Is it illegal to drive without a shirt? — explained

Driving in the summer is quite difficult if your A/C unit isn’t working, so you might even consider driving shirtless. Some drivers even prefer cruising down the road with the windows down and without a shirt to feel the breeze.

While it certainly sounds a bit odd, the question is – is it illegal to drive without a shirt? It’s not illegal to drive without a shirt in terms of driving laws, but you might be charged for indecent exposure in some states. So, let’s take a closer look at the US regulations on the matter to let you know if you can truly drive shirtless in the summer.

Driving shirtless from the traffic law perspective

Most drivers wonder about the regulations on driving shirtless in terms of whether you can get charged for breaking traffic laws. Well, the good news is – no driving regulation prohibits being shirtless behind the wheel. So, even if you get pulled over, the officer probably won’t make a scene about you driving shirtless.

It’s similar to driving barefoot since there’s no legal regulation that would prevent you from driving without your shoes on. Still, you can get charged in some states if driving barefoot causes you to trigger a traffic accident.

When it comes to driving without a shirt, you can get charged for public indecent exposure. Still, it mostly only happens if someone else reports you. Some states in the US prohibit exposing your body publicly. And even though your car is private property, you are driving it on a public road. That’s why it all depends on state laws, just like when it comes to sleeping in your car.

So, if you need to drive without a shirt, just make sure that you at least partially close your windows and that you have a towel handy to cover if someone sees you. If you are a female driver, it’s possible to drive in a swimming suit since you at least won’t be exposed.

States that allow driving without a shirt

In some states, you can drive without a shirt without earning a ticket or breaking the law, since public nudity in a place where you can’t be observed by others is allowed. So, as long as you aren’t exposing yourself on purpose for others to see, you won’t be legally charged even if you get pulled over by the police.

Here are some of the states that don’t have a specified law against being shirtless in public, since the road is a public space:

• Hawaii
• Colorado
• Maine
• New York
• Kansas
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Texas

In some of these states, it’s even allowed for women to be topless, but you still might get reported for indecent exposure in this case. Other drivers might report you for indecent exposure and obstructing their focus while driving. So, before you decide to take your shirt off while driving back home from the beach, make sure to check the regulations in your area.

States where it’s illegal to drive without a shirt

As mentioned, there are some states where driving shirtless will instantly result in indecent exposure charges. Three states in general prohibit being shirtless in public spaces, whether it’s your car or a shop. These are Indiana, Tennessee, and Utah.

So, simply driving without a shirt in one of these states will likely result in an indecent exposure charge, should you get pulled over. Still, there’s a sort of gray area between the states that allow driving without a shirt and states that prevent it.

There are dozen of states in the US that don’t have specified laws on the matter. So, while it’s not technically illegal to drive without a shirt in one of these states, you might be breaking city regulations. You might be breaking the regulations in one city of the state, while it’s legal to drive shirtless in another city of the same state.

It’s therefore best to do your homework on the regulations that are enforced in the area where you’ll be driving before taking your shirt off.

Handling indecent exposure charges

Eventually, it all comes down to indecent exposure charges when considering the legal aftermath of driving shirtless. Since you now know about the states where it’s illegal to be shirtless in a public space, you should also avoid driving without a shirt in those areas.

Still, you won’t avoid the charges for indecent exposure, should the bystanders or other drivers report you. So, what’s it all about when it comes to this type of charge? It’s a sort of murky-water zone since you never know if your behavior will eventually result in an indecent exposure charge.

Some drivers might report you since you are simply posing a disturbance on the road. According to safe driving techniques like Smith System 5 Keys, utmost visibility on the road is the key to safe driving. So, if you drive shirtless and lower your windows, you might distract other drivers since people aren’t generally used to it.

If you get pulled over by the police, there’s no reason to think that you’ll earn a charge simply due to driving shirtless. But, if they pull you over based on a report from a bystander or another driver about you harassing or disturbing them, you’ll end up with an indecent exposure charge.

Should you drive without a shirt?

We know, it’s a lot of information to process for a simple feat like driving without your shirt. However, it’s best to stay informed on all the regulations and state or municipal laws that might result in a charge. You don’t want to break the law while driving shirtless, so the bottom line is to pay attention to local rules.

If you are driving in a state or area that doesn’t prohibit being shirtless in public, you can drive without a shirt. However, make sure that you don’t exactly lower the windows down so others can see them. They might take it as a distraction and you might earn a ticket for indecent exposure.

Make sure that driving shirtless yourself won’t affect other drivers and disturb them, so you can have a carefree driving experience. At the same time, try to comply with local laws and don’t take your shirt off while driving if municipal regulations prohibit it.

Our take

Well, we hope to have ultimately helped by answering the question “is it illegal to drive without a shirt” based on different regulations across the US. It’s best not to take any chances of other drivers being disturbed and reporting you for indecent exposure.

Still, if you have to drive without a shirt for any sort of reason, it’s safe to do it in an area that doesn’t prohibit it by keeping your windows up and preventing others from seeing you.