“Hefty fines keep Delhi motorists in line.”
-The Hindu
“Creating awareness on rules, not penalties, the answer
-The Tribune
“Odd-even rule begins as Delhi battles toxic pollution.”
-Hindustan Times
The nation was in a state of debate when the aforementioned traffic laws were passed in India. This is merely a list of what traffic laws amendment in our country has taken place now. Living in a democratic nation, we all know the seasonal debate session on news channels and televisions and now youtube, Instagram, Twitter etc. These laws, too, invited both criticism and applause as well. With Delhi roads being compared to their condition back in the 80s to the working class complaining about the difficulties in commuting daily. Of Course, there are 2 sides to a coin, benefits and disadvantages. It's like what we used to study in our science subjects back in school that this model has these 4 disadvantages and these advantages. As we mentioned before, this is just a list of driving laws in our country. There are far too many laws which most of us aren't even aware of. To many people, many rules seem weird, though, and it's a reality. Many times, a ‘weird laws in the world’ just work! Despite the familiarity of people and the lawmaker(familiarity with the weirdness of law or, you can say, a rule). This is about our country. How about taking a tour around the world to find out about some of the ‘Worlds weirdest laws related to traffic?
Car owners in San Francisco are forbidden to polish their vehicles with used underwear- Sounds peculiar, doesn't it? But, it is like a quirk of many people(we don't know much about the foreigners, but are pretty sure about the people of our country): using used clothes for cleaning or dusting purposes.
The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance runs an adage. Switzerland seems to have sworn to this statement. Yes! Slamming your car door in Switzerland is strictly prohibited.
We all, particularly the tyro people in the field of driving, seem to have some sort of driving fantasy popping up in our head whenever we see any kind of race or a virtuoso driver like driving above 120 speed or driving it backwards and many more. But in Glendale, Arizona, the latter is strictly prohibited. So imagine being punished for driving your car backwards.
In the city of Ciero, whistling on public streets is a punishable offence. Imagine driving your car to your favourite song on a sunny Sunday, and you are so engrossed in your music that inadvertently, you whistled there you go!
In Milford, Massachusetts, it is forbidden to peep into car windows. Okay, that sounds uniquely weird. But, of course, most of us have this habit of peeping into neighbouring cars when we have stuck up in a jam or under normal circumstances as well. But be aware of this habit of yours in Milford!
Having a dirty car is fineable in Russia.
Getting late for work? What is the most probable thing we skip or do perfunctorily? You guessed it right! Breakfast. We tend to either ignore it or have it while in the metro, car or while driving..wait, be conscientious about it if you are driving in Cyprus as the fine for this will cost you$100.
Okay, we might understand this rule as something similar was implemented in India as well. In the Philippines, one cannot drive their car on the road once a week. You cant drive your car depending on what number your number plate is ending with. Vehicles whose numbers end on 1 and 2 are banned on Monday,3 and 4 on Tuesday,5 and 6 on Wednesday, etc.
While talking about the world, let’s not exclude a significant part, our very own country, India. Here, if you drive your vehicle without a pollution control certificate, it will cost you a whopping 10000, but if your vehicle exhausts smoke beyond the permissible limit, pay 500 rupees as a fine, and you are good to go!
Use of high beam headlights at night will attract a 500 rupee fine but driving a vehicle at night without a headlight will cost you 5-10 rupees.
So, these were some of the strange driving laws around the world. The points mentioned above were not intended to mock any nation, government, or community. These were for purely informational purposes. We know that traffic rules or any other rule in any country are shaped while keeping in mind the general socioeconomic makeup of the country, climatic condition and many more. Driving used cars has been a trend for quite a long time. First, of course, because they are economical and are quite a boon for novices, the people who are just learning to drive. As the fear of destroying a new car is quite prominent in their heads, many companies, such as Autobest, sell used luxury cars, and there are certain apps and websites too for this purpose. So here we go, Driving cars older than 15 is illegal in our National capital, New Delhi!