Title 32 — Title 32

It is the public policy of this state in every way possible to reduce the number of traffic accidents, deaths, injuries, and property damage through the formulation of comprehensive highway and traffic safety programs. The Governor, as the chief executive and highest elected offi…

Repealed by Act 2015-70 effective April 21, 2015. History: (Acts 1967, No. 270, p. 775, §3.)

Repealed by Act 2015-70 effective April 21, 2015. History: (Acts 1967, No. 270, p. 775, §4.)

The Governor is hereby authorized and granted the power to contract and to exercise any other powers which may be necessary in order to insure that all departments of state government and local political subdivisions participate to the fullest extent possible in the benefits avai…

The Governor, acting for and in behalf of the State of Alabama, is authorized to cooperate with, and participate in, the programs of all federal, state, local, public, and private agencies and organizations in order to effectuate the purposes of this chapter. History: (Acts 1967,…

The governing authorities of the various counties and municipalities are empowered to contract with the state, federal, and other local, public and private agencies and organizations and exercise other necessary powers to participate to the fullest extent possible in the highway …

(a) Except as herein otherwise provided, local authorities shall have no power to pass, enforce, or maintain any ordinance, rule, or regulation requiring from any owner or chauffeur or other authorized driver to whom this chapter is applicable, any additional license or permit fo…

Whoever willfully throws or shoots a rock, stone, brick or piece of iron, steel or other like metal, or any deadly or dangerous missile or fire bomb, into a motor vehicle that is occupied by one or more persons is guilty of a felony and upon conviction shall be imprisoned for not…

(a) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle equipped with at least one lighted lamp and audible signal as is required by law, the driver of every other vehicle shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand ed…

Handicapped or paraplegic drivers of motor vehicles are authorized when getting into and out of such vehicles, or when in motor vehicle distress, to display a white flag of approximately seven and one-half inches in width and 13 inches in length, with the letter “H” thereon in re…

The Director of Public Safety may, upon application and payment of a fee of $1.00, issue to any handicapped person a distress flag as described in Section 32-5-12, and a card which shall be applicant’s authority to use such flag. This card shall set forth applicant’s name, addres…

Any person who is not a handicapped or paraplegic person who uses the distress flag as a distress signal or for any other purpose or any other person who violates any provision of Sections 32-5-12 through 32-5-14 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall …

No person shall park, cause to be parked, or knowingly permit an automobile or other motor vehicle which he or she owns to be parked, on any street in any municipality in this state in violation of an ordinance of such municipality. The presence of an unattended automobile or oth…

to Maintain Vehicle. (a) The owner of any motor vehicle leased to another shall not be liable for a state, county, or municipal traffic or parking violation occurring while the leased vehicle was not in the owner’s possession or control, if upon notice of the violation, the owner…

When it becomes apparent to any state trooper that a road is dangerous for use of motor vehicles on account of weather conditions, high water, damaged roadways or bridges, or from any other cause, or when in the opinion of any state trooper a road may be seriously injured by allo…

(a) It shall be deemed a nuisance and shall be unlawful for any person, or one or more of a group of persons together, between the hours of sunset and sunrise, to willfully throw or cast, or cause to be thrown or cast, in a continuous and repeated manner, the rays of a spotlight,…

(a) A law enforcement officer as defined in Section 36-21-40, may arrest, at the scene of a traffic accident, any driver of a vehicle involved in the accident if upon personal investigation, including information from eyewitnesses, the officer has reasonable grounds to believe th…

This division may be cited as the Alabama Chemical Test for Intoxication Act. History: (Acts 1969, No. 699, p. 1255, §4.)

Whenever and wherever the words “driving privilege” or “privilege” appear in this division, they shall mean both the driver license of those licensed in Alabama, and the driving privilege of unlicensed residents and the privilege of nonresidents, licensed or not; the purpose of t…

Test. (a)(1) Any person who operates a motor vehicle on the public highways of this state shall be deemed to have given consent, subject to this division, to a chemical test or tests of his or her blood, breath, or oral fluid for the purpose of determining the content of any impa…

The State Board of Health shall not approve the permit required in this division for making tests for any law enforcement officer other than a member of the state highway patrol, a sheriff or his or her deputies or a city policeman. History: (Acts 1969, No. 699, p. 1255, §5.)

