Is it Illegal To Drive Barefoot in Michigan?

Growing up in the middle of nowhere South Alabama, the number of times I drove my or my parents vehicles without shoes, even before I was 16, was a lot. Sometimes a truck needed to be moved somewhere on the property for a job we had to do or a quick trip to the church or fire station where I could get some practice driving in.

Out there we had no concern for the legality of it. That's just country living.

But as I got older, I found myself driving barefoot a lot more, especially when I went through a phase where I wore flip-flops everywhere.

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Driving in flip-flops is dangerous and uncomfortable, so taking them off to dive was more reasonable. But again, I never truly thought about the legality of it.

It turns out, it's completely legal to drive barefoot or with flip-flops in Alabama, so long as it's not a motorcycle and a contributing factor to an accident.

But What About Michigan?

By my guess, I'd expect barefoot driving to be less common in the Mitten State than in the South - after all, it gets a lot colder here. But with lakeside towns and Jeeps everywhere, there are certainly a considerable amount of barefoot drivers among us.

Drive easy barefoot pedalers, it is all within the frame of the law. Driving barefoot is not only legal in Michigan but in all 50 states and American territories.

According to The Zebra, it's a widespread misconception among the population that driving without shoes is dangerous and therefore people just expect it to be illegal. Their article actually goes on to add that the Michigan State Police Traffic Service Section made the argument that barefoot drivers have more control over their vehicles and that calling barefoot drivers dangerous was a "stretch".

Naturally, there are some disadvantages to driving without shoes, but the same can be said for shoes with long laces, heels and the almighty flip-flop, none of which are outlawed either.

Still, when in other states, check out their opinions about it. Some states like Ohio and Nevada recommend against driving barefoot even if it isn't illegal.