Massachusetts Statutes

Section 13. No person, when operating a motor vehicle, shall permit to be on or in the vehicle or on or about his person anything which may interfere with or impede the proper operation of the vehicle or any equipment by which the vehicle is operated or controlled, except that a …

Section 13A. No person shall operate a private passenger motor vehicle or ride in a private passenger motor vehicle, a vanpool vehicle or truck under eighteen thousand pounds on any way unless such person is wearing a safety belt which is properly adjusted and fastened; provided,…

Section 13B. (a) No operator of a motor vehicle shall hold a mobile electronic device. No operator of a motor vehicle shall use a mobile electronic device unless the device is being used in hands-free mode. No operator of a motor vehicle shall read or view text, images or video d…

Section 13C. (a) As used in this section, the term ''amphibious sight-seeing vehicle'' shall mean a motorized vehicle that is used for carrying, for consideration, persons for sight-seeing, touring or similar activities and that is designed to operate both on land and in the wate…

Section 14. Every person operating a motor vehicle shall bring the vehicle and the motor propelling it immediately to a stop when approaching a cow, horse or other draft animal being led, ridden or driven, if such animal appears to be frightened and if the person in charge thereo…

Section 14A. Whenever a totally or partially blind pedestrian, guided by a guide dog or carrying in a raised or extended position a cane or walking stick which is white in color or white tipped with red, crosses or attempts to cross a way, the driver of every vehicle approaching …

Section 14B. Every person operating a motor vehicle, before stopping said vehicle or making any turning movement which would affect the operation of any other vehicle, shall give a plainly visible signal by activating the brake lights or directional lights or signal as provided o…

Section 14C. (a) As used in this section and sections 14D and 14E, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''District'', as defined in section 2 of chapter 70. ''School bus violation detection monitoring system'' or '…

Section 14D. (a)(1) An evidence file of an alleged violation under section 14C shall be forwarded to a law enforcement officer in the jurisdiction who is trained to observe and detect a violation of section 14. (2) A law enforcement officer, or law enforcement officer's approved …

Section 14E. (a) In all actions of civil traffic violations based on evidence obtained from a school bus violation detection monitoring system under section 14C, the registered owner of the motor vehicle shall be primarily responsible except as otherwise provided in this section.…

Section 15. Except as hereinafter otherwise provided, every person operating a motor vehicle, upon approaching a railroad crossing at grade, shall reduce the speed of the vehicle to a reasonable and proper rate before proceeding over the crossing, and shall proceed over the cross…

Section 16. No person shall operate a motor vehicle, nor shall any owner of such vehicle permit it to be operated, in or over any way, public or private, whether laid out under authority of law or otherwise, which motor vehicles are prohibited from using, provided notice of such …

Section 16A. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the unnecessary operation of the engine of a motor vehicle while said vehicle is stopped for a foreseeable period of time in excess of five minutes. This section shall not apply to (a) vehicles being serviced, provided t…

Section 16B. (a) For the purposes of this section, the term ''school grounds'' shall mean in, on or within 100 feet of the real property comprising a public or private accredited preschool, accredited Head Start facility, elementary, vocational or secondary school whether or not …

Section 17. No person operating a motor vehicle on any way shall run it at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable and proper, having regard to traffic and the use of the way and the safety of the public. Unless a way is otherwise posted in accordance with the provisions of se…

Section 17A. Unless otherwise prohibited by federal law, the maximum speed for motor vehicles traveling on interstate highway route 90, the Massachusetts Turnpike, between the New York state border and the Westfield interchange, and from the Ludlow interchange to the Auburn inter…

Section 17B. No person shall operate a motor vehicle, nor shall any owner of such vehicle permit it to be operated, in a manner where the owner or operator accelerates at a high rate of speed in competition with another operator, whether or not there is an agreement to race, caus…

Section 17C. (a) Notwithstanding section 17 or any other general or special law to the contrary, the city council, the transportation commissioner of the city of Boston, the board of selectmen, park commissioners, a traffic commission or traffic director of a city or town that ac…

Section 17D. (a) For purposes of this section, ''active construction zone'' shall mean an area on a public highway or on the adjacent right of way where construction, repair, maintenance or survey work is performed by the department or by a utility company or a private contractor…

Section 18. The city council, the transportation commission of the city of Boston, the board of selectmen, park commissioners, a traffic commission or traffic director or the department, on ways within their control, may make, amend or rescind special regulations as to the speed …

Section 18A. The department on ways within their control and at the intersection of state highways, and other ways, the metropolitan district commission on ways within their control and at the intersection of metropolitan district commission roadways, except state highways, and o…

Section 18B. (a) Notwithstanding section 18 or any other general or special law to the contrary, the city council, the transportation commissioner of the city of Boston, the board of selectmen, park commissioners, a traffic commission or traffic director of a city or town that ac…

