16 Laws Supposedly on the Books in New York That are Poppycock!

We've all heard about crazy laws here in New York State that are on the books, but are rarely, if ever, enforced. I've found 16 of them here that people swear on their children - are real, but I can't find a single reference to back them up. To be fair, some of these should should be real.

1.   It's illegal to drive a car with flip flops. Not only is there no law prohibiting flip flops in New York, there are no traffic laws banning the footwear anywhere in the United States.

2.   In New York, it's against the law to pass on the right if your on a 4-lane highway. This is also not true. However, if you're driving on a two-lane road or a single lane road, it is against traffic law to drive on to the shoulder to pass someone, unless they're turning left.

3.   A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This isn't true. Otherwise, every old guy walking in the mall would be breaking the law.

4.   A license must be purchased before hanging clothes on a clothesline. Stupid and not true.

5.   A man can't go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match. This is also bogus, and would mean every old guy at the mall would be seriously in violation.

6.   Citizens may not greet each other by "putting one's thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers". Let's just say, you might get punched, but it's not against the law in New York.

7.   Donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs in Brooklyn. Other than people complaining about those "donkeys" over at the Barclay Center after a loss, I don't even think there would be enough donkeys in Brooklyn to warrant such a law.

8.   During a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks.  False.

9.   In New York, you can teach your pet parrot to speak, but not to squawk.  I'm sure there's a resident out there who tried to convince their neighbor, who owned a parrot, that this was real. It isn't.

10.   In New York City it's illegal to shake a dust mop out a window.  It should be a law. But it isn't.

11.   It is against the law to throw a ball at someone's head for fun. I guess if you throw a ball at someone's head, and injury them, you've probably broken a law. But there's no law specific to throwing a ball at a head.

12.   Jaywalking is legal, as long as it's not diagonal. That is, you can cross the street out of the crosswalk, but you can't cross a street diagonally.  First, jaywalking in New York City is technically real. A person could actually be ticketed for crossing a street illegally, carelessly, or unsafely. A ticket would probably only be issued if it caused an incident or accident. The diagonal law listed above is not real.

13. Slippers are not to be worn after 10:00 P.M.  This should be a law, but it isn't. The law should also include a ban on slippers and pajamas while shopping at Walmart. Put some clothes on!

14. Staten Island: You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand. This is dumb, and not reakl.

15.  While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door. This is absolutely not a law, but it was a rule for my kids when they were younger. I have one son who when he was a toddler, loved to talk to everybody. My wife and I made it illegal!

16. You can't stay in the left lane on the New York State Thruway unless you're actually going faster than everybody else. Okay, this is not a law, but State Senator Joe Griffo has been trying to pass a bill that would make it illegal. Under the proposed law, there's a $50 fine for a first-offense and $100 for any subsequent violations. No points would be added to the driver's license. I'm with Griffo on this one, however, currently no traffic law like this exists in New York.

Some of the laws listed above are part of a 50 state list of dumb state laws that aren't real via Speechdrive.

By the way, for the record, Poppycock is indeed a word in the dictionary meaning nonsense, albeit informal. Poppycock is also a brand of gourmet Carmel corn, that is Oh So Good, as well as a brand of pita chips.