The city of Westminster is a suburb of Denver, and home to around 108,000 people. However, apparently the local governing body is staunchly opposed to a specific activity it deems unlawful: car cruising. In fact, the city has set up traffic control points along major roads, that will flag drivers who pass by three times, within three hours, from 9 PM to 4 AM. This isn’t the only bizarre vehicle statute out there, with several out there that you might consider the strangest driving laws in the United States.
Car cruising is a pastime that has had a strong connection with automobile culture, where drivers would travel main streets, socializing, and displaying their custom vehicles. Southern California is widely seen as the birthplace of this practice dating back to the 1940s, but banned the practice in 1982, until recently lifting it.
Other cities like Omaha, Nebraska, and Salt Lake City, Utah, enacted similar laws against the practice in the ’90s. Westminster instituted an anti-cruising program in 2002, as a means to combat several issues raised by locals. But why was a longstanding hobby of bored teenagers, and car enthusiasts, raising such ire?
Congestion, Noise, And Illegal Activities Prompted The Law
There is an innate consequence when too many vehicles continually loop around the same main streets, traffic congestion. This becomes a safety issue, in terms of emergency vehicle response, and a nuisance to local residents traveling home. The overabundance of cruising cars also negatively affects local businesses, which become a chore for customers trying to navigate there…