Eight Mind-Boggling Ways To Break The Law In A Car

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Here are eight mind-boggling reasons why you could be pulled over, ticketed, or maybe even arrested while driving or even parking your car. They have been collected by the Criminal Justice Degrees Guide, the people who help you get a job as a police officer. They should know.


1. Your Door Is Open Too Long


According to section 811.490(b) of Oregon’s state traffic laws, it is a Class D traffic violation to leave a car door open “for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.” The unloadiong of dogs, suitcases, groceries or anything else without two legs can get you in trouble.

2. You Accidentally Screeched Your Tires


In Derby, KS., you can be pulled over and ticketed if your tires screech. The fine can be up to $500 or 30 days in jail.

3. You’re Singing A Rap Song With Your Windows Down


Section 13-53(a) of the Rockville, Maryland, municipal ordinance states that, “[a] person may not profanely curse and swear or use obscene language upon or near any street, sidewalk or highway within the hearing of persons passing by, upon or along such street, sidewalk or highway.”

4. You’re Driving Near A Bar


Several states have passed laws allowing “sobriety checkpoints” along roads with a high instance of alcohol-related accidents, as well as “no refusal” weekends in entire urban areas. In these cases, police officers in cities like Austin and Houston, Texas may stop your vehicle without probable cause.

5. You Camp In A Wagon


According to Section 86.025 of Wisconsin traffic law, it is “unlawful for any person or persons to camp in wagons [. . .] on the public highways.”

6. You Parked In Front of Dunkin Donuts on Main Street West in South Berwick, Maine


It is illegal in the township of South Berwick, Maine, to park on “Main St. (West) in front of Dunkin Donuts to a point 25 feet south.”

7 . You’re Having Sex In The Front Seat of Your Taxi During Your Shift


It is illegal for Massachusetts cab drivers to have sex in the front of their cabs if they’re on the clock. If the woman is on top, this is doubly illegal.


8. You’re A Child, And You’re Driving A Big Wheels Tonka Truck


In Canton, Ohio, it’s against municipal ordinance to “go upon any roadway” if you’re on “roller skates or riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle, skateboard or similar device.” The penalty is a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail.

Want more silly laws? There is no shortage. Know silly laws and ordinances where you live? Let’s hear them.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Flipper35 Flipper35 on Mar 21, 2012

    My uncle was given a ticket for riding a wheelie on the sidewalk and the ticket read "Failur to maintain control". He beat it in court when the judge agreed he was in control but the judge also noted that he should be given a ticket for reckless driving the next time.

  • Flychinook Flychinook on Mar 25, 2012

    In my home town, doing a burnout won't get you a reckless driving ticket, but it WILL get you an "excessive noise" ticket. Strangely, I never once saw a Harley pulled over for this. Then again, this is the same town that will ticket you for "unnecessary, repetitive driving". http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-end-of-cruising

  • TheMrFreeze That new Ferrari looks nice but other than that, nothing.And VW having to put an air-cooled Beetle in its display to try and make the ID.Buzz look cool makes this classic VW owner sad 😢
  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
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