Title 22, Highways and Motor Vehicles

No person may drive any vehicle upon a sidewalk or sidewalk area except upon a permanent, or duly authorized temporary, driveway. History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1.

(a) No person may drive a vehicle when it is so loaded, or when there are in the front seat such number of persons, exceeding 3, as to obstruct the view of the driver to the front or sides of the vehicle or as to interfere with the driver’s control over the driving mechanism of t…

No person may open the door of a motor vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless and until it is reasonably safe to do so, and can be done without interfering with the movement of other traffic, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a vehicle availabl…

(a) The driver of any motor vehicle, when traveling on a down grade, may not coast with the gears or transmission of such vehicle in neutral. (b) The driver of a truck or bus, when traveling on a down grade, may not coast with the clutch disengaged. History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1.

No vehicle may be driven over an unprotected fire department hose laid down on any street, private road or driveway to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent of the fire department official in command. History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1.

(a) No person may throw, deposit, or place upon any right-of-way road, street or highway, or cause to be thrown, deposited or placed, any glass, glass bottle, container, wire, nails, tacks, can, garbage, trash, refuse, rubbish, or any other object whether or not likely to injure …

No vehicle may be driven or moved on any highway: (1) Unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, shifting, leaking or otherwise escaping therefrom; (2) When any load thereon is not entirely within the body of the vehicle. This pro…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no person operation a motor vehicle on a public highway in the Territory shall transport a child under four years of age except under the following circumstances: (1) if the child is under three years of age, the person operating …

(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, no person: (1) shall operate a motor vehicle upon any public highway unless the person is restrained by a seat belt assembly and any passengers in the front seat of the motor vehicle are restrained by a seat belt assembly if between the ag…

No truck or pickup truck may be driven or moved on any highway having as a passenger a minor child of less than twelve (12) years of age in the bed or back of the vehicle, unless the said child is accompanied at all times by an adult of at least eighteen (18) years of age. Histor…

(a) The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle shall be exempt from the requirements of 22.0301 et seq., whenever such vehicle is driven in response to an emergency call, used in immediate pursuit of a suspected violator of the law, or is on other errands of great urgency. (b)…

Authorized emergency vehicles may not utilize any emergency warning equipment except when responding to an emergency. The pursuit of actual or suspected violators of the law by police shall be considered an emergency. When responding to an emergency, the driver of an emergency ve…

(a) When an emergency vehicle using warning equipment is proceeding on an emergency call, all traffic shall immediately pull to the right side of the road if possible, clear intersections, and stop until all emergency vehicles have passed. (b) No motor vehicle, except an authoriz…

The government and private companies or individuals who engage in performing construction work on or near the highways are required to install or place red warning lights at the job site between dusk and dawn. History: 1998, PL 25-18.

(a) It is unlawful and, unless otherwise declared in this chapter with respect to particular offenses, an infraction for any person to do any act forbidden by, or fail to perform any act required by, this chapter. (b) In a case involving a violation of a section of this chapter, …

(a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if necessary in order to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked or unmarked crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling…

It is unlawful for any pedestrian who is intoxicated to such an extent as to create a hazard to himself or others to walk on or be on any public highway. History: 1972, PL 12-65 §1.

(a) Where sidewalks are provided, it is unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along adjacent roadway. (b) Where sidewalks are not provided, any pedestrian walking along or upon a highway shall, when practicable, walk only on the left side of the roadway or its shoulder, facing traf…

The driver of a vehicle emerging from or entering an alley, building, private road or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian approaching on any sidewalk extending across such alley, building entrance, road or driveway. History: 1972, PL 12-65 1.

(a) No person may stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any vehicle. (b) No person may sit, lie, or loiter in a roadway in a manner as to constitute a hazard to himself or to vehicular traffic. History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1, amd l977, PL 15-61. …

Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway, shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary, and shall exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or an…

(a) No person may solicit money or raise funds on or near a sidewalk or the public roadway by standing, sitting or dancing, with or without the playing of music or the use of a public-address system, to entice, lure, or urge by requests or pleas to drivers, occupants of vehicles …

Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle under this title, except those provisions which by their very nature are inapplicable. History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Uniform Accident Reporting Act” for American Samoa. History: 1977, PL 15-17.

