You Don't Want To Drive The Same Direction 3 Times At Night In This Colorado City - Here's Why

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?

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.

Locals in Westminster complained of loud engines and blaring audio systems bleeding into their quiet neighborhoods at all hours of the night. Of course, it's no coincidence, the rise of tuner car culture in the '90s, was also when a lot of these anti-cruise laws went into effect. Great options around that time like the Fox Body Mustang, were one of the most tuner-friendly Ford models ever built.

The most concerning development of the car cruise landscape over the years, was crime and violence. While there were certainly some people just out for some innocent fun, there were also issues with illegal street racing, criminal organizations, and other illicit activities. As the president of the Los Angeles City Council, Alex Padilla explained, back in 2004 (via Car and Driver), "When I was a kid growing up in the San Fernando Valley, cruising was a social activity, looking for girls. But by the time I got to the city council, there were gangs involved."

Car cruising is still around, but it has changed particularly among teenagers. According to The Hill, the number of licensed teen drivers measured at around 64 percent in 1995, to less than 40 percent in 2021. What was once a significant benchmark at 16 (a driver's license), is now something more and more teens aren't in a rush to get. Some theorize the decline in licensed youth is due to factors like social media, and services like Uber.

Cities like Omaha still have an active anti-cruising law, and there are even still a couple of "No Cruising" signs still posted from the '90s. But the Omaha Police Department has admitted this once popular late-night activity is seldom encountered today. In fact, no one has been pulled over for cruising in more than a decade in this urban center of Nebraska.

However, Colorado still has an issue with illegal street racing, and some in the community argue a stronger law enforcement crackdown isn't the answer. One mechanic northeast of Denver, who was heavily involved in illegal street racing in his youth explained (via a CBS Colorado YouTube video), "I think what's happening is more and more race tracks are getting closed up, such as Bandimere Speedway." With no safer options, some younger car enthusiasts are still cruising the nighttime streets looking for racing competitors. And these drivers are likely to be behind the wheel of one of these popular cars for street racing.