Ford Model T is Michigan DOT’s Oldest Safety Vehicle
For a good long while, the main users of the paved highways and byways of the U.S. countryside have been cars. The transition from horse and buggy to automobile has not happened for all road users though, and to help ensure the safety of some vehicles that use a little more literal horsepower, the Michigan Department of Transportation has a very interesting tool:
A Ford Model T.
The State Highway Department of Michigan, as the Department of Transportation was initially known, was formed in 1905, a full three years prior to the Model T beginning production and long before the widespread adoption of the automobile. From the get-go, MDOT has been looking out for non-automotive road users, and the Model T makes the perfect tool to aid in that effort because Henry Ford had the T’s track width set to match that of a horse and buggy.
Since the roads at the time were designed to accommodate horse-drawn traffic, it only made sense for the Model T’s tires to fit into the already established paths created by the horses and buggies. Why try to blaze a new trail when you don’t have to?
(photo credit: Ford)
