piers109uk/MN-Statutes huggingface dataset:
169.51 CLEARANCE AND MARKER LAMPS.
(a) Every motor vehicle or motor-drawn vehicle designed or used for the transportation of property, or for the transportation of passengers for compensation, shall display lighted lamps, as required in this section.
(b) Every such vehicle having a width, including load thereon, at any part in excess of 80 inches shall be equipped with four clearance lamps, two located on the front at opposite sides and not more than six inches from the extreme outer edge of the vehicle or load, displaying a white or amber light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the front of the vehicle, and two located on the rear on opposite sides not more than six inches from the extreme outer edge of the vehicle or load, displaying a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear of the vehicle. The front clearance lamps shall be located at a height of not less than 24 inches above the headlamp centers. The rear clearance lamps shall be in addition to the red rear lamp hereinbefore required.
(c) Every such vehicle or combination of such vehicles which exceeds 30 feet in overall length shall be equipped with at least four side marker lamps, one on each side near the front and one on each side near the rear. Such lamps shall be at a height of not less than 24 inches above the surface upon which the vehicle stands. The lamps near the front shall display a white or amber light and lamps near the rear shall display a red light, each visible from a distance of 500 feet to the side of the vehicle on which it is located. If the clearance lamps on the right and left sides of the vehicle, as hereinbefore required, display lights visible from a distance of 500 feet at right angles to the right and left side, respectively, of the vehicle, they shall be deemed to meet the requirements as to marker lamps, provided an additional marker lamp, white or amber, is displayed approximately midway between the above specified marker lamps.
168.381 MANUFACTURE OF VEHICLE PLATES; APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Plates required by this chapter may be manufactured by the Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud, the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, or other facility established by law for the confinement of persons convicted of felony, upon order from the commissioner. The order must state the quality of material desired in the plates, the plate specifications, and the amount or number desired.
(b) Should the commissioner of corrections decide not to supply the required quantity of plates, or discontinue the manufacture of plates, the commissioner of public safety is authorized to seek other suppliers on a competitive basis.
(a) Materials purchased to be used in the manufacture of plates must be tested as to conformance with specifications established by the commissioner in a privately operated laboratory service to be designated by the commissioner. The cost of the laboratory must be included in the cost of materials purchased.
(b) The cost of delivery of plates to the commissioner at places designated by the commissioner must be included in the expenses incurred in their manufacture.
The commissioner shall establish new or revised specifications for the material and equipment used in the manufacture of plates ordered for manufacture after August 1, 1975, and may from time to time revise the specifications; provided that the specifications conform to the requirements of section 168.12. In establishing new or revised specifications, the commissioner shall consult with and give consideration to the advice and recommendations of representatives of the Minnesota State Patrol, local police officers' associations, and the county sheriffs' association.
(a) Money appropriated to the Department of Public Safety to procure the plates for any fiscal year or years is available for allotment, encumbrance, and expenditure from and after the date of the enactment of the appropriation. Materials and equipment used in the manufacture of plates are subject only to the approval of the commissioner.
(b) This section contemplates that money to be appropriated to the Department of Public Safety to carry out the terms and provisions of this section will be appropriated by the legislature from the highway user tax distribution fund.
(c) A sum sufficient is appropriated annually from the driver and vehicle services operating account under section 299A.705 to the commissioner to pay the costs of purchasing, delivering, and mailing plates, registration stickers, and registration notices.
169.52 PROJECTING LOAD; LIGHT OR FLAG.
When the load upon any vehicle extends to the rear four feet or more beyond the bed or body of such vehicle there shall be displayed at the extreme rear end of the load, at the times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required in this chapter, a red light or lantern plainly visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the sides and rear. The light or lantern required under this section shall be in addition to the rear light required upon every vehicle. At any time when no lights are required there shall be displayed at the extreme rear end of such load a red, yellow or orange flag or cloth not less than 16 inches square.
169.53 LIGHTS FOR PARKED VEHICLES.
When a vehicle is parked or stopped upon a highway or shoulder adjacent thereto during the times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required, it shall be equipped with one or more lamps which shall exhibit a white or amber light on the roadway side visible from a distance of 500 feet to the front of the vehicle and a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear, except that local authorities may provide by ordinance that no lights need be displayed upon a vehicle when stopped or parked in accordance with local parking regulations upon a highway where there is sufficient light to clearly reveal any person or object within a distance of 500 feet upon the highway. Any lighted headlamps upon a parked vehicle shall be depressed or dimmed.
