In mid and late May 2026, images (archived) of alleged announcements circulated online warning that House and Senate bills in various U.S. states and at a federal level would ban "Aimless or Purposeless Driving," including "Cruising Around, Joyriding, and Driving with No Destination."
One Facebook user who shared the alleged announcement of such legislation in New York state wrote, "No more joy riding."
The first two paragraphs of that announcement, which appeared to be signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and dated May 12, 2026, read:
Dear New Yorkers,
Governor Kathy Hochul has officially signed Senate Bill S84A into law, making aimless driving within the State of New York prohibited effective May 15, 2026.Under the new legislation, individuals may no longer operate a motor vehicle without a clear and lawful destination. "Cruising around," "joyriding," or "driving with no place to go" are now prohibited under state law.
Near-identical purported announcements for Florida, Kentucky, Washington and the entire country previously spread across social media (archived, archived, archived, archived). Snopes readers also contacted us to ask whether the announcements were real.
All of the alleged announcements were fake, meaning they did not come from the respective governors' offices, nor from President Donald Trump. The fabricated documents carry tell-tale signs that they were created, at least in part, using artificial-intelligence software, including incorrect text and state seals.
No such legislation exists
The alleged state announcements refer to the so-called anti-aimless driving legislation as either House or Senate Bill 626 or Senate Bill S84A, while the U.S.-wide announcement calls it the "Aimless Driving Prevention Act." None of the legislation actually exists. Kentucky did have a bill named House Bill 626 from their most recent legislative sessions, though it was not about aimless driving. Florida did not have a House Bill 626, New York state did not have a Senate Bill 284A, Washington did not have a Senate Bill 626 and Trump has not introduced a nationwide "Aimless Driving Prevention Act."
It is unclear who first posted the fake announcements and whether they were intended as satire. Snopes contacted some people who were among the first to post the fake documents to ask whether they created them. We await replies to our inquiries.
One sign the alleged announcements from the governors of Florida, Kentucky, New York and Washington are fake is that they feature incorrect versions of the respective state seals at the top. An authentic announcement from a governor's office would not have made this mistake.
The Florida seal in that state's alleged document features an incorrect image in the middle (here's the authentic version) and misspells the word "Great" in the text wrapped around the seal. Kentucky's fake announcement is the wrong color scheme and incorrectly depicts the decorations at the bottom of the outer ring of the seal. The seal for New York state omits the red outer band and uses the wrong colors for the figures of Liberty and Justice's clothes. The seal on Washington's fabricated document uses an incorrect color scheme and features illegible text. Finally, the presidential seal on the fake announcement misses the Latin phrase "E pluribus unum" that can be seen on the authentic seal.
Incorrectly rendered text or images are telltale signs of AI use.
The purported state announcements also each feature a quote attributed to that state's governor that is identical across the documents (except for the name of the state).
The alleged quote reads, "[Floridians/Kentuckians/New Yorkers/Washingtonians] deserve safer roads and stronger communities. This law ensures our roadways are used responsibly and with purpose."
It is unlikely that Govs. Ron DeSantis, Andy Beshear, Hochul and Bob Ferguson would all issue the exact same statement.
The fake announcements circulated roughly a week after some social media users claimed Trump said people should "only drive downhill" to save gas.