Doors off Driving in New York: Legal or Not?
If you're considering taking your vehicle out for a spin with no doors on, it's important to know what the laws and regulations are in New York.
During the summer of 2022, my husband and I rented a Jeep Wrangler for our family vacation to the beach in New Hampshire, not even considering whether or not it was legal for us to drive without the doors on the vehicle.
While we didn’t remove the doors on our rental Jeep, largely in part because our son was traveling with us, we saw many people who were driving doorless and free. It was only after we returned home that I considered that maybe it might be illegal to drive in New Hampshire without doors on. If you’re curious, it is legal as long as you have side mirrors.
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Surprisingly, driving a vehicle with no doors is perfectly legal in New York (as long as safety measures are in place) however, our neighbors to the south in Pennsylvania don’t have the same opportunity as driving without doors in Pennsylvania is a big no-no. As a matter of fact, Pennsylvania is the only state in the country where it’s illegal to drive a vehicle without all of its doors.
In order to drive a vehicle doorless in New York, certain safety measures must be met. The vehicle in which you’re traveling must be equipped with all required safety equipment, including mirrors, lights, and turn signals. You also must wear a seatbelt, just as you would in any other vehicle.'
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Keep in mind that while there’s something voyeuristic about driving with no doors, doing so can make your vehicle more susceptible to tipping over, especially during turns.