169.541 LIGHTING EXEMPTION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT; STANDARDS.
Sections 84.87, 84.928, 86B.511, and 169.48 to 169.65, relating to lighting of vehicles and watercraft, do not apply to a licensed peace officer, as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), while operating a motor vehicle or watercraft owned, leased, or otherwise the property of the state or a political subdivision, in the performance of the officer's law enforcement duties if the officer's conduct is reasonable and is consistent with the standards adopted under subdivision 2, and if the officer reasonably believes that operating the vehicle without lights is necessary under the circumstances to investigate a criminal violation or suspected criminal violation of state laws, rules, or orders or local laws, ordinances, or regulations.
The Peace Officer Standards and Training Board shall adopt standards governing situations in which licensed peace officers as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, paragraph (c), may operate a vehicle or watercraft without lights as provided in subdivision 1.
169.55 LIGHTS ON ALL VEHICLES.
At the times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required each vehicle including an animal-drawn vehicle and any vehicle specifically excepted in sections 169.47 to 169.79, with respect to equipment and not previously required to be equipped with lamps, must be equipped with one or more lighted lamps or lanterns projecting a white light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the front of the vehicle and with a lamp or lantern exhibiting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear, except that reflectors meeting the maximum requirements of this chapter may be used in lieu of the lights required in this subdivision.
(a) At the times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required:
(1) every self-propelled implement of husbandry must be equipped with at least one lamp displaying a white light to the front, and at least one lamp displaying a red light to the rear;
(2) every self-propelled implement of husbandry must also display two red reflectors visible to the rear;
(3) every combination of a self-propelled and towed implement of husbandry must be equipped with at least one lamp mounted to indicate as nearly as practicable the extreme left projection of the combination and displaying a white or amber light to the front and a red or amber light to the rear of the self-propelled implement of husbandry; and
(4) the last unit of every combination of implements of husbandry must display two red reflectors visible to the rear.
(b) The reflectors must be of the type approved for use upon commercial vehicles. The reflectors must be mounted as close as practicable to the extreme edges of the implement of husbandry. The reflectors must be reflex reflectors that are visible at night from all distances within 600 feet to 100 feet when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps.
No person may operate a self-propelled implement of husbandry manufactured after January 1, 1970, on a highway unless the implement of husbandry displays vehicular hazard warning lights visible to the front and rear in normal sunlight.
169.56 AUXILIARY LIGHTS.
Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed two spot lamps and every lighted spot lamp shall be so aimed and used upon approaching another vehicle that no part of the high-intensity portion of the beam will be directed on the road surface to the left of the center of the vehicle, nor more than 100 feet ahead of the vehicle upon which such lamps are mounted.
Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed two fog lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than 12 inches nor more than 30 inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands and so aimed that when the vehicle is not loaded none of the high-intensity portion of the light to the left of the center of the vehicle shall at a distance of 25 feet ahead project higher than a level of four inches below the level of the center of the lamp from which it comes. Lighted fog lamps meeting the above requirements may be used with lower headlamp beams as specified in section 169.60.
Except as provided in subdivision 5, any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed two auxiliary low-beam lamps mounted on the front at a height of not less than 24 inches nor more than 42 inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands. The provisions of section 169.60 shall apply to any combination of headlamps and auxiliary low-beam lamps.
Except as provided in subdivision 5, any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed two auxiliary driving lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than 16 inches nor more than 42 inches above the level surface upon which the vehicle stands. The provisions of section 169.60 shall apply to any combination of headlamps and auxiliary driving lamps.
(a) The auxiliary lamps permitted in subdivision 3 may be mounted more than 42 inches high on any truck equipped with a snowplow blade that obstructs the required headlights. The lights may not be illuminated when a snowplow blade is not mounted on the vehicle.
(b) No other vehicle may be operated on a public highway unless the auxiliary lamps permitted in subdivisions 3 and 4 comply with the height requirements or are completely covered with an opaque material.
Notwithstanding section 169.64, subdivision 4a, a motorcycle may be equipped with white ground lights mounted under the motorcycle if:
(1) the bulbs or strips are not visible to operators of other vehicles; and
(2) the lights are aimed so as to project a steady, nonflashing beam not more than six feet in radius directly onto the roadway and illuminate an area around the motorcycle.
169.57 VEHICLE SIGNALS.
(a) Any vehicle may be equipped and when required under this chapter, shall be equipped with at least two stop lamps on the rear which shall emit a red or yellow light and which shall be actuated upon application of the service (foot) brake and which may, but need not be, incorporated with the tail lamps and which shall be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of 100 feet to the rear during normal sunlight and at night.
(b) No person shall sell or offer for sale or operate on the highways any motor vehicle registered in this state and manufactured or assembled after January 1, 1960, unless it is equipped with at least two stop lamps meeting the requirements of this subdivision, except that a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or truck-tractor manufactured or assembled after said date shall be equipped with at least one stop lamp meeting the requirements of this subdivision.
