Iron, steel, or wooden wheels -- Prohibition on highway -- Exception

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a person shall not operate a vehicle on a highway with an iron, steel, or wooden wheel unless the wheel is equipped with a rubber strip or a rubber compound strip on the portion of the wheel that is in contact with the surface of the highway. (2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to animal-drawn vehicles with a gross weight of one (1) ton or less used solely for the transportation of persons.