The Greek sage Aristotle once penned, "Even when the laws have been written down, they ought not always remain unchanged." Not only is this wise advice, but also prophetic. Especially when you focus on some of the driving laws that loiter on the pages of state statutes.

Tennessee, for example, has a law that bans shooting game, other than whales, from moving vehicles. Apparently, this law was authored during an unusually high tide or after too many dizzying spins on a Tilt-a-Whirl at Dollyworld. Chances of any whale finding its way into Tennessee via the Cumberland River are about as likely as Tony Danza winning a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival. Yet, it exists.

So as to assure that your next cross-country vacation does not get pricked by the thorns of legality, we at DMV.ORG have organized a list of arcane state laws that you should be aware of. For nothing can be more embarrassing than having to phone your attorney from Kentucky for help in escaping a fine for trying to transport an ice cream cone in your back pocket.

Alabama

It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.

It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street as long as a lantern is attached to the front of your car.

Driving barefoot is illegal.

Alaska

It is illegal to tie a dog to the roof of your car.

Arkansas

It is illegal for a person to blare the horn on a vehicle at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9 p.m.

California

Any woman dressed in a housecoat is prohibited from driving a car.

It is illegal in San Francisco to buff or dry your car with used underwear.

No unoccupied vehicle may exceed 60 miles per hour.

Florida

If an elephant is tied to a parking meter, the owner or attendant must deposit money in the meter.

Georgia

State Assembly members are immune from being ticketed for speeding while the State Assembly is in session.

In Marietta, Georgia, it is illegal to spit from a moving car or bus, but is okay from a moving truck.

Illinois

In Evanston, Illinois, it is unlawful to change clothes while inside a car with the curtains drawn, except during a fire.

Kansas

In Derby, Kansas, it is considered a misdemeanor to screech your tires while driving.

Kentucky

If you stop for ice cream while driving, be aware that it is considered unlawful to transport an ice cream cone in your back pocket.

Massachusetts

You will be ticketed if you drive with a gorilla in the backseat of your car.

Michigan

If you car breaks down in Detroit and you are waiting for assistance, be aware that sitting in the middle of the street to read a newspaper is illegal.

Minnesota

It is illegal to cross state lines, regardless if you are walking or driving, with a duck on your head. And, if you’re crossing into Wisconsin, the law also applies to chickens.

In Minnetonka, Minnesota, if you drive a truck that leaves mud, dirt, or sticky substances on any road, you will be considered a public nuisance who is harming the peace, safety, and general welfare of the town.

You cannot ride a motorcycle without a shirt.

Montana

In Whitehall, Montana, vehicles are prohibited from driving with ice picks attached to the wheels.

Nevada

It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway.

New Jersey

Drivers are required to beep their car horns before passing another vehicle.

If convicted of driving while intoxicated, you permanently lose the option of registering for a vanity license plate.

North Carolina

In Dunn, North Carolina, it is illegal to drive on a sidewalk.

Ohio

In Oxford, Ohio, authorities will ticket you if you consecutively drive around the town square more than 100 times.

Keep in mind that if your car breaks down and you phone for a cab, you will be ticketed if you opt to ride on the cab’s roof.

Oklahoma

It is considered illegal to read a comic book while driving.

Oregon

You will be ticketed if you leave your car door open longer than is deemed necessary.

You will be slapped with a Class A traffic violation if you use your car on an Oregon highway to prove your physical endurance.

It is illegal to pump your own gas.

Pennsylvania

If you spy a team of approaching horses, you are required by law to pull to the side of the road and cover your car with a blanket or dust cover that has been painted or sewn to blend into the scenery. But, if the horses react skittish to your efforts, you are then required to disassemble your car and hide the parts in the nearby underbrush.

South Carolina

In Hilton Head, South Carolina, you cannot leave trash in your vehicle out of fear of attracting rats.

Tennessee

It is illegal to fire a gun at any wild game other than whales from a moving car.

West Virginia

It is perfectly legal, for road maintenance purposes, to scavenge road kill.

