Skip to main content

Road rules

Different road rules are in place in many parts of the world, with some proving rather peculiar. In the US state of Kentucky, women are permitted to drive while wearing a bikini, as long as they either have a weapon to hand for self-defence or are sitting alongside two police officers. Meanwhile in Germany, driving in the nude is permitted as a car is regarded legally as a private space. Should the driver be at the wheel barefoot however, making insurance claims in the event of a crash would be difficult. I
September 11, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Different road rules are in place in many parts of the world, with some proving rather peculiar. In the US state of Kentucky, women are permitted to drive while wearing a bikini, as long as they either have a weapon to hand for self-defence or are sitting alongside two police officers. Meanwhile in Germany, driving in the nude is permitted as a car is regarded legally as a private space. Should the driver be at the wheel barefoot however, making insurance claims in the event of a crash would be difficult. In the US state of Massachusetts, drivers may take a gorilla in their vehicle, as long as the animal is in the passenger seat. And in Italy, dogs travelling in vehicles are required to wear a safety belt, but not in Germany where animals are classed as cargo. When driving in the UAE those behind the wheel are expected to give priority to camels, while in India drivers have to yield to cows on the road.

English drivers meanwhile are permitted to urinate at the side of the road, as long as they are beside the vehicle’s rear tyre and are touching their vehicle with their right hand. And visitors to Iceland wishing to rent a car will be asked to take out insurance cover against damage from volcanoes.

Related Content

  • The Lessons of the Genoa bridge collapse
    April 23, 2019
    The partial collapse of the Polcevera viaduct, better known as the Morandi Bridge, has prompted debate regarding the technical and administrative aspects of maintaining road infrastructures. We discussed it with the engineer Gabriele Camomilla, former Director of Research and Maintenance of the Società Autostrade, who coordinated the only major structural intervention performed on the bridge, carried out in the early 1990s
  • Working towards safer India mobility...
    July 18, 2012
    Sibylle Rupprecht, IRF-GPC Director General, looks towards sound mobility management at the 3rd Regional Conference of the International Road Federation 3rd-4th October 2008 in New Delhi, India More than 1.2 million deaths and 23 million injuries are caused by road accidents worldwide every year. Of these, India accounts for 10% of fatal accidents. These alarming figures were disclosed by the speakers at the 3rd Regional IRF Conference on 'Mobility and Safety in Road Transport' to some 250 engineers and exp
  • New barrier, crash cushion and access control technology will benefit road user safety
    October 26, 2012
    Protecting road users, with barriers, crash cushions or access control systems, is crucial for network safety - Mike Woof writes Tough regulations are now in place in Europe and the US, requiring road authorities to provide safer road infrastructure than in the past. Technologies to reduce the severity of vehicle impacts against obstructions or redirect vehicles into the roadway should help cut injuries amongst drivers and passengers alike. The specifications for the use of crash cushions and barriers can v
  • New safety barrier solutions protect road users
    February 21, 2012
    Novel safety barrier solutions are coming to market, writes Mike Woof The safety barrier market is a focus for innovative products designed to meet a range of different applications. The diverse range of vehicle types on the road poses numerous technical challenges to barrier manufacturers. At the same time, different applications such as motorcycle safety, end treatments, bridge barriers and roadside obstacle protection require novel solutions. Although motorcycles account for only a small proportion of ve