Did you know it’s legal to drink and drive in Mississippi? That is, as long as you remain under the legal limit. This, and a host of other odd driving legalities and illegalities are detailed on a fascinating website called Just Park. The website is a veritable treasure trove (now there’s a phrase that should be illegal for overuse) of legal trivia related to driving (Not that we advocate drinking and driving. We don’t. It’s dangerous. Period.).
At Just Park, one might discover, for instance, that it’s pretty much never illegal to drive with a dog on your lap. That is, unless you’re in New Jersey or Hawaii, in which case, you’re out of luck. (Not that it’s a good idea to drive with a Saint Bernard on your lap. They drool. Also, they are big, and it may be hard for you to see out your front windshield. Which is dangerous. Lather, rinse, repeat.).
Driving while tired is always a bad idea, but in some states, this is, actually, illegal. There are 8 U.S. states in which it is illegal to drive if you’ve been awake for 24 hours or more. In those states, driving while tired is treated exactly the same as driving under the influence. Which it is, in a sense: driving under the influence of tiredness. (If you have never done something stupid while extremely exhausted, raise your hand.)
Honk if you drive while listening to music only you can hear. That is to say, while wearing earphones. That is actually legal in most states. Even though it means you can’t hear that guy honking his horn at you, like mad.
One thing that made us really sigh with relief: it is absolutely, hands down, not a problem to drive while pregnant, in any U.S. state. Were you wondering about that? (We weren’t. Who thinks this stuff up, anyhow??)
Fun and jokes aside, we were actually appalled to discover that it is not illegal to text and drive in both Montana and Arizona. We’ve worked hard to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and texting while absolutely constitutes distracted driving. So please don’t do that. Even if you’re reading this in Montana and Arizona.
Come to think of it, don’t even read this while driving in Montana or Arizona (or anywhere else).
Stay safe now, y’hear?
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