(a) Any vehicle may be equipped, and when required under this chapter shall be equipped, with a lamp or lamps or mechanical signal device of such color as may be approved by the commissioner of public safety and capable of clearly indicating any intention to turn either to the right or to the left and shall be visible and understandable during both daytime and nighttime from a distance of 100 feet both to the front and rear.
(b) It is unlawful for any person to sell or offer for sale any new motor vehicle, excepting motorcycles, motor scooters, and bicycles with motor attached, unless it is equipped with turn signals meeting the requirements of this chapter.
(a) When a vehicle is equipped with stop lamps or signal lamps, the lamps must at all times be maintained in good working condition.
(b) All mechanical signal devices must be self-illumined when in use at the times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required.
On a vehicle that must be equipped with a single center high-mounted stop lamp under federal motor vehicle safety standards, and on any other vehicle equipped with a similar stop lamp, a person may not alter the stop lamp by the addition of an overlay or other device, or install a replacement lens, if the alteration or installation alters or obscures any portion of the lamp or affects the intensity of light emitted.
169.59 WARNING LIGHTS.
Any vehicle may be equipped with not more than two side cowl or fender lamps, one on each side which shall emit a white light without glare.
Any vehicle may be equipped with not more than one running board courtesy lamp on each side thereof, which shall emit a white or yellow light without glare.
Any vehicle may be equipped with not more than two backup lamps, either separately or in combination with another lamp, and not more than two rear cornering lamps, except that the lamps must not be continuously lighted when the vehicle is in forward motion, nor shall it project a glaring light.
Any vehicle may be equipped with lamps which may be used for the purpose of warning the operators of other vehicles of the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring the exercise of unusual care in approaching, overtaking, or passing, and when so equipped may display such warning in addition to any other warning signals required by this section or section 169.50, subdivision 1 or 3; 169.56, subdivision 1, 2, 3, or 4; 169.57, subdivision 1; or 169.64, subdivision 3. The lamps used to display such warnings to the front shall be mounted at the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and shall display simultaneous flashing white or amber lights, or any shade of color between white and amber. The lamps used to display such warnings to the rear shall be mounted at the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and shall show simultaneously flashing amber or red lights, or any shade of color between amber and red. Instead of a pair of lamps that flash simultaneously, either one or two strobe lights or rotating beacon lights with an amber or yellow lens may be used both to the front and rear of the vehicle. These warning lights shall be visible from a distance of not less than 500 feet under normal atmospheric conditions at night.
169.60 DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT.
Except as hereinafter provided, the headlamps, the auxiliary low-beam lamps, or the auxiliary driving lamps, or combinations thereof, on motor vehicles shall be so arranged that the driver may select at will between distributions of light projected to different elevations, subject to the following requirements and limitations:
(a) There shall be an uppermost distribution of light, or composite beam, so aimed and of such intensity as to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least 350 feet ahead for all conditions of loading.
(b) There shall be a lowermost distribution of light, or composite beam, so aimed and of sufficient intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least 100 feet ahead; and on a straight level road under any condition of loading none of the high-intensity portion of the beam shall be directed to strike the eyes of an approaching driver.
(c) All road-lighting equipment manufactured and installed on and after January 1, 1938, shall be so arranged that when any beam is used which is not in conformity with paragraph (b), means shall be provided for indicating to the driver when such beams are being used.
169.61 COMPOSITE BEAM.
(a) When a motor vehicle is being operated on a highway or shoulder adjacent thereto during the times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required in this chapter, the driver shall use a distribution of light, or composite beam, directed high enough and of sufficient intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a safe distance in advance of the vehicle, subject to the following requirements and limitations.
(b) When the driver of a vehicle approaches a vehicle within 1,000 feet, such driver shall use a distribution of light, or composite beam, so aimed that the glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver.
(c) When the driver of a vehicle follows another vehicle within 200 feet to the rear, except when engaged in the act of overtaking and passing, such driver shall use a distribution of light permissible under this chapter other than the uppermost distribution of light specified in section 169.60.
168.62 INTERCITY BUS REGISTRATION.
An owner or operator of more than one intercity bus shall register a percentage of those intercity buses of the owner or operator in Minnesota. The percentage of the intercity buses so registered shall be determined by dividing the total number of miles traveled by such intercity buses within the state of Minnesota by the total number of miles traveled by such intercity buses both within and without the state of Minnesota. Such percentage figure so arrived at is the percentage of intercity motor buses which the owner or operator thereof shall register in Minnesota. A fractional intercity bus shall be registered as one intercity bus. The number of intercity buses so registered in the state of Minnesota are deemed to be domiciled in Minnesota and subject to motor vehicle taxation in this state.
