per Wilsons, when in Denmark, you need to change your habits. There, it’s a legal requirement that you make a thorough check beneath your car before setting off. After all, who knows: there might be anything from a small child to a pet pooch hiding under there!

You’re driving in the island nation of Cyprus. Summers there are hot, so you might well feel like a quick drink of water as you drive. Stop right there: if you do take a sip of water, you’ll be breaking Cypriot traffic laws, and you’ll be liable for a fine, as noted by website Complex.com. Snacks while driving are a no-no too, so best to fuel up before you start your journey.

So did the Swiss authorities ban car-washing on Sundays so that folks would have plenty of time to go to church on the Lord’s Day? No. Apparently it’s all to do with noise disturbance. As well as car-washing, lawn-mowing is also banned on Sundays, notes Complex.com. We get the mower ban, but how much noise does car-washing actually make?

Germany is rightly famed for its comprehensive network of high-speed freeways, the autobahns. But before you hit the pedal to the metal along these freewheeling roads, there’s one very important check you need to make: your gas tank. As noted by website HuffPost, best to make sure the needle is at full, as if you come to a halt on the autobahn because you’ve run out of gas, you’re breaking the law.

Driving through South Africa, you might come across a pride of lions ambling across the road. If so, you must stop your vehicle until they have crossed. And, notes Wilsons, that applies to any wild animals you might encounter, from elephants to elands. Herders and their animals also have complete right of way. Sheep, goats, cattle: they all have more rights on the road than drivers.

If you go to Florida for a vacation, as so many do, there’s one decidedly eccentric law you need to know about. Well, should you happen to own an elephant, that is. Apocryphally, if you hitch your pachyderm to a parking meter you must pay just as if you’d parked a vehicle there. Website mynews13.com observed that some — including Orlando’s police department — doubt the existence of this law. But it’s a great yarn. 

You might own one of those dogs that loves nothing more than to hang its head out of an open window as you speed along in your car. But Britain’s Highway Code, an official document published by the government, includes strict rules about dogs in cars. While it doesn’t specifically forbid window-hanging pooches, it‘s clear that you must restrain your canine.

Rules against texting as you drive along the highway are hardly a surprise: the potential dangers are obvious enough. But what about when you’re sat in line at a drive-through eatery? That seems a lot less risky. Maybe so, but as per The Travel, in Canada you could find yourself in hot water if you text while waiting at the drive-through. 

You’ve just bought some hay and you need to transport it. Why not just chuck it into your car’s trunk? We’re here to tell you not to try that if you happen to be in Australia where, like the British, they call the trunk a “boot”. The BMW website notes that carrying hay in your boot is forbidden. But you can instead hail a cab: you can take as much hay as will fit in one of those.

Weather’s set fair, so you decide to go for a burn on your motorcycle. Why not invite your friend to come along riding pillion? If you’re in Honduras, forget it. For that nation has a blanket ban on doubling up on a bike. Why? It’s because some motorcycle passengers participated in drive-by shootings. 

As in most countries, Spanish authorities insist that you carry your driving license and insurance documents in your car. But the rules in Spain go further than that. As per The Travel, if you’re short-sighted, you must have a spare pair of glasses in your ride at all times. An unexpected regulation, but actually it does make some sense. 

The Swedes have a reputation for being highly safety-conscious and one of their driving laws seems to confirm the stereotype. When you’re driving there, you’re obliged to have your headlights on at all times, night and day. Swedish-made automobiles even keep lights on 24/7 automatically to avoid any regulation breach.

The story goes that it’s illegal to drive from Minnesota across the state line into Wisconsin while sporting a duck on your head. Now, it’s difficult to track this bizarre regulation down in the law books. But the Minnesota Lawyer website has a theory. One of its writers wondered if there was confusion between the winged bird and another kind of duck “a plain woven cotton fabric.” Still doesn’t seem to make much sense!

So you’ve had too many bevvies in the bar, but you’ve got your car with you. You might well judge it sensible to sleep in the car overnight then drive home in the morning once you’re sober. But in Britain, you’d still be breaking the drink-driving laws. That’s because you’d be judged to be “in charge” of the vehicle even if fast asleep.

You might not always entirely agree with your taxi driver’s choice of radio station. But what if the driver had to pay for the privilege of having his radio on? As per British newspaper The Guardian, that’s been the case in Finland since 2002 when the courts there ruled that playing music in a cab was equivalent to holding a public performance. Therefore royalties were due, to be paid by the taxi driver. 

If you plan on hailing a taxi in the Canadian province of Ontario, you’d be well advised to check your oral hygiene. As per Complex.com, if you get into a cab there and you have bad breath, you’re on the wrong side of the law. Meanwhile, according to one source, you mustn’t catch a tram in Toronto if you’ve been eating garlic. 

There can be few places in the world where drunk drivers can sit behind the wheel with impunity, and this is only sensible. But the Hertz car rental website notes that in Japan they take the criminalization of DUI a step further. If you get into a vehicle with a driver who’s under the influence, you too are liable for prosecution. We call that zero tolerance to the max. 