Hello all
Bought my first car a 1994 Corsa for £430 3 weeks ago, brokedown 3 times, I thought it was battery but turns out it was cam belt that had caused damage to engine pistons/valves that are now bent and need replacing at a cost of £350 as well as the cam belt at £125! Now, considering I am still paying £67 a month for insurance and breakdown cover, should I cut my losses and just sell it for cheap to a mechanic who may be interested, or should I fork out the money and hope the car is worth it??? Now, I know the car was dirt cheap, but it was all I could afford at the time and YES i should have taken a mechanic with me, but all these lessons I have learnt, so please no lectures or rude comments! I just dont know what to do? Ps, have been told these cars last a long time, although it 13 years old already.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Thanks guys

I dreamt that me and my friends drove to this secret place. when we got there we had to pick a gummy bear out of a bag without looking. if you got a white 1 you had to sit an exam. any other colour and you had fun. i picked 2 accidentally. 1 white and 1 yellow. a teacher kinda person said that me and my friend must pick 1 out of her hand . i had 2 sit the exam. but b4 that we did we we’re given a hours break. so we drove around 4 a bit. the car broke down. so we all started to walk back instead of me and this other girl. who sat on a under cover police car . she was then arrested for doing so. i then saw my mum and we tried to get back to this secret place. but kept on going in circles. there was an old man who walked into barbed wire near this kangaroo place and had a go at me and my mum. any idea of what this means?

I’m trying to work out if its worth it. So if someone knows the cost of being rescued if your car breaks down with no membership that would be useful. Or the cheapest option for cover. (In UK)

Help me decide. I was considering using a bike to get to work instead of the car, but am unsure of the total costs? is it that much cheaper than a car? considering tires, fuel, insurance, tax, breakdown cover, and the like, any help on the subject would be gratefully received, although I would prefer answers from people that have done both please, I can contemplate too, and don’t care for stupid thoughts from people without a clue.
I Quick addition…

I sold my last bike last October, and was considering a CBR600 F, Triumph Sprint ST, VFR800 Vtec, or a Fazer1000 for the use of commuting to work. additional info would be cool

A penguin was driving through the desert when his car broke down. He waddled to the nearest phone to call AA. His car was quickly towed to the nearest garage where the mechanic told him he would need a couple of hours to check out the car. The penguin, being a good natured bird, didn’t complain but wandered off to find the closest supermarket. He proceeded to the frozen foods section and hung out near the fish sticks. After an hour he got in the freezer next to the vanilla ice cream and ate several gallons. Then he saw
the time and went back to the garage, covered in ice cream. The mechanic walked over to him wiping his hands and shaking his head saying, "It looks like you blew a seal." Blushing, the penguin said, "Oh no! It’s just ice cream."

Like an idiot! I just rang my breakdown cover and they told me because its happened outside my house they would have to charge a £90 call out charge.
Whats the cheapest option for me? Anybody know any tricks to get in a Y reg Punto boot. It is my only key.
Otherwise how much am I looking to spend?
Help!!
Its quite an old Punto. Y reg.

my car has broken down some way away, im at my friends house at the minute, i forgot to write down the number for the breakdown recovery firm i need to call. i know its the company liverpool victoria insurance sign you up to for free on their policy. can anyone help??

I’m 20 years old + bought my first car today. It’s a little 1.4 Rover Metro.. I’m on Confused.com + Moneysupermarket.com trying to get the best insurance quote.. Both come up with Quinn Direct as the cheapest by over £100. However it doesn’t give you details as to what the breakdown cover entails! There phone lines closed an hour ago + I’m eager to know.

For anyone who’s with Quinn, what does the breakdown cover actually offer? If it’s not great, I have no problem getting seperate cover with the AA as it’s only £12 a month.. But I don’t want to pay out with them, if Quinn offer a good enough breakdown package.

Basically my Dad said some companies he’s seen, have such crap cover, they’ll liturally come out, stay for 30 mins, if they can’t fix it, they’ll leave you. I don’t want anything snazzy, but need to know I’ll be towed to a garage if it’s not fixable, or home.

I’ve also opted in for windscreen cover.. The website isn’t very informative!!

Someone please help )
I just had a look at what other people asked about Quinn + someone who claims to work for them, said that they’ll only give you break down cover if the car is 15 years old or younger.. Mine is 14 years old.. Does this mean next year I wont be able to go with them?? Is this even true?
Thanks guys.. Going to go with Quinn for 1 year (as next year my car will be 15 years old) + get AA cover as well )

I’m going to France in my car in a few weeks time. Does the AA cover France and can i extend my cover. If not, what do i do if i break down. Thanks.

I want a hd tv(dosent have to be 1080p) that is between 22inch to 26inch. I want the cheapest prices and from good well known shops.(not ebay)Also please do not include breakdown cover,i can pay for that

my car just broke down outside my friends house. if i join them on roadside cover now, will they come to fix my car now as well?

Two weeks after a normal service my car broke down. I went back to my garage and after using a diagnostic machine the mechanic discovered that it needed new spark plugs.His charge for the service is £85. £30 for spark plugs and £55 for the diagnostics.Should the spark plugs have been checked during the service?

