You know you’re from Upstate New York when you haul everything you own on top of your vehicle, including the kid’s car.
Janelle Leigh passed a car loaded down with everything but the kitchen sink in the town of Parish, New York.
“I had to stop and turn around so I could get the picture. This is just too impressive to not share.”
Impressive it is. Legal? Probably not. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. At least there’s no one driving the second car on top.
Credit – Janelle Leigh
You Might Be a Redneck
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen ingenuity that makes you take a second look.
Someone was seen hauling a trampoline on top of their vehicle on Route 187 in Schuylerville.
Read More: Trampoline Deal Too Good to Pass Up
Bug on a Sunbird
You never know what you may see on top of a vehicle in New York. Everything from snowmobiles, 4-wheelers, boats, and even other cars.
Brian Powers found a deal on a VW Bug in Mexico, too good to pass up. But he had no way to haul it. So, he strapped it to the roof of his Sunbird to bring it all the way back to Syracuse.
Photo Credit – Brian Power
ATV in Trunk
You know you’re from Upstate New York when you haul an ATV in the trunk of your convertible Camaro.
Credit – Torey Sweet
Plywood on Top
I’ve seen people hauling everything in trunks and on the roof of their vehicles. There was one driver with a large piece of plywood and the two people in the vehicle were actually holding on to it. Not that it would have done any good if it slid off.
If it Fits it Ships
Check out more unique ways New Yorkers have turned their cars into moving U-Haul. In the words of the US Postal Service, ‘If it fits, it ships.’
Unique Ways to Move ATVs & Snowmobiles in Upstate New York
When you want to hit the trails and you don’t have a truck, Upstate New Yorkers know how to improvise.
Is it Legal
Hauling something on the top of your car isn’t necessarily illegal in New York but it could get you a ticket. The secured load law is a gray area when it comes to explaining the legalities of hauling something.
The Vehicle And Traffic Law Section 377 states:
“No vehicle which is designed or used for the purpose of hauling logs or other materials which by their very nature may shift or roll so as to be likely to fall from such vehicle, shall be operated or moved over any highway unless its load is securely fastened by such safety chains, cables or other suitable devices as will effectively prevent the shifting or falling of such load or any part thereof, from the vehicle”
The section appears to only apply to logging trucks but could be interpreted to any driver that has an unsecured load like a mattress on the roof of the car.
If you read a little further into the Vehicle and Traffic Law, Section 380-a makes it “unlawful to operate on any public highway any open truck or trailer being utilized for the transportation of any loose substances, unless said truck or trailer has a cover, tarpaulin or other devices.”
This section only applies to trucks and trailers so it’s not relevant to someone driving a car with something not tied down on the roof.
Top 7 Most Redneck Towns In Central New York
Some people may see the term “redneck” as a derogatory term. In these towns… it’s a sense of pride.