9 Surprising Reasons You Can Skip Seat Belts in Michigan

If you are of a certain age, you can remember a time when seat belts were an option. That's right. Even though they've saved millions of lives, a law and a vast marketing campaign were needed to get Michiganders to "Click It or Ticket." It was touted as a New Law You Can Live With, and since 1985, Michigan has made seatbelt usage mandatory for all drivers and passengers in the vehicle's front seat and for minors under 16 in the backseat. However, there are some legal loopholes for not wearing a seatbelt.

RELATED: Michigan’s New Snowplow Law: Keep Your Distance Or Pay Up

Before jumping into the only legal reasons not to wear a safety belt, let's not gloss over the Ad Council's national campaign that dominated Michigan television and children's programming from 1985 to 1997.

1985: Michigan First Hears "You Could Learn A Lot From A Dummy"

These ads ran during Scooby Doo, the Smurfs, Matlock, and Wheel of Fortune. They were everywhere, and in hindsight, it's fantastic how wholesomely gruesome they are.

Get our free mobile app

Vince and Larry, two talking crash test dummies, would demonstrate the need for wearing a seatbelt with bad jokes and fatal accidents. These characters would finish most commercials with limbs hanging off their torsos and segue into a repeat of Little House on the Prairie.

But you have to admit, even while reading the phrase "You could learn a lot from a dummy," you can hear the original voice-over artist's deep, monotone as clear as day in your head (or press play on the above video, it'll all come flooding back).

RELATED: Is Driving With One Hand Illegal in Michigan?

Those ads were first broadcast 40 years ago, and today, we're still trying to get away with not wearing seatbelts for whatever silly reason. But, if you're curious if you can legally not wear one, read on.