20 Strange Traffic Rules Around the World

If you rent a car abroad, you should, of course, always familiarize yourself with the local traffic rules, especially if they differ from what you’re used to at home.

In general, traffic rules are there to ensure safety—that is, to prevent as many accidents and inconveniences as possible. But there are some rules that make you wonder if the person who came up with them has ever actually sat behind the wheel. Or maybe they’ve been breathing in the fumes from a smoking diesel engine for too long.

Here they are: weird, absurd, funny, and baffling traffic rules from around the world!

1. Who doesn’t use an old rag to dry off or polish their car? But be careful in San Francisco—there, that old rag can’t be a pair of used underwear! You don’t want to know what happened to make this a legal requirement, because believe it or not: brand-new panties are allowed!

2. Germany is famous for its Freie Körper Kultur (nudism). You’re even allowed to drive naked there, because Germans consider the interior of a car to be private space. The catch is that you have to put your clothes back on as soon as you open the door in public.

3. It’s a completely different story in Thailand. Although it’s often scorching hot there, you must always be fully clothed when behind the wheel. Driving topless can result in a fine, and that applies to both women and men.

4. Here’s another dress code, but this one applies only to women in California. They’re not allowed to drive while wearing a bathrobe.

5. It seems pretty obvious to us that you’re not allowed to drive a car while wearing a blindfold. They agree in Alabama, but just to be sure, this U.S. state has enshrined that rule in law. Perhaps someone was once pulled over for trying it and asked where exactly it says that driving blindfolded is prohibited?

6. On Prince Edward Island, in Canada, you’re required to honk your horn when you’re about to pass another vehicle in your car. This rule dates back to a time when there weren’t many cars on the road, but it was never repealed. These days, no one follows it anymore, because it would get pretty noisy on the roads there.

7. If you drive a dirty (rental) car in Russia, you run the risk of getting a fine. How to keep a car clean in conditions like melting snow is unclear, as is what exactly counts as “dirty.”

8. Speaking of dirty… Many people wash their cars on their day off, which is often Saturday or Sunday. In Switzerland, it’s illegal to wash your car on Sundays. While that’s also “not done” in many strictly Christian areas, the Swiss have enshrined it in law.

9. The Swiss also hate noise. That’s why it’s illegal in Switzerland to slam your car door shut. And that applies every day of the week!

10. In New South Wales, Australia, it’s against the law to drive through a puddle of water or mud and splash pedestrians waiting at a bus stop. Strangely enough, it’s not illegal to soak people if they’re walking on the sidewalk.
    Polite Japan has better regulations in place, as it’s always forbidden there to splash pedestrians.
    Incidentally, it’s surely no coincidence that this rule is also included in British traffic law. After all, aren’t the British known for their politeness? Or at least they used to be.

11. Here’s another example of politeness in the United Kingdom: while driving, you’re not allowed to make rude gestures toward other road users, such as flipping them off. A pedestrian, however, is allowed to do so. Why the distinction? Because the British believe that making angry gestures means you’ve lost control of the vehicle.

12. In Rockville, Maryland, gestures are tolerated to a certain extent, but swearing is strictly off-limits. Whether you’ve been cut off unfairly or nearly swept aside by another car, you’re better off keeping your window closed rather than rolling it down to hurl insults at the other driver.

13. Driving after having had a few drinks is always inadvisable, but in North Macedonia, they take it a step further. A passenger who is “clearly under the influence” is not allowed to sit in the front passenger seat but must sit in the back seat. There, the drunk passenger distracts the driver less and can quietly drift off to sleep—and possibly fall over.

14. In Nevada, you’re not allowed to ride a camel on the highway. At the end of the 19th century, camels were widely used in this American desert state. They would also wander onto the main roads, which became a problem with the rise of automobile traffic. That’s why the law was enacted, and it remains in effect to this day.

15. In the United Arab Emirates, camels are still a common sight on the streets and an important status symbol. Although it’s not officially codified in law, respect for these animals goes so far that drivers always yield the right of way to them.

16. South Africa, however, has enshrined the right of way for animals in its laws. In that country, you might just come across elephants or wildebeests (gnos) casually crossing the road. You’re required to give the animals the right of way and must not obstruct them. Incidentally, this right-of-way rule also applies to other animals on the road, such as cows, horses, and donkeys.

17. Do you often take your dog along in the car and let it happily stick its head out the window? Be careful if you’re driving around the United Kingdom, because that’s not allowed there. It isn’t explicitly stated in the law, but according to the British, if a dog can move freely inside the car, it causes a distraction. And that’s prohibited while driving.

18. In Alaska, dog sleds aren’t used as often as they used to be. These days, most people travel by car. But where do you put the dog when the car is packed with the whole family? Certainly not on the roof—that’s prohibited in Alaska!

19. Something to keep in mind if you’re driving a rental car near the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The highways leading to the city have separate lanes for Muslims and non-Muslims.

20. Here’s another law that—you might say—is obvious. In the state of Oregon in the northwestern U.S., children may not be transported on the hood, fender, running board, or any other external part of a motor vehicle. Whether that means adults are allowed to sit there while driving is unclear…

Urban Legends About Traffic Rules

An urban legend is a story that is passed down time and again but is not true. In other words, it’s a myth, and there are many of them when it comes to traffic rules. Here are a few examples.

• For example, it’s often claimed that in Denmark, you must first look under your car before driving away. It’s completely unclear where this story comes from or why it would be a traffic rule specifically in Denmark. In any case, it’s not true.

• It’s also unclear what the story is based on that claims you’re not allowed to transport a gorilla in the back seat in Massachusetts. You have to wonder how on earth you’d even manage to fit such a great ape neatly into a car. So this traffic rule doesn’t exist either, though it would be funny if it did.

• In the United Kingdom, you’re supposedly allowed to urinate in public in cases of extreme necessity, provided you do so behind a car and keep one hand on the vehicle. No traffic law mentions urinating in public, but it’s often prohibited by local ordinances. However, an exception like the one described above does not exist.

• It’s sometimes claimed that in China it’s illegal to stop for pedestrians on the road. This isn’t true; the law actually explicitly states that a driver must stop. Whether this is enforced in practice is another matter. Especially in large, busy cities (and there are many of those in China), drivers flout this rule.

• You’re probably familiar with the game where you have to whisper a word from one person to the next in a group. The last person ends up hearing something completely different from the original word. Something similar likely happened with a “traffic rule” in Tennessee. There, you’re not allowed to shoot at wildlife from a vehicle—unless it’s a whale. A rather strange rule, since this U.S. state isn’t bordered by any body of water. Presumably, the English word “wheelchair” was once mistaken for “whale.” After all, the law does state: “Hunting from aircraft, watercraft, or motor vehicles is unlawful, except for persons confined to wheelchairs.

• No longer true: In Australia, taxis must always carry a bale of hay. That was indeed a rule back when a taxi consisted of a horse and carriage. That hasn’t been the case for quite some time. Yet this rule wasn’t removed from the traffic code of the Australian city of Melbourne until 1980.

• Another traffic rule that did exist but has since been repealed: in Spain, drivers who wear glasses must always carry a spare pair. It’s no longer mandatory, but if you have a strong prescription, you can’t really do without them, can you? In that case, especially while on vacation, it’s wise to keep a spare pair in your rental car.