My girlfriend bought a car on finance in January this year, with finance agreement in place with Black Horse for approx £5k.
Last week, the car broke down. Initial diagnosis showed it was a failed "coil pack", which we since purchased and replaced, showing no improvement.
We then had an independant mechanic have a look at the car, and he found that the "camshaft" was not turning, and therefore would represent serious damage to the engine itself. (Pistons/Valves). Just to confirm this would mean taking the engine apart, costing hundreds of pounds. Repairing this would normally mean installation of a new engine, which would cost thousands, or installation of a second-hand engine which would still cost in the vicinity of £1000.
The warranty we had covered mechanical breakdown, but was only for a 3 month period, so would have expired in March this year.
The main point to consider is that, the independant mechanic who looked at the car, noticed the spark plugs had never been changed since new, (2005 MK5 Astra). However, the company we bought the car from told us it had a full service a day before our purchase date, and have stamped the service book.
This could have contributed to the mechanical breakdown, so i am wondering what we can do in light of this, based on the Consumer Credit Act 1974;
1) In that we recieved and are paying for unsatisfactory goods
2) Sue either the supplier/finance company for the problem
Will i be succesful in either of these options?
One other point to mention is the fact the garage we bought the car from went bust locally, (company still operating in other areas).
Im basically thinking to threaten the garage with court action if they do not offer to repair the damage with no cost incurred by us.
Any ideas?
The mechanic said the plugs were old GM plugs, and are usually replace with different brands are they’ve left the manufacturer. Also, just by looking at the plugs you can tell the wear on them is far greater than 6 months, so again raises questions with their servicing?
I know im grasping at straws here, but she’s left seriously out of pocket, not to mention screwed with no having a car.
The only option is can see is raising this with the finance company/garage in respect to points on the documents, regarding recieving faulty goods, but like you’ve said it would be difficult…

I need to buy breakdown recovery, going for either The AA or RAC, but I’m confused as to which cover I should get? Is it practical to go for the most basic option of just getting roadside assistance when I breakdown or should I be going for all the added options too? Really want to keep it as cheap as possible!

Hi,
I have got 14-year old car and it is not reliable anymore… I am thinking about buying a brekdown policy "just in case". Obviously AA, RAC etc. are the top ones but also not the cheapest ones. Is there any risk when you buy a breakdown policy from a smaller company, not that well known as those ones mentioned above? Any cheaper options?

Thanks

regardless of what is covered in your warranty

I bought a citroen c4 about 7 months ago, the car still has 13 months warrenty on it. I had it serviced in Jan at my local citroen garage, I felt that it didn’t run quite as well as before it was serviced. About a week ago I heard a very slight tapping noise, yesterday the screen flashed that there was a antipollution problem and the car started loosing power. I took it back to the citroen garage, who now say that the fuel filter is full of dirt and it not covered under warrenty, I normally get my fuel from my local tesco, but it is not unusual if I’m out of the area to pop into anther garage for fuel. The bill looks as though it will be the best part of £1,000, I’m devastated, is there anything else I can do regarding getting this sorted?

I’m thinking about buying an 80 GB Ipod classic, however I am prone to damaging things quickly. What is the best possible retailer I should go to, to buy the ipod and good breakdown cover?

Managed to get it started but it still conked out/seemed like it has stalled 5 times getting it to the car park just up the road.

Anyway, whats likely to be wrong with it? I’m so annoyed! I’ll have to get it towed with my break down cover home, but how much will it be to tow it to a garage?

Also the actual cost of repair of what you think it might be?

If this is any help, it has been a bit weird today, sounding like it’s going out of gear, stupidly I still drove it, being the daft cow that I am! (Only had it for a month, it’s my first car!)
I pulled over as soon as it came on, but just after it came up, the car stalled.

We’re with Green Flag, being a Sunday, I’ll have to get it towed home, and then to a garage. (Very annoying)

I don’t know what light it is, it’s the one with the little thunder sign, haha…that’s the only way I can describe it.

Is this going to be expensive? I’m just about to sell the car so it might not be worth doing.
Yes, there is oil. Got it topped up in the morning, actually.
There was a problem with my breakdown cover coming out, they said I wasn’t covered (I am) Luckily I was in a car park that will call out the RAC for you for free and tow you home. The guy said my car was damp, got it started and off I went.

Only problem now is the almost popping out of gear. Hopefully it will be ok and won’t break down again? Selling it within two weeks to move abroad to a better place.