Stupid Traffic Tickets

New Jersey just passed a new law requiring that pets must wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle. Failure to obey this law will result in fines of $250 to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail. From time to time, we like to remind you that one of the best routes to cheap car insurance is a good driving record, but it’s hard to stay on top of obscure laws, especially if you’re from out of state. Since ignorance of the law is no excuse, we’ve scoured the web for some of the whackiest traffic tickets you’ve probably never heard of. You’ve been warned.

In Oregon, it is illegal to test your physical endurance while driving a car on a highway, carry a baby on the car’s running board or leave a car door open any longer than necessary.

In Indiana, you may not back your car into a parking spot. Apparently it makes it harder for a cop to read your license plate. It is also apparently illegal to drive down Main Street in Evansville, Indiana with your headlights on.

Youngstown, Ohio will ticket you for running out of gas.

Do not change your clothes in your car with the curtains drawn, except in case of fire, when driving in Evanston, Illinois. If you’re in Moline, avoid driving around aimlessly or you’ll be ticketed.

Virginia has a statute against driving barefoot or parking your car on the railroad tracks. In the city of Waynesboro, there’s a law on the books forbidding a woman to drive on Main Street unless her husband
walks in front of the car waving a red flag.

Alabama has a law against driving blindfolded. However, it’s okay to drive the wrong way down a one-way street as long as you’ve attached a lantern to the front of your car.

California still has a law on the books making it illegal for a woman to drive while wearing a housecoat. Nor may a driver-less vehicle exceed 60 mph. In San Francisco, it’s illegal to dry your car using used underwear.

No gorillas are permitted in the back seat of any car in the great state of Massachusetts.

You may not read a comic book while operating a motor vehicle in Oklahoma.

Tennessee will ticket you for driving while asleep.

No matter how high gas prices rise, it is still illegal to coast downhill with your transmission in neutral and the clutch disengaged in Rhode Island.

Finally, be advised that in Washington, “it is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police” before entering town.