When the number of intercity buses to be registered in Minnesota is determined as herein provided, the owner or operator thereof shall select the particular intercity buses to be so registered. The motor vehicle tax to be paid thereon for each calendar year shall be determined by the registrar of motor vehicles, who shall compute the amount of motor vehicle tax on each intercity bus of the owner or operator thereof as though all of such intercity buses were required to be registered in Minnesota. The amount so arrived at shall then be divided by the total number of intercity buses of such owner or operator to obtain the average motor vehicle tax due on an intercity bus registered in Minnesota. Such average tax shall be paid on each intercity bus registered in Minnesota in the same manner and at the same time as other motor vehicles using the streets and highways of Minnesota are taxed and the taxes paid thereon. The registrar of motor vehicles shall issue number plates for the intercity buses registered in Minnesota.
At the same time that an owner or operator of intercity buses registers them in Minnesota and obtains number plates for the vehicle, the owner or operator shall apply for special identification plates or certificates for the remainder of that fleet of intercity buses. The registrar of motor vehicles shall design an appropriate plate or identification certificate for this purpose which must be issued upon the payment of a fee in the amount specified for special plates under section 168.12, subdivision 5, covering each intercity bus so identified. The proceeds of such fees shall be deposited to the credit of the driver and vehicle services operating account under section 299A.705, subdivision 1. No intercity bus shall at any time be operated in the state of Minnesota without either Minnesota number plates or special identification plates or certificates issued as herein provided.
169.66 HEARING ON SPECIFICATIONS.
(a) With reason to believe that an approved device which is being sold commercially does not comply with the requirements of this chapter, the commissioner of public safety may, after giving 30 days' previous notice to the person holding the certificate of approval for such device in this state, conduct a hearing upon the question of compliance of the approved device. After the hearing the commissioner of public safety shall determine whether the approved device meets the requirements of this chapter. If it does not meet the requirements of this chapter, the commissioner of public safety shall give notice to the person holding the certificate of approval for such device in this state.
(b) If, at the expiration of 90 days after such notice, the person holding the certificate of approval for such device has failed to satisfy the commissioner of public safety that the approved device as thereafter to be sold meets the requirements of this chapter, the commissioner of public safety shall suspend or revoke the approval issued therefor until or unless such device is resubmitted to and retested by an authorized testing agency and is found to meet the requirements of this chapter, and may require that all such devices sold since the notification following the hearing be replaced with devices that do comply with the requirements of this chapter. The commissioner of public safety may at the time of the retest purchase in the open market and submit to the testing agency one or more sets of such approved devices, and if such device upon such retest fails to meet the requirements of this chapter, the commissioner of public safety may refuse to renew the certificate of approval of such device.
168.63 INTERCITY BUS; REGISTRAR DUTIES.
It shall be the duty of the registrar of motor vehicles to administer and to enforce the terms and conditions of sections 168.61 to 168.65.
The registrar of motor vehicles shall determine the percentage of intercity buses to be registered in Minnesota by an owner or operator thereof. The registrar shall determine the total number of miles traveled by each intercity bus within the state of Minnesota and the total number of miles such intercity bus traveled both within and without the state of Minnesota. In making such determinations the registrar may use mileage records of operation of each owner or operator of intercity buses for such period of time as the registrar deems appropriate and during which operation existed. If there are no operations in Minnesota for any period of time so as to determine the mileage records of operation the registrar shall use such estimates as will fairly determine the percentage of intercity buses which any owner or operator thereof shall register in Minnesota.
When increasing the fleet of intercity buses after the beginning of a calendar year in which a percentage of the fleet has been registered in Minnesota, the owner or operator of those intercity buses shall notify the registrar of motor vehicles thereof.
Whenever substituting an intercity bus in the fleet as a result of new purchase or otherwise, the owner or operator of intercity buses shall likewise notify the registrar of motor vehicles thereof.
At the close of each calendar year and not later than February 15th of the next succeeding year, the registrar of motor vehicles shall recompute and redetermine the number of intercity buses required to have been registered in Minnesota for the prior year and the actual amount of tax liability for such previous year shall likewise be redetermined. Any additional tax which may be due by any owner or operator of intercity buses shall be paid forthwith. If it is determined as a result of such recomputation that there has been an overpayment of tax, the amount of such overpayment shall be credited to the amount of tax which may be due by the owner or operator of intercity buses in any subsequent year. In the event any owner or operator of intercity buses discontinues operations in Minnesota and has a tax credit due as a result of overpayment of motor vehicle taxes for any year, the amount of such overpayment shall be refunded. Such sums as are necessary to make the refunds herein are hereby appropriated annually from the highway user tax distribution fund.