Section 19. Except as otherwise provided in sections nineteen F and nineteen G, or when a vehicle has been authorized by permit to transport an irreducible load, the following provisions shall apply: No motor vehicle or trailer, the outside width of which is more than one hundred…

Section 19A. Any provisions of sections thirty and thirty A of chapter eighty-five to the contrary, notwithstanding a motor vehicle having two axles, which vehicle with its load weighs not more than forty-six thousand pounds, and a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, semitrailer…

Section 19D. Except for special permits for the carrying of so-called irreducible loads, for which permit stickers shall not be required, the registrar shall issue to the owner or lessee of a motor vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer or semi-trailer unit or tandem unit for which a per…

Section 19E. Any provision of this chapter or of chapter eighty-five to the contrary notwithstanding, no motor vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer, or semi-trailer unit may be operated or permitted to operate on the System of Interstate and Defense Highways within this commonwealth wi…

Section 19F. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the following vehicles may operate on the National Network, as hereinafter defined, and for the purpose of travel to a terminal or services for food, fuel, repair or rest, on any public way for a distance of…

Section 19G. A motor vehicle authorized to operate on the National Network under the provisions of section nineteen F, and which is not authorized by section nineteen to operate without permit on ways within the commonwealth, may be authorized to operate on routes of reasonable a…

Section 19I. Notwithstanding any provisions of this chapter or any other law to the contrary, the maximum vehicle width as provided in section nineteen, maximum vehicle weight as provided in section nineteen A and any minimum speed limit on any way shall not apply to any vehicle …

Section 19J. Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or any other law to the contrary, the maximum vehicle width as provided in section nineteen, the maximum axle weights as provided in section nineteen A and any minimum speed limit on any way shall not apply to any vehicle…

Section 19K. For the purposes of this section, the term ''hitching mechanism'' shall be defined as the lift cylinder and the lift arm. Nothing in this section shall apply to state, county or municipally owned or operated vehicles. Between May 15 and October 15 of each year, any v…

Section 19L. (a) The registrar shall adopt regulations to ensure compliance by all interstate and intrastate motor carriers with this chapter and with: (1) the regulations of the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, contained in…

Section 1A. No motor vehicle or trailer, except one owned by a person, firm or corporation, for the operation of which security is required to be furnished under section six of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine A, or one owned by a person, firm or corporation subject to the supe…

Section 1B. A motorized bicycle shall not be operated upon any way, as defined in section one within the commonwealth by any person under sixteen years of age, nor at a speed in excess of twenty-five miles per hour. A motorized bicycle shall not be operated on any way by any pers…

Section 1C. Motorized bicycles and motorized scooters shall comply with all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Section 1D. Any person who is engaged in the business of buying or selling bicycles or motorized bicycles shall, upon the sale of such motorized bicycle, affix a sticker or plate which shall bear a distinctive number, as prescribed by the registrar, to said bicycle upon a fee to …

Section 1E. A motorized scooter shall not be operated on any way by a person not possessing a valid driver's license or learner's permit, nor at a speed in excess of 20 miles per hour. A person operating a motorized scooter upon a way shall have the right to use all public ways i…

Section 1F. Every person lawfully operating a low-speed motor vehicle shall have the right to use all public ways in the commonwealth except limited access or express state highways or any public way with a speed limit of more than 30 miles per hour, and shall be subject to the t…

Section 1G. Every licensed motor vehicle dealer and every person engaged in the business of leasing or renting low-speed vehicles to the public shall, upon the sale, lease or rental of such low-speed vehicle to a customer provide a notice of disclosure printed in at least 10–poin…

Section 1H. In addition to the types of vehicles that may be registered under chapter 90, the registrar of motor vehicles may issue a registration for a motor vehicle meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for that particular class of vehicle, other than a low-speed motor…

Section 1I. Notwithstanding the definition of ''Motorcycle'' in section 1, the registrar of motor vehicles may register a 3–wheeled motor vehicle as a motorcycle on which the operator and passenger ride within an enclosed cab, if the vehicle's manufacturer has issued a certificat…

Section 2. Applications for the registration or renewal of registration of motor vehicles and trailers shall be made by the owner thereof; provided, however, that the registrar may accept applications for registration or renewal of registration from, and furnish registration docu…

Section 20. A person convicted of a violation of any provision of this chapter the punishment for which is not otherwise provided, or of a violation of any rule or regulation of the registrar made under authority of section thirty-one, shall be punished by a fine of not more than…

Section 20A. In any city or town accepting the provisions of this section, each city manager in a city having a Plan D or E form of charter or the mayor with the approval of the city council or board of aldermen in any other city or the town council or board of selectmen of a tow…

Section 20C. Proceedings under sections twenty A or twenty A1/2 of this chapter shall not be deemed criminal. Whenever there are outstanding against the registered owner of a motor vehicle more than five unpaid parking violations issued by a city or town, said owner or city or to…