Is It Illegal To Drive With a Mattress on Your Car Roof?

One of the things people most commonly put on top of their vehicles is a mattress. Unfortunately, there have been cases when these mattresses were not secured properly, resulting in dangerous accidents. Is it actually legal to drive with a mattress on top of a vehicle?

Can You Drive With a Mattress on Top of Your Car?

Strictly speaking, driving with a mattress tied to your car roof isn’t exactly illegal, so you’re certainly free to haul your new mattress on top of your car if you want to. However, you might want to think twice before doing so.

While there aren’t any laws that explicitly prohibit you from driving with a mattress on top of your car, you can still get pulled over if you aren’t doing it in the right way. If it isn’t tightly secured or obstructs your view in any way, you might have to pay a fine, which is likely going to cost much more than renting a cargo van for a few hours.

Again, though, you can drive with a mattress (or other cargo) on top of your vehicle. If you do, however, you need to do it the right way.

How To Transport a Mattress Safely

Tying a mattress to the roof of your car is going to be much easier if you have a roof rack, but it’s still possible even without one. Here are some tips so you can do it safely.

Prepare the Necessary Materials

Before everything else, you should prepare all materials you may need. Get a bunch of rope, a pair of scissors, some packing tape, and a large plastic or mattress bag. If you can, ask a friend or family member for a helping hand, so you don’t have to haul your heavy mattress all on your own. 

If you have work gloves, you can also wear them to prevent any rope burns.

Wrap the Mattress in Plastic

Once you’ve gathered all the materials, it’s time to move on to the next step: protecting the mattress. Wrap your mattress in a large plastic or mattress bag. Be sure it’s thick enough to withstand the wind, or it might rip off and leave your mattress unprotected.

If there are any loose ends, you’ll have to tape them down to make sure they don’t flap around or rip off.

Place the Mattress on Your Car Roof

Call a friend or family member over because it’s time to haul your mattress on top of your car. Carefully place your mattress right in the center of your car roof, then take the rope you prepared, and run it across the length of the mattress.

Pull the rope until it’s as tight as possible before tying the ends of the rope to your car’s front and back bumpers.

Secure the Mattress on Your Car Roof

Tying your mattress on your car roof might seem like a lot of work, but don’t worry, you’re almost done. Now, you just have to tie it across the width of your mattress to secure it even further.

Roll down all of your windows except for the driver’s side, and wrap the rope around your mattress tightly through the open windows. This should prevent the mattress from sliding off your roof and blocking your vision as you drive.

Be careful not to weave the rope through the driver’s side, or you might end up locked outside of your car. If you have passengers, they won’t be able to pass through their doors because of the rope, so they’ll have to enter through the driver’s side too.

Double Check the Ropes

Before you drive off, it’s a good idea to double-check the ropes. Are there any loose knots? No. Is your mattress properly secured, with the ends tied down close to your car roof? Yes. You’re finally good to go.

Drive to Your Destination Slowly

Get in your car and drive slowly to your destination. If you can, avoid highways or busy streets where you have to stop and go. Stick to back roads instead. It might take you longer to get home, but it’s always better than taking the highway where you might get into an accident.

If you’re driving with passengers, you can also ask them to keep an eye on the mattress, so they can let you know if you have to pull over and adjust the ropes.

Why You Should Avoid Driving With a Mattress on Your Car Roof

Just because something isn’t illegal doesn’t automatically mean it’s a good idea. So before you haul your mattress on top of your car, consider these things first:

You Can Get Fined

Renting a cargo van might seem expensive at first, but it’s nothing compared to what you’ll have to pay if you get fined for transporting your mattress in the wrong way.

Even if you drive slowly on back roads, police can still pull you over if your mattress is flapping around or sliding off your roof. In some states, you can get fined up to $5000 along with demerit points on your license.

Increased Risk of Traffic Accidents

A fine might seem like too much over a mattress, but it’s only because driving with an unsecured load on your car is a big safety hazard.

A 2016 study by the AAA Foundation for Safety found that more than a third of all debris-related crashes from 2011 to 2014 were caused by unsecured loads. A loosely tied mattress could slip off your car roof and collide with a motorcycle or even smash the windshield of the vehicle behind you.

It Can Cause Your Vehicle to Lift

If your mattress isn’t secured to your car roof, its front half can catch air and act like a kite, causing your vehicle to lift as you drive.

In some cases, the wind could fold the mattress in half as it flaps in the wind.

Increased Fuel Consumption

Driving around with heavy cargo causes your vehicle to use up more fuel, so if you think about it, you aren’t actually saving that much by transporting your mattress yourself.

Even if you’re transporting a twin-sized mattress, it’s still heavy enough to increase wind resistance, forcing your car to consume more gas than usual.