169.63 NUMBER OF LAMPS.
(a) At all times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required in this chapter, at least two lighted headlamps shall be displayed, one on each side at the front of every motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle; provided, that under adverse weather conditions two lighted auxiliary lamps, one on each side at the front of the vehicle, may be used in lieu of two lighted headlamps, except when such vehicle is parked subject to the rules governing lights on parked vehicles.
(b) When a motor vehicle equipped with headlamps, as herein required, is also equipped with any auxiliary lamps, spot lamps or any other lamps on the front thereof projecting a beam of intensity greater than 300-candle power, not more than a total of four of any such lamps on the front of a vehicle shall be lighted at any one time when upon a highway.
(c) The maximum beam candle power from any combination of lamps used at any time for road lighting shall not exceed that authorized by the commissioner of public safety.
168.54 MOTOR VEHICLES, TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP.
MS 1969 [Repealed, 1971 c 25 s 37]
MS 1978 [Repealed, 1979 c 333 s 108]
MS 1978 [Repealed, 1979 c 333 s 108]
A fee of $3 is imposed upon every transfer of ownership by the commissioner of any vehicle for which a registration certificate has heretofore been issued under this chapter, except vehicles sold for the purposes of salvage, dismantling, or permanent removal from the state.
The commissioner shall collect the proceeds of the fee imposed under this section and deposit them in the general fund pursuant to section 168A.31.
MS 2000 [Repealed, 2001 c 7 s 91]
169.68 HORN, SIREN.
(a) Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway must be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet. However, the horn or other warning device must not emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle. The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation, give audible warning with the horn, but shall not otherwise use the horn when upon a highway.
(b) A vehicle must not be equipped with, and a person shall not use upon a vehicle, any siren, whistle, or bell, except as otherwise permitted in this section.
(c) It is permissible, but not required, for any commercial vehicle to be equipped with a theft alarm signal device, so arranged that it cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal.
(d) All authorized emergency vehicles must be equipped with a siren capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 500 feet and of a type conforming to the federal certification standards for sirens, as determined by the General Services Administration. However, the siren must not be used except when the vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, in which latter events the driver of the vehicle shall sound the siren when necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of the vehicle's approach.
(e) It is permissible, but not required, for a bicycle to be equipped with a horn or bell designed to alert motor vehicles, other bicycles, and pedestrians of the bicycle's presence.
169.62 CERTAIN LIGHTS PERMITTED ON OLD MOTOR VEHICLES.
Headlamps arranged to provide a single distribution of light not supplemented by auxiliary driving lamps shall be permitted on motor vehicles manufactured and sold prior to January 1, 1938, in lieu of multiple-beam road-lighting equipment herein specified if the single distribution of light complies with the following requirements and limitations:
(a) The headlamps shall be so aimed that when the vehicle is fully loaded none of the high-intensity portion of the lamp beam rises above a horizontal plane passing through the headlamp centers parallel to the level surface upon which the vehicle stands, and in no case higher than 42 inches above the level on which the vehicle stands at a distance of 75 and more feet ahead.
(b) The intensity shall be sufficient to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least 200 feet.
168.61 INTERCITY BUS.
The term "intercity bus" as used in sections 168.61 to 168.65 means a motor bus as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 4, which is owned or operated by either a resident or nonresident of Minnesota in interstate commerce under authority of the former Interstate Commerce Commission, or a successor agency, or in combined interstate and intrastate commerce under authority of the former Interstate Commerce Commission, or a successor agency, and the Department of Transportation of Minnesota, as a result of which operation such bus operates both within and without the territorial limits of the state of Minnesota.
Intercity buses are subject to registration and taxation as motor vehicles on an apportionment basis.
168.64 INTERCITY BUS RULES, REQUIREMENTS.
The registrar of motor vehicles shall:
(1) promulgate such rules as the registrar may deem necessary in order to fully administer and carry out the terms and provisions of sections 168.61 to 168.65;
(2) require owners and operators of intercity buses to furnish such information and to make and file such reports as the registrar deems necessary in order to administer sections 168.61 to 168.65;
(3) require recomputation of the percentage of intercity buses of any owner or operator at any time the registrar has reason to believe that an insufficient number of such intercity buses of such owner or operator are registered in Minnesota. If as a result of any such recomputation, the registrar of motor vehicles determines that additional intercity buses should be registered in Minnesota, the registrar shall require the owner or operator thereof to so register such additional buses and pay the taxes thereon in accordance with the standards required by this section. All intercity buses registered under the terms of this provision shall be registered for a full calendar year. All taxes computed on the percentage of intercity buses to be registered in the state of Minnesota shall likewise be computed on the basis of a full calendar year. If additional taxes are required to be paid by an owner or operator of intercity buses under this provision, such owner or operator shall also pay interest at the rate of six percent per annum on the amount so paid with interest computed from January 1st of the calendar year in which the taxes are due to the date of payment.
