Why would a model T ford be street legal?

My sister, my niece and I were walking down the street going to the store, and we came across somebody driving a Model T ford.
My niece asked where the first owner of it might be…

I said its a very simple answer, the original owner is on the other side of the dirt.
lol

So here's my question.
The Model T ford.

No seat belts.
Low octane fuel.
Low maximum speed.
High Pollution
Large turning radius and bad maneuverability.
Rollover prone.

Unless you're a retired commercial truck driver who collects cars, you wouldn't know how to drive it.

I mean. The model T has every problem ever solved in cars, to this point.

"Classic" cars have some exceptions to certian laws.

No turn signals, either.

Safety features in cars, as well as emissions control standards, are generally "grandfathered" to the year of manufacture for the car.

A more recent example: nobody had to retrofit airbags to older cars when they became mandatory in new vehicles.

Many states offer "historic" or "antique" registration for such cars, as well.

Model T October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. State by state requirements and exemptions. Classic cars can be granted road privileges. State of Nevada, where I live,
Vehicles built in 1968 and newer must be equipped with lap belts.
Vehicles manufactured in 1970 and newer must be equipped with lap belts and shoulder belts for the front seats.
[Model T exempt from Seat Belt requirement]

Low maximum speed means not valid to drive on interstates, but many roads allow for tractors, and other slow moving cars.

1967 or older exempted from smog test
Vehicles registered as a Classic Rod, Classic Vehicle or Old Timer and driven 5,000 miles or less per year also exempt from smog test

Tail lamp and stop lamp per original equipment

Turn signals
Vehicles manufactured before July 1, 1969, less than 80 inches in overall width, not originally equipped with elec
tric turn signals are exempt.

Maximum height rule for vehicles is Does not apply to vehicles manufactured prior to 1935

There are restrictions on vehicles, but if a person wanted to drive locally in a Model T Ford, they could do so.
And yes, manual transmission

It's always been legal, for over a hundred years. How many new cars today will last over a hundred years! You do have to be coordinated and constantly think about what you're doing, to drive it.

As Jay Leno explains it, "You need to use accident avoidance technology."
Some cars had a hand brake and shifter outside the passenger compartment.
A model T was basically like driving a IH farmall tractor, no shift synchronize.
Using a hand brake or steering column hand throttle can be an experience.
They are rarely driven, only for parades or trailered to car shows and local fairs.

I was driving my '29 Ford model A one time, and some young cop stopped me and asked why I had only one tail light. I had to explain that it came from the factory that way, and it is street legal, and also has no seat belts or turn signals.

Ya know, back in those days, the government wasn't acting like a nanny and regulating everything automotive. Ya drove at your own risk.

Of course you are just trolling.

There are HUNDREDS of restored Model T's still running and driving in this country, Skippy. MOST of them are licensed as antiques or parade cars, and are not driven every day. They're really not that hard to drive once you understand the foot operated transmission.

"No seat belts."

Not required when the car was produced

"Low octane fuel"

It will happily run any gasoline you put in it's tank. Has nothing to do with the vehicle at anyway.

"Low maximum speed. "

It offers superior performance to say a moped, which is allowed on public streets. With that said I wouldn't attempt freeway travel with a Model T

"High Pollution"

Irrelevant given the low number of Model T's on the road, and certainly no worse than cars from from the 40's and 50's.

"Large turning radius and bad maneuverability. "

The model T is has a smaller turning radius than just about any car currently sold, and it's relatively narrow/small by today's standards, it's very maneuverable. Not sure why you even make such an asinine claim.

"Rollover prone. "

No worse than a modern Wrangler.

"Unless you're a retired commercial truck driver who collects cars, you wouldn't know how to drive it."

It's different than a modern car, but not insurmountable, after all, hundreds of thousands of people learned to drive these things.

There's no reason why it wouldn't be street legal.