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For most of us, our cars are at the center of our daily lives and that fact hasn’t been lost on the legislatures around the world. They’ve made some strange decisions over the years and that’s probably not going to change anytime soon.
There are many amazing laws and regulations in existence in just about every country. Some of them are interesting, while others are just plain weird, but the one thing all of the laws we’re going to look at here have in common is that they will surprise you.
Germany to Ban All Gas and Diesel Powered Cars by 2030
When we think of some of the greatest cars the world has ever seen our thoughts often turn to the German automakers. Mercedes, Porsche, and Volkswagen are proud symbols of German automotive prowess and the rise of the internal combustion engine. With that in mind, it might surprise you to learn that German legislatures have actually proposed banning all new gasoline and diesel powered cars from being manufactured after 2030.
Hang on a second – Is it the end of the internal combustion engine in Germany? Well no, not really, it turns out the legislation is simply an endorsement of a proposal that the German government wanted to express their support for. All you lovers of German sports cars and luxury sedans can relax – you’ll still be driving these great cars come 2030.
In the US All Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Must Make Noise by 2019
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to drive a hybrid or electric car, then you’re well aware of how quiet they are. This might sound like a great thing to most people, but it’s not so good for visually impaired folks and that was the idea behind the US introducing a new law to require all hybrid and electric cars to make noise by 2019.
This only applies to cars traveling at lower speeds, as cars traveling at higher speeds will make enough noise due to wind shear and the noise from their tires. When I first read this headline in a major newspaper announcing that the US government wanted to make these electric cars make noise I thought they’d lost their minds! It turns out it actually sounds like a good idea.
No Joy Rides for Gorillas in Massachusetts
The first couple of laws we talked about above will seem downright mundane next to this one – in Massachusetts, it’s actually illegal to ride with a gorilla in the back seat! I’ve never driven on the streets of Boston, but you have to wonder how many people have been driving around that great city with the family gorilla in their back seat!
It seems to me some laws simply aren’t necessary and this probably qualifies as one of them. If you’d planned a family vacation to Massachusetts in the near future and you wanted to take the family gorilla along you might want to rethink that.
Honk before You Pass in PEI Canada
PEI Canada is a small beautiful province by the ocean known for its scenic nature walks and for growing potatoes. It’s a quiet sleepy place and so it might surprise a lot of people that there is enough traffic on the road that they need special laws for passing. In PEI drivers are required to honk before they pass. Presumably, the idea is to let the person know ahead of you that you’re coming, but you would think they’d be able to see you in the rear-view mirror.
No Brown Shoes for Sydney Taxi Drivers in Australia
You know what they say, save the best for last, and that’s what we’ve done here. Apparently, until recently it was illegal for taxi drivers to wear brown shoes in Sydney while they waited for their next customer. Not black shoes, not running shoes, just brown shoes. We’re not sure what Australian’s had against brown shoes, but fortunately, they recently removed this law from the books and taxi drivers are now free to wear whatever color shoes they like.
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