169.684 SEAT BELT; DECLARATION OF POLICY.
It is the policy of this state that enactment of a mandatory automobile seat belt usage law is intended to be compatible with support for federal safety standards requiring automatic crash protection and should not be used in any manner to rescind federal automatic crash protection system requirements for new vehicles.
169.69 MUFFLER.
Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order which blends the exhaust noise into the overall vehicle noise and is in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and no person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a street or highway. The exhaust system shall not emit or produce a sharp popping or crackling sound. Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with such parts and equipment so arranged and kept in such state of repair as to prevent carbon monoxide gas from entering the interior of the vehicle.
No person shall have for sale, sell or offer for sale or use on any motor vehicle any muffler that fails to comply with the specifications as required by the commissioner of public safety.
168.65 INTERCITY BUS VIOLATIONS.
It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator of intercity buses to willfully violate any provision of sections 168.61 to 168.65 or to willfully furnish false information or reports to the registrar of motor vehicles which such registrar may require.
If after a public hearing, upon due notice, the registrar of motor vehicles determines that any owner or operator of intercity buses has violated any term or provisions of sections 168.61 to 168.65 or willfully furnished false information or reports, the registrar shall cancel all number plates and all special identification plates or certificates issued to the owner or operator of intercity buses. The intercity buses, during such calendar year, shall not operate upon the streets and highways of the state unless the owner's or operator's entire fleet of intercity buses is then registered in the state of Minnesota and the motor vehicle taxes paid on them for the full calendar year in which the offense occurs. Any determination by the registrar of motor vehicles is subject to appeal in accordance with chapter 14.
169.70 REAR VIEW MIRROR.
Every motor vehicle constructed, loaded, or connected with another vehicle that obstructs the driver's view to the rear from the driver's position must be equipped with a mirror or other technology that reflects or displays to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle.
169.693 MOTOR VEHICLE NOISE LIMITS.
It is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle in violation of motor vehicle noise rules adopted by the Pollution Control Agency.
169.721 UNSAFE TIRES; DEFINITIONS.
As used in sections 169.721 to 169.727, the terms defined in this section have the meanings given them.
"Passenger automobile" means any motor vehicle designed and used for the carrying of not more than nine persons, excluding motorcycles and motor scooters, but including within its meaning station wagons or other highway use motor vehicles using passenger automobile type tires.
"Commissioner" means the commissioner of public safety.
169.722 RULES FOR TIRE SAFETY.
The commissioner shall promulgate rules pursuant to chapter 14 providing for the safe operating conditions of tires for use on passenger automobiles. The rules shall be so promulgated that a law enforcement officer may determine whether or not a tire is in compliance by visual inspection or by the use of simple measuring gauges. The rules shall be based on and include effects of tread wear and depth of tread, and shall incorporate all of the provisions of section 169.723.
169.723 TIRES CONSIDERED UNSAFE.
A tire shall be considered unsafe if it has:
(1) any part of the ply or cord exposed; or
(2) any bump, bulge or separation; or
(3) a tread design depth of less than 2/32 (1/16) of an inch measured in the tread groove nearest the center of the tire at three locations equally spaced around the circumference of the tire, exclusive of tie bars or for those tires with tread wear indicators; or
(4) been worn to the level of the tread wear indicators in any two tread grooves at three locations; or
(5) a marking "not for highway use," or "for racing purposes only," or "unsafe for highway use;" or
(6) tread or sidewall cracks, cuts or snags deep enough to expose the body cords; or
(7) been regrooved or recut below the original tread design depth, except special taxicab tires which have extra undertread rubber and are identified as such.
169.724 PROHIBITION; OPERATING AUTOMOBILE WITH UNSAFE TIRES.
No person shall drive, move or cause to be driven or moved any passenger automobile upon the highways of this state, unless such passenger automobile is equipped with tires in safe operating condition in accordance with rules promulgated by the commissioner.
169.727 UNSAFE TIRES; MISDEMEANOR.
Any person who violates the provisions of sections 169.721 to 169.727 or any rule promulgated pursuant thereto is guilty of a petty misdemeanor.
