Can you drive with a dog in your lap? Without a bumper? How Maine traffic laws compare to those of other states

JustPark.com, a website that reserves parking spaces for European travelers, developed an interactive map of the U.S. states and how their driving laws compare.

The site allows users to cycle through 21 behaviors and scenarios and find out whether it’s legal, illegal or “inadvisable” to be driving in each state under those conditions.

(“Inadvisable” is defined by JustPark as being something not explicitly illegal, but which could lead to other charges, like the more general “driving to endanger” or “reckless driving” offenses.)

Some laws were nearly universal — every state but Mississippi has a law against drinking alcohol while driving, for instance, while all 50 states prohibit driving for “escort services.”

New Hampshire is the only state that allows people to drive without their seat belts on. Only two states — Arizona and Montana — don’t have laws against texting while driving.

It’s “inadvisable,” but not illegal, to drive with a dog on your lap in every state other than New Jersey, where the law specifically prohibits it.

On the flipside, driving while pregnant and driving for the ride-sharing service Uber is clearly legal everywhere.

But there are some driving behaviors that state lawmakers across the country disagree widely on.

Maine is one of eight states which have laws against driving while tired, and one of 10 states which specifically prohibit driving in the fast lane unless you’re passing or turning left (although it seems like the latter law is rarely enforced).

Some other behaviors and conditions that divided the states included:

  • Driving a golf cart on the street (Maine is one of 24 states where it’s legal)
  • Driving while watching a DVD (Maine is one of 38 states where it’s illegal)
  • Driving without a front bumper (Maine is one of 25 states where it’s legal)
  • Driving past a funeral procession (Maine is one of 27 states where it’s legal)
  • Driving with an open container of alcohol (Maine is one of 39 states where it’s illegal)

See the full interactive map and list by clicking here.

(After some further review, the front bumper reference is a bit misleading. In Maine, if your car once had a bumper and is now missing it, it’s considered illegal and would fail an inspection. However, you can technically drive without a front bumper, as JustPark suggests, assuming it’s a custom build or street rod on which the lack of a bumper is intentional.)

Featured main page photo by Rufino Uribe, used under Creative Commons license.