The Russians, it seems, put a high value on shiny, clean automobiles. So much so, that you can even be fined for taking your car out when it’s less than clean, observes The Travel. Probably best to give your car the once-over before you go for a drive. Otherwise, you might be in for an unpleasant confrontation with the forces of law and order. 

To say the rules about what you can and can’t shoot in California while driving are weird barely describes their utter oddity. As per Wilsons, you must not shoot any animal from your auto. There’s an important exception to that blanket rule: taking a potshot at a whale is fine. Except it’s not, because America banned all whaling in 1971.

As per HuffPost, in Australia, and Britain as well, there’s a law that says taxi drivers must carry feed for their horses at all times. We need hardly point out that some years have passed since a cab was last pulled by a horse. This seems to be one of those cases where an archaic law has been left to languish on the statute books. 

If you’ve ever taken a trip to Thailand, you’ll know that it can get extremely hot and humid there. So it’s a serious temptation to strip off your shirt when you’re driving, whether you’re in a car or on a motorcycle. But don’t: Wilsons notes that if you do, Thai cops might stop you and impose a fine. Driving topless is simply not allowed. 

When you’re driving in Hawaii it’s possible that you might get caught in a full-on tropical storm. These storms can be really dangerous, so it might well occur to you to flip on your hazard lights. In fact, that’s not a good idea. The Travel states that in Hawaii you’re not allowed to use your emergency lights during violent weather.

France is one of many countries where you’ve got a to keep a close eye on your speed if you want to avoid being slapped with a ticket. But one of the motorist’s most useful tools to avoid speeding fines is unfortunately forbidden in France. Hertz states the law there actually bans the use of satnavs that indicate when a speed camera is coming up on the road ahead. So you’ll just have to drive carefully. 

Popular belief has it that you can’t allow a gorilla to ride on the back seat of your car in Massachusetts. But it’s fine to have one sitting next to you in the front passenger seat as you drive. It’s a great story and not entirely untrue. The actual law states that you’re not allowed to have any animal — and that includes gorillas — riding in the back of your automobile unless it’s caged.

Car-drivers in Bulgaria have to be equipped for every eventuality. Paraphernalia they’re required to carry include a first-aid kit, a reflective jacket, and a warning triangle. With all that lot, you should be ready for just about anything that comes your way on the road. But as per advice on the U.K. government’s official website, there’s still one more thing you must have: a fire extinguisher.

Driving in the U.K. you’ll certainly see cars with branding of one kind or another on them. But the truth is that each and every one of those driving vehicles adorned with advertising is breaking the law. To be precise, they’re in breach of the terms of Section 9 of the Metropolitan Streets Act 1867. Fortunately, it seems British cops have no appetite for enforcing this antiquated law. 

You’d be well advised to do your best to stick to the speed limits on Nigerian roads. As per Naijauto.com, if you’re caught speeding the police can refer you for psychiatric tests. This is kind of scary. After all, who knows what mental aberrations or dark secrets might be revealed by such an examination? 

The warm Mediterranean weather that Spain enjoys may well tempt you to ditch your shoes and socks in favor of flip-flops or sandals. But you’ll need to put your proper footwear back on if you plan to drive. According to Scoopwhoop.com, the law in Spain forbids you from getting behind the wheel while wearing anything as a relaxed as flip-flops. 

If you like your car to look its best with the bodywork displaying a fine shine, go right ahead and polish. But if you’re in San Francisco be careful what type of cloth you use for the buffing. Because as per BMW, in that city there’s actually a regulation forbidding the use of old underwear to shine your automobile. Presumably it’s all a matter of decorum.

So you’ve had a row with a family member while out driving. What’s more natural than to put a full stop to the argument by getting out of the car and giving the door a resounding slam? But don’t do this in Switzerland. No matter how hot under the collar you are, BMW says it’s illegal there to break the peace by slamming your car door.

Most of us are fairly used to the idea that you should drive in a single lane on the freeway unless you’re overtaking or turning off. But the authorities in Ontario take an altogether more relaxed attitude to lane discipline. In 2018 The Travel quoted the transport minister as saying, “In Ontario, lane markings generally serve as an advisory or warning function and by themselves do not possess any legal force.”

You’ve gone out with a couple of buddies for a drink in Macedonia. Wisely one of your friends is taking his turn as the designated driver. So not a drop passes his lips, or at least nothing alcoholic. But on the way home the driver must sit on his own: as per website Hot Cars, the law says you and your other friend must sit in the back. 

There’s something weird you must have in your car when you’re driving in the Baltic nation of Estonia: two chunks of timber. You could have more than two, but you must have at least that many. Evidently the Estonian authorities don’t trust handbrakes, because Hot cars revealed the two wooden blocks are for jamming under your wheels when you’re stopped on a slope. 

It’s nether clever nor pretty, but it’s all too common. We’re talking about road rage. Many people seem to lose it once they’re behind the wheel of a car, often for pathetically petty reasons. But if you do get into a fury while driving in Britain, best to keep a lid on your anger. In that country, the Daily Record newspaper notes that it’s technically against the law to direct curses at or make rude gestures towards other drivers.