169.726 AUTOMOBILE SALE PROHIBITED UNLESS TIRES ARE SAFE.
No person or organization shall sell or offer for sale, other than to a motor vehicle dealer, any passenger automobile for use on the public highways of this state, unless the passenger automobile is equipped with tires that are in compliance with the rules promulgated by the commissioner under authority of section 169.722. If the tires are not in compliance with the rules, the person or organization selling or offering to sell the passenger automobile shall cause, prior to sale, the tires to be removed from the vehicle and shall equip the vehicle with tires that are in compliance with the rules; unless the vehicle is towed or hauled away. No person, firm, corporation or organization shall sell or offer for sale, other than to a tire dealer, tires for highway use not in compliance with these rules.
169.734 AUTOMOBILE FENDERS.
Every passenger automobile shall have fenders, or other devices, that are designed to prevent, as far as practicable, water, dirt, or other material being thrown up and to the rear by the wheels of the vehicle.
169.733 WHEEL FLAPS ON TRUCK AND TRAILER.
Every truck, truck-tractor, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, and rear-end dump truck, excepting rear-end dump farm trucks, must be provided with wheel flaps or other suitable protection above and behind the rearmost wheels of the vehicle or combination of vehicles to prevent, as far as practicable, the wheels from throwing dirt, water, or other materials on the windshields of following vehicles. The flaps or protectors must be at least as wide as the tires they are protecting and have a ground clearance of not more than nine inches from the ground when the vehicle is empty.
For a dump truck or truck with a rigid box fastened to its frame and having a conveyor belt or chain in the bottom of the vehicle that moves the cargo to the rear end of the vehicle, the flaps must be mounted as far to the rear of the vehicle as practicable and have a ground clearance of not more than 18 inches when the vehicle is loaded.
In addition to meeting the requirements of subdivision 1, a bottom-dump cargo vehicle transporting sand, gravel, aggregate, dirt, lime rock, silica, or similar material must be equipped with a center flap between the wheel flaps, which must have a ground clearance of six inches or less when the vehicle is fully loaded.
If the motor vehicle is so designed and constructed that the above requirements are accomplished by means of body construction or other means of enclosure, then no protectors or flaps are required.
If the rear wheels are not covered at the top by fenders, body or other parts of the vehicle, the flap or other protective means must be extended at least to a point directly above the center of the rearmost axle.
[Repealed by amendment, 1Sp2005 c 1 art 4 s 35]
169.74 SAFETY GLASS.
No person shall sell any new motor vehicle, nor shall any new motor vehicle be registered thereafter unless the vehicle is equipped with safety glass wherever glass is used in doors, windows, and windshields.
"Safety glass" means any product composed of glass, or other material, as may be approved by the commissioner of public safety, as safety glass.
All glass replacement in doors, windows, and windshields or partitions of motor vehicles shall be made with materials meeting the requirements of this chapter for safety glass if glass is used therefor.
No glazing material other than of a type meeting the requirements of this chapter shall be sold, offered for sale, offered for use, or used for installation in doors, windows or windshields of motor vehicles or of passenger-carrying trailers or semitrailers.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to include frostshields.
169.751 DEFINITIONS.
(a) For the purposes of sections 169.751 to 169.753 the following words have the meanings given.
(b) "First aid equipment" means equipment for the purpose of rendering first aid to sick or injured persons as prescribed by the Department of Public Safety for its State Patrol vehicles, including materials for the application of splints to fractures.
(c) "Patrol motor vehicles" means the State Patrol motor vehicles used in law enforcement of the Department of Public Safety, the county sheriffs, and the various city, town, and other local police departments.
169.752 PATROL MOTOR VEHICLES, FIRST AID EQUIPMENT.
Every patrol motor vehicle shall be equipped with and carry first aid equipment.
169.753 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TRAINED IN FIRST AID.
Law enforcement officers operating patrol motor vehicles shall be trained in the use and application of first aid equipment.
169.783 COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ACCIDENT; REINSPECTION.
(a) A peace officer responding to an accident involving a commercial motor vehicle must immediately notify the State Patrol if the accident results in:
(1) a fatality;
(2) bodily injury to a person who, as a result of the injury, immediately receives medical treatment away from the scene of the accident; or
(3) one or more motor vehicles incurring disabling damage as a result of the accident, requiring the motor vehicles to be transported away from the scene by tow truck or other motor vehicle.
(b) It is a misdemeanor for a person to drive or cause to be driven a commercial motor vehicle after such an accident unless the vehicle:
(1) has been inspected by a state trooper or other person authorized to conduct inspections under section 169.781, subdivision 3, paragraph (a), who is an employee of the Department of Public Safety or Transportation, and the person inspecting the vehicle has determined that the vehicle may safely be operated; or
(2) a waiver has been granted under subdivision 2.
A state trooper or other authorized person called to the scene of an accident by a responding peace officer under subdivision 1 may waive the inspection requirement of that subdivision if the person determines that a postcrash inspection is not needed or cannot be accomplished without unreasonable delay. A person who grants a waiver must provide to the driver of the commercial motor vehicle for which the waiver is granted a written statement that the inspection has been waived. The written statement must include the incident report number assigned to the accident by the State Patrol.