Nothing in this chapter shall be so construed as to prevent the owner of real property used in public for purposes of vehicular travel by permission of the owner and not as matter of right, from prohibiting such use nor from requiring other or different or additional conditions t…

(a) Any person who operates a motor vehicle on the public highways of this state who is involved in a crash that results in death or a serious physical injury to any person shall be deemed to have given consent to a chemical test or tests of his or her blood for the purpose of de…

(a) Every motor carrier, motor vehicle, truck, semitrailer, and trailer shall be equipped with pneumatic tires of sufficient traction surface in accordance with the capacity of the motor carrier or motor vehicle, except as otherwise herein provided, the same to be prescribed by t…

Whenever the load of any vehicle shall extend more than four feet beyond the rear of the bed or body of the vehicle, there shall be displayed at the end of the load in a position which shall be clearly visible at all times from the rear of the load a red or orange flag not less t…

Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway shall be equipped with brakes adequate to control the movement of and to stop and to hold such vehicle, including two separate means of applying the brakes, each of which shall be effective to apply the brakes to at least two wheel…

(a) Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway shall be equipped with a horn in good working order capable of emitting a sound audible under normal conditions for a distance of not less than 200 feet. It shall be unlawful for any vehicle to be equipped with or for any perso…

Every motor vehicle, operated singly or when towing any other vehicle, shall be equipped with a mirror so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear of such motor vehicle. History: (Acts 1927, No. 347, p. 348; Code 19…

(a) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, sidewings, or side or rear windows of such vehicle which obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway. (b) The windshield…

(a) Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and annoying smoke, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, bypass, a muffler without baffles, or similar device upon a m…

(a) No seat safety belt or anchor shall be sold or installed for use in connection with the operation of a motor vehicle on any highway in this state unless it meets the specifications prescribed by the Department of Public Safety. (b) The department shall adopt regulations gover…

(a) On and after January 1, 1968, no person shall sell any new motor vehicle as specified herein, nor shall any new motor vehicle as specified herein be registered thereafter unless such vehicle is equipped with safety glazing material of a type approved by the director wherever …

No television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast shall be located in a motor vehicle at any point forward of the back of the driver’s seat or in any manner so that the driver of the vehicle can see it while in actual control of the vehicle…

(a) No person shall operate any truck, passenger bus, or truck tractor upon any highway outside the corporate limits of municipalities at any time from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise unless there shall be carried in such vehicle the following equipment, ex…

(a) Whenever any truck, passenger bus, truck tractor, trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer is disabled upon the traveled portion of any highway or the shoulder thereof outside of any municipality at any time when lighted lamps are required on vehicles the driver of such vehicle …

(a) Every person transporting a child in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, or highways of this state, shall provide for the protection of the child by properly using an aftermarket or integrated child passenger restraint system meeting applicable federal motor ve…

(a) When lighted headlamps required. (1) Every vehicle upon a highway within this state, except a parked vehicle, which shall be subject to Section 32-5-244, shall display lighted lamps and illuminating devices required by this section for different classes of vehicles at the fol…

(a) Spot lamps and auxiliary lamps. (1) SPOT LAMPS. Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed one spot lamp 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 t…

(a) Visibility distance and mounted height of lamps. (1) Whenever requirement is hereinafter declared as to the distance from which certain lamps and devices shall render objects visible or within which such lamps or devices shall be visible, the provisions shall apply during the…

Any vehicle in active service transporting United States mail may display two simultaneously flashing lights to be used for the purpose of warning other vehicle operators of its presence and to exercise caution in approaching, overtaking, or in passing. Such lights may be flashed…

(a) Whenever a vehicle is lawfully parked upon a street or highway during the hours between a half hour after sunset and a half hour before sunrise where there is sufficient light to reveal any person or object within a distance of 500 feet upon such street or highway no lights n…

It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a horse-drawn wagon, buggy, carriage, or other vehicle upon any public highway, road, or street between sunset and sunrise unless there is affixed to the rear of such vehicle at least two red reflectors or similar warning devices, on…

When operated, propelled, driven, towed, pushed, or otherwise moving over, along, or across any highway in this state, every vehicle which has a maximum potential speed of 25 miles an hour, implement of husbandry, farm tractor, or special mobile equipment shall be identified with…

The device shall be mounted on the rear of the vehicle, implement, or mobile equipment broad base down, not less than three feet nor more than five feet above the ground, measuring to the lowest portion of the device and as near the center of the vehicle, implement, or mobile equ…

The use of such device is restricted to use on slow-moving vehicles specified in Sections 32-5-246 through 32-5-251 and the use of such reflective device on any other type vehicle or stationary object is prohibited. History: (Acts 1971, No. 1186, p. 2048, §3.)

The provisions of Sections 32-5-246 through 32-5-251 shall not apply to bicycles or to ridden animals. History: (Acts 1971, No. 1186, p. 2048, §4.)

Nothing in Sections 32-5-246 through 32-5-251 shall repeal or amend any other provision of the laws of Alabama governing lights or reflectors required to be mounted on vehicles. History: (Acts 1971, No. 1186, p. 2048, §5.)

Any person violating any provisions of Sections 32-5-246 through 32-5-251 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not less than $5.00 nor more than $100.00 or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 30 days or by both such …

Published. (a) No person shall have for sale, or offer for sale for use upon or as a part of the equipment of a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer, or use upon any such vehicle any head lamp, auxiliary or fog lamp, rear lamp, signal lamp or reflector, which reflector is requi…

When the director has reason to believe that an approved lighting device being sold commercially does not comply with the requirements of this division, he or she may, after giving 30 days’ previous notice to the person holding the certificate of approval for such device in this …