In the UK we all know that drink driving and speeding are illegal. That is pretty straightforward. Other easily understandable laws are that you can’t use your phone whilst driving, and you must wear your seatbelt. We searched the web to find some of the strangest and most obscure driving laws from around the world. Did you know that in some countries it could be illegal to drive on a Monday? Or that you could be fined for driving a dirty car. See our list below for some of the strangest driving laws from around the world.
Costa Rica
The driving laws here do not consider drinking while driving as illegal. You can snake through the treacherous windy lanes with a beer in one hand and the steering wheel in the other. As long as you make sure your blood-alcohol level is never over 0.75%. So you can drink and drive but just make sure you stop before you are drunk!
Spain
If you need to wear glasses while driving you must have an extra pair handy in your car. The driving law in this country has made it illegal to drive without having an extra pair of glasses available for those that need them. You could be hit with a fine if you do not carry a spare pair.
Austria
In Austria, speeding is not an exact science. By law, police officers are able to judge with their own eyes whether someone is speeding in 30km/h or less zones.
Denmark
We all know the usual checks you need to make in your car before setting off. Well in Denmark it is a legal requirement to check if there are any children under your car before you set off.
France
It is illegal to have speed camera notifications set up on your sat-nav. There are also potential steep penalties for this as you could be hit with a 1,500 euro fine, confiscation of the sat-nav and maybe even confiscation of the vehicle. As using speed camera detection devices is legal in the UK, you need to be particularly careful if you are taking a road trip from the UK to France. You will need to turn these notifications off before you arrive in the country.
Japan
Japan seems to be extra cautious when it comes to its drink driving law. Japan has not only made it illegal to drive a vehicle while drunk, but it is also illegal to be a passenger in a car driven by a drunk driver. It is sensible advice anyway to not get in the car with a drunk driver, even more so in Japan as you could be hit with a fine for just sitting in the passenger seat.
Arkansas
The driving law in Arkansas has made it illegal for drivers to blow their horn at night in areas that serve sandwiches or cold drinks after 9 p.m. We are not sure what the law is in regards to hot drinks. Arkansas is a place that has been know to have some strange laws, some they have got rid of, but this is a place that once made it illegal for the Arkansas River to rise higher than than the Main Street Bridge. This law was eventually removed as it was unenforcable!
Alabama
In Alabama it is illegal to drive whilst blindfolded.....you would think this would go without saying!
Clinton, Oklahoma
In Clinton, Oklahoma, it is illegal to molest your car...the less said about that the better.
Manilla
Due to heavy traffic in this part of the world you are limited to what days you can drive your car. The days are specified by your licence plate. For example if your licence plate ends in a 1 or a 2, then it is illegal to drive your car on a Monday. It you plat ends with 2 or 3 you can’t drive on a Tuesday etc.
Thailand
In Thailand it is illegal to drive shirtless. No matter how hot your car is, you need to cover up or you could land yourself a fine.
California
There are a couple of strange driving laws here. Although they are written in law, it is unlikely they would ever come into force. For one, it is illegal for women to drive around in a bathrobe. Even stranger than that, it is illegal to shoot a wild animal from a moving vehicle, unless that animal is a whale.