168.845 RULES FOR RENTAL TRUCKS AND TRAILERS.
The registrar of motor vehicles shall administer sections 168.841 to 168.846 and may promulgate such rules pursuant to chapter 14 as may be required, including forms for the submission of required data as to rental trucks or rental trailers owned, miles traveled within and without the state, average number of rental trailers operated in and through the state and such other information as may be required for the enforcement of sections 168.841 to 168.846. The registrar may establish dates for the submission of required forms and reports and may, for good cause shown, waive any deadline established.
168.841 DEFINITION OF RENTAL TRUCK.
As used in sections 168.841 to 168.846, "rental truck" means a truck or truck-tractor and "rental trailer" means a trailer or semitrailer as these terms are defined in section 168.002, which is one of a fleet of two or more such vehicles owned and operated for hire for periods of 30 days or less both within and without the state of Minnesota, which are clearly identified as belonging to a particular owner, and which are not otherwise required to be registered in the state.
169.796 VERIFICATION OF INSURANCE COVERAGE.
An insurance company shall release information to the Department of Public Safety or the law enforcement authorities necessary to the verification of insurance coverage. An insurance company or its agent acting on its behalf, or an authorized person who releases the above information, whether oral or written, acting in good faith, is immune from any liability, civil or criminal, arising in connection with the release of the information.
The commissioner may, in the commissioner's discretion, agree to receive by electronic transfer any information required by this chapter to be provided to the commissioner by an insurance company.
[Repealed, 2007 c 22 s 1]
169.771 SPOT-CHECK OF MOTOR VEHICLE.
The intent of this section is to establish a motor vehicle inspection program administered by the commissioner of public safety evidencing substantial compliance with the federal Highway Safety Act of 1966, Public Law 89-564.
(a) The commissioner of public safety is directed to accelerate spot-check inspections for unsafe motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment. Such inspections shall be conducted by the personnel of the State Patrol who shall give the operator of a commercial motor vehicle a signed and dated document as evidence of the inspection.
(b) However, personnel of the State Patrol may not conduct another spot inspection of a commercial motor vehicle if (1) the operator of the vehicle can show evidence of an inspection, which is free of critical defects, conducted in Minnesota according to this section or section 169.781 within the previous 90 days and (2) a state trooper does not have probable cause to believe the vehicle or its equipment is unsafe or that the operator has engaged in illegal activity. In addition, if the operator shows the state trooper evidence that the commercial motor vehicle has been inspected within the previous 90 days, but the officer has probable cause to believe the vehicle or its equipment is unsafe or to suspect illegal activity, then the vehicle may be inspected to confirm the existence or absence of an unsafe condition or of the suspected illegal activity.
(c) A vehicle stopped under this section and determined to be a covered farm vehicle as defined in Code of Federal Regulations, title 49, section 390.5, and not carrying hazardous materials of a type or quantity that requires the vehicle to be placarded in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations, title 49, section 172.504, is exempt from further inspection under this section. If probable cause exists to believe the vehicle or its equipment is unsafe or illegal activity is suspected, enforcement action may be initiated.
The commissioner of public safety may establish such reasonable rules as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, but all spot-check inspections shall be held in compliance with subdivision 2 and in such a manner that the motor vehicle operators, either private or commercial, shall not be unnecessarily inconvenienced either by extended detours, unnecessary delays, or any other unreasonable cause.
Use of the highways and streets of this state shall constitute consent to spot-check inspections as provided herein.
168.842 REGISTRATION AND TAXATION OF RENTAL TRUCK.
An owner of rental trucks shall annually register a percentage of the owner's rental trucks in Minnesota. The number of rental trucks required to be registered in the state shall be determined by dividing the total number of miles traveled within the state during the next preceding calendar year by all rental trucks owned by an owner by the total number of miles traveled both within and without the state during the next preceding calendar year by all rental trucks owned by that owner and applying the percentage figure thus arrived at to the total number of rental trucks owned by that owner. The number of rental trucks thus determined shall be the number of rental trucks deemed to be domiciled within the state and subject to registration and taxation in a calendar year.
168.844 OTHER FLEET RENTAL VEHICLES.
Upon registration of the number of rental trucks or rental trailers required by sections 168.841 to 168.846 to be registered in this state and upon payment of all registration fees, all rental trucks or rental trailers owned by an owner and identified as being a part of the owner's fleet and currently licensed in any state, territory, province, country or the District of Columbia shall be permitted to operate in this state in both interstate and intrastate commerce.