easylogic

Illustration for riddle: An old lady forgets her drivers licence at home. She travels down a one way street the wrong way. Sh — Can you figure out this riddle?

An old lady forgets her drivers licence at home. She travels down a one way street the wrong way. She does not stop at stop signs, or stop for people crossing the road. A cop is watching her do this and he does not give her a ticket. Why didn't he give her a ticket?

The old lady was walking.

Why this works

This riddle plays on the assumption that the old lady is driving a vehicle, which leads you to expect traffic violations. However, the twist is that she is actually walking down the street. Since pedestrians don’t need a driver's license, can walk in any direction on a one-way street, and are not subject to the same rules as drivers, the cop has no reason to issue her a ticket. The clever misdirection encourages you to picture a scenario involving a car rather than considering the possibility of her simply being a pedestrian!

Common Wrong Answers

“The old lady is blind.”

Being blind would not explain why the cop didn't give her a ticket. It would instead raise questions about her ability to navigate the streets safely.

“The cop is her friend.”

Even if the cop knows her, he is still obligated to enforce the law, and friendship would not justify ignoring illegal behavior.

“The old lady has a special permit.”

A special permit would not typically allow someone to drive in the wrong direction or ignore traffic signs, thus this guess misinterprets the nature of the riddle.

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