17

I was browsing the local Craigslist Rideshare section, looking for someone to tag along on an upcoming road trip when I came across this post:

I am a nudist that will be travelling, in the buff, west on I70 to Denver and then N to Cheyenne and then west on I80 to points west starting tomorrow. It would be fun to have a HWP* female rider that is open minded and willing to at least put up with my hobby even if not a practioner. I will be stopping the night somewhere in Wyoming and then moving on. I'd like someone that is willing to split gas and lodging costs if possible. I will leave the Wichita area tomorrow morning between 8 and 9 am.

Which makes me wonder: Is it legal** to drive in the nude?

* HWP = Height/Weight Proprotionate (aka "attractive")

**If relevant laws vary, then let me limit the scope of the question to the state of Kansas, USA, where the post was made.

Improve this question
3
  • 8
    I found the perfect excuse in case you get arrested: imgur.com/gallery/IKZxh :)
    – iHaveacomputer
    Commented Jul 15, 2012 at 21:31
  • 9
    is that part of "my friend has a question" contest? :-)
    – Geeo
    Commented Jan 16, 2014 at 20:37
  • 4
    Legal or not, this is a bad idea. Your skin may be badly damaged by seatbelts even in case of minor accident. It's the main reason it's illegal to drive topless in some jurisdictions.
    – rvs
    Commented Apr 28, 2016 at 13:05

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
17

In Kansas, it is legal to be naked in full view of everyone, walking down the street, "unless [one] is exposing themselves or a sexual organ to gratify or arouse someone other than themself", according to this news story, so driving naked in Kansas would also be legal, if those conditions are met.

Improve this answer
5
  • 4
    at least one state understands that regulating clothing is regulating expression and thus a violation of the 1st ammendment...
    – jwenting
    Commented Oct 30, 2015 at 7:09
  • @jwenting: But even the 1st amendment is subject to regional decency laws, which are undoubtedly related to this question. :)
    – Flimzy
    Commented Oct 30, 2015 at 8:28
  • Are they? Have those laws ever been challenged under the first ammendment and been found to trump it? I doubt it. I think if someone were to challenge those laws under the first ammendment he'd probably win. But doing so is a long and expensive process, which most people aren't going to try.
    – jwenting
    Commented Oct 30, 2015 at 11:33
  • 2
    @jwenting: There have been a number of cases, with differing results depending on jurisdiction, case specifics, and the phase of the moon. Read more here. In any case, the question of whether I might be able to prove innocence in a constitutional court, after having been arrested for driving naked isn't really the kind of answer anyone is expecting on Travel.SE. (Perhaps such a discussion is appropriate on a site about constitutional law).
    – Flimzy
    Commented Oct 30, 2015 at 11:38
  • 1
    @Flimzy such as Law, for example.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 30, 2018 at 15:19
14

One would definitely have to look at the statutes state by state. In the state of Florida for example you could be cited under the public indecency statute. In NY though going topless is legal for women, so partial nudity would be fine in that state.

There were similar discussions on other sites like Yahoo answers, or Answers.com.

But generally Kansas being a fairly conservative state I would say you are likely to get cited for public indecency if you get stopped or have to get out of the car (unless of course you start and end in a garage in a private home.)

Additional info

There are several blogs discussing driving naked and its legality they are not specific to Kansas but discuss points generally applicable to Kansas as well.

Improve this answer
1
  • 2
    Correction: in New York, going topless is legal. For everyone.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 30, 2018 at 15:20
5

In general, if you are driving naked and no one can see you, then there is no violation of law. Nudity in itself is not a crime. Example: It is 3 AM and you are on an interstate or any other road for that matter, and there are no other vehicles on the road or if no one can see you are nude, then there is no violation.

Improve this answer
4
  • 3
    This makes sense... but do you have a source to back it up? I.e. a law that defines public nudity as being seen by someone?
    – Flimzy
    Commented May 2, 2014 at 13:17
  • This seems wrong. I would guess, public nudity is when someone is naked in a location accessible by the public, not by the fact that there is no public at the moment.
    – Itai
    Commented May 4, 2014 at 20:55
  • 2
    Depends. In the England and Wales for example, there's no offence of "public Nudity" but there is "Indecen Exposure" - but idecent exposure is defined not by being naked, but by your nudity upsetting someone. If there's noone to upset, then you're in the clear...
    – CMaster
    Commented Oct 30, 2015 at 11:14
  • @CMaster indeed, "indecent exposure" is the usual phrase in the US as well, but of course actual offenses vary by jurisdiction.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 30, 2018 at 15:22
1

In Kansas there is no law against nudity. However, local ordinances can prohibit it. In my city "being in Public" is defined as "Generally visible by the public". That is interpreted as loosely walking or driving down the street or sidewalk and you look over and see someone nude that would be considered in public. Looking in people's windows is not allowed and would not be considered public.

I am nude all the time and drive nude frequently with no issues. My neighbors are tolerant and have had no concerns.

Be sure and check your local laws to be certain.

Improve this answer
7
  • 1
    "Looking in people's windows is not allowed": does that mean you can't look through uncovered windows as you pass by on the public street?
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 30, 2018 at 15:29
  • 1
    @phoog I presume that means somebody can't be charged with indecency if someone sees them nude in their own home. (In some places like Singapore, they can be!)
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Jan 4, 2019 at 3:52
  • @jpatokal that's certainly how it's interpreted in the Netherlands. Being on your property (house or garden) counts as private sphere and you can basically do what you want there as long as other have to "commit reasonable effort" to know what you're doing, which is defined as loosely as looking through a window or having to go to an upstairs window in their own home to look into your garden.
    – jwenting
    Commented Jan 4, 2019 at 11:16
  • @jwenting at night there is no effort required to see through a window when the room is lit, both when the window is uncovered and when it has one of those sheer lacy curtains that are so popular in the Netherlands. Does the law still consider that as the commission of reasonable effort? If so, why?
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 4, 2019 at 14:09
  • @phoog afaik it does. Especially if like mine the house is set back from the road a bit and rather high in the wall.
    – jwenting
    Commented Jan 7, 2019 at 4:50

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .