Since I have done a bit of complaining about traffic lately on my blogs Blowing Off Steam Part 1 & Part 2, I thought I might head in a different direction today & highlight some of the traffic laws other countries travel under.  Some of these are quite humorous & others very restrictive.

Saudi Arabia
If you’re a woman and you plan on visiting Saudi Arabia, you should get used to riding shotgun.  Women are prohibited from driving on most public roads, with violators risking arrest or deportation.  If you saw the way they drive there, you might only want to be a passenger too!

Tennessee, U.S.

Drive by hunting is frowned upon in Tennessee, so on your next visit try not to shoot any animals from a moving vehicle…unless it’s a whale.  Shooting whales is totally okay in that state.  I didn’t realize there were any oceans big enough to support whales in Tennessee (?!)

South Africa
Livestock always has the right of way in South Africa. Fail to yield to a herder and his flock and you might end up with a $535 fine.  What would they do to you if you failed to yield to a pedestrian?

Denmark

Before getting into your car in Denmark, the law requires you to check for any kids hiding underneath.  In all the years I have been driving I’ve never seen a child under my car.  Is it because I’m failing to look?

Virginia, U.S.
Hit a possum while cruising through West Virginia?  Feel free to pick it up, scavenging road kill is totally legal.  EEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!

Beijing
Watch your step when crossing the street in Beijing.  Drivers of power-driven vehicles who stop at pedestrian crossings risk getting fined up to five yen.  Now this is my kind of law, pedestrians should not have the right of way just because there is a crossing sign in the area.

Singapore
Keep your distance from pedestrians when you’re driving in Singapore.  It is illegal to come within 50 meters of someone crossing the street.  What do you do if you can’t see them because they’re wearing dark clothing & it’s not yet light out?  Seems to put a lot of onus on the pedestrian to make sure he/she is seen.  Yeah!

Image cities adopt policies to reduce rush-hour traffic and pollution and encourage the use of public transportation. For example, in São Paulo, Manila and in Mexico City, each vehicle has a specific day of the week in which it is forbidden from traveling the roads during rush hour. The day for each vehicle is taken from the license plate number, and this rule is enforced by traffic police and also by hundreds of strategically positioned traffic cameras backed by computerized image-recognition systems that issue tickets to offending drivers.  And we thought we had it bad with commuter lanes!

All of the above was taken from Wikipedia because where else would I get it?  Know of any unusual traffic laws from your area?  I’d love to hear about them!