(a) The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close thereto as possible, but shall then forthwith return to and in every event shall remain at the scene o…

The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close thereto as possible and shall forthwith return to and in every event shall…

The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or damage to any vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall give his name, address, and the registration number of the vehicle he is driving and shall upon request and if …

The driver of any vehicle which collides with any vehicle which is unattended shall immediately stop and shall then and there either locate and notify the operator or owner of such vehicle of the name and address of the driver and owner of the vehicle striking the unattended vehi…

The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to fixtures or other property legally upon or adjacent to a highway shall take reasonable steps to locate and notify the owner or person in charge of such property of such fact and of his name and address …

The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or property damage to an apparent extent of $100 or more shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of such accident to the Chief. History: 1977, PL 15-17.

(a) The driver of a vehicle which is in any manner involved in an accident resulting in bodily injury to or death of any person or total property damage to an apparent extent of $100 or more shall, within 24 hours after such accident, forward a written report of such accident to …

(a) An accident report is not required under this chapter from any person who is physically incapable of making such report during the period of such incapacity. (b) Whenever the driver of a vehicle is physically incapable of giving an immediate notice of an accident as required …

(a) The Chief shall prepare and, upon request, supply to suitable agencies or individuals forms for required accident reports, appropriate with respect to the persons required to make the report and the purposes to be served. The written reports to be made by persons involved in …

Every physician or other official performing like functions shall on or before the 10th day 31 each month report in writing to the Chief the death of any person or injury to any person during the preceding calendar month as the result of a traffic accident, giving the date and ti…

The person in charge of any garage or repair shop to which is brought any motor vehicle which shows evidence of having been involved in an accident of which report must be made as provided under 22.0508, or struck by any bullet, shall report to the Chief within 24 hours after the…

(a) All required accident reports and supplemental reports shall be without prejudice to the individual so reporting and shall be for the confidential use of the Commissioner or other Territorial agencies having use for the records for accident prevention purposes, or for the adm…

The Commissioner shall tabulate and may analyze all accident reports and shall publish annually or at more frequent intervals statistical information based thereon as to the number and circumstances of traffic accidents. History: 1977, PL 15-17.

This chapter shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law of those States and Territories which enact it. History: 1977, PL 15-17.

A person who operates a motor vehicle upon the highways of American Samoa is deemed to have given consent to a chemical test of his breath, blood, urine or saliva for the purpose of determining the alcoholic content of his blood if arrested for driving a motor vehicle while under…

(a) A test shall be administered upon the request of a police officer having reasonable grounds to believe a person arrested to have been driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. (b) If a person under arrest for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence o…

If a person under arrest refuses to submit to a chemical test of his breath, blood, urine or saliva, evidence of his refusal shall be admissible in any civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding arising out of acts alleged to have been committed while the person was driving a m…

In addition to a chemical test of his breath, blood, urine or saliva administered upon the request of a police officer, a person arrested for driving a motor vehicle upon the highways of American Samoa while under the influence of intoxicating liquor shall be permitted, upon requ…

In conducting a chemical test of the blood, only a duly licensed physician, Samoan medical officer, surgeon, registered nurse, licensed professional nurse or qualified technician may withdraw blood or pierce human tissue. History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1. Amendments: 1986 Added surgeo…

In any case in which a test of a person’s breath, blood, urine or saliva has been performed, the results of the tests shall be made available to the person upon request. History: 1972, PL 12-65 § 1.

(a) At the trial of any civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding arising out of the acts committed by a person driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, the amount of alcohol in the person’s blood at the time alleged, as shown by chemical analy…

(a) Upon receipt of a report of a police officer, as required by subsection (b) of 22.0602, the Administrative Law Judge shall notify the reported person by personal service or by mail of the intention to suspend his license, permit or privilege to drive for a period of 90 days a…

(a) If a request for a hearing is filed, a hearing shall be held before the Administrative Law Judge, at a time and place set by him. (b) The Administrative Law Judge may administer oaths and shall issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses requested by the person requesting…

(a) The hearing shall be recorded by means determined by the Administrative Law Judge and shall include testimony and exhibits, if any. (b) The record of the proceedings may summarize testimony rather than reporting it verbatim, and shall not be transcribed unless requested by a …

(a) The scope of the hearing shall be limited to: (1) whether the person, at the time he was requested to submit to a test, was under arrest for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor; (2) whether the police officer had reasonable grounds to beli…

(a) If, after a suspension hearing, an order of suspension is issued, the person shall have the right, within 30 days after he receives notice of the order of suspension, to appeal the matter by filing a petition in the district court. (b) The court, upon receipt of the petition,…