Craziest Traffic Laws by State

A Police Car Pulls over a Texas Driver after a traffic violation

Eight of the craziest traffic laws on the books

Traffic laws can vary widely across the United States. While many of them are designed to keep
drivers and passengers safe while ensuring the smooth flow of traffic, some of these laws are
simply ridiculous. Eight of the craziest traffic laws on the books are detailed below.

Texas Traffic Laws

Texas has many fantastic attributes that make it a truly great state in which to live. However, some of its traffic laws leave a bit to be desired.

1. Take this crazy law that you’ll need to contend with if you are in Lubbock County, for example. When driving in Lubbock County, you’ll want to be careful to drive at least an arm’s length away from alcohol. This includes staying that distance away from those people who have alcohol in their bloodstream.

2. Lubbock County is not the only Texas locality that has laws that will leave you scratching your head. In Galveston, it’s illegal to drive down Broadway Avenue in an automobile on Sunday before noon.

3. Galveston also has a law mandating that bicycles maintain a “reasonable speed” or risk being ticketed.


Suffice it to say that Texas is not the only state to have ridiculous traffic laws.

4. In Virginia, it is a law that cars must honk as they pass other cars.

5. A law that is particular to Prince William County, makes it illegal to park your car on any railroad tracks within its borders.

Washington DC

Washington DC, home of where all federal laws originate, sometimes makes staying within the
law difficult for its residents.

6. In 2009, Washington DC ceased its requirement for vehicles to undergo yearly “state” inspections as a cost-savings measure amid the recession. Though vehicle owners were thrilled, many of them didn’t realize they still had to undergo emissions tests at least every two years, according to federal regulations. This has resulted in tickets being issued to very surprised car drivers.

South Carolina

South Carolina has two particularly notable traffic laws that can only be classified as crazy.

7. It is illegal in South Carolina to execute a U-turn within 1,000 feet of an intersection.

8. Another law in South Carolina obviously harkens back to days gone by as it references horse-drawn carriages. The law states that anyone driving a vehicle that is not pulled by horses must fire a gun after stopping 100 feet from a blind or four-way intersection. This is so that those on horseback are given a sufficient warning that a vehicle driven by a motor — or otherwise — is about to enter the intersection.