Title XXI, Motor Vehicles

"Single unit vehicle" shall mean a truck consisting of cab, chassis and body capable of carrying a load and not primarily designed for drawing other vehicles.

"Signature" means a written signature, or an electronic signature as defined in RSA 294-E:2 and when authorized by the director.

"Ski area vehicles" shall mean motor vehicles, except private passenger vehicles, whether wheeled or tracked, on-highway or off-highway, owned or leased by a ski area as defined in RSA 225-A:2, VIII, and used exclusively in winter or summer maintenance of ski trails, parking lots…

"Snowmobile" shall mean any vehicle propelled by mechanical power that is designed to travel over ice or snow supported in part by skis, tracks, or cleats. Only vehicles that are no more than 54 inches in width and no more than 1200 pounds in weight shall be considered a snowmobi…

"Solid tires" shall mean tires of rubber or similarly elastic material that do not depend on confined air for the support of the load.

"Special fuel" shall mean all products, except gasoline, propane, natural gas, or liquified natural gas, used in an internal combustion engine for the generation of power to propel motor vehicles or mechanical contrivances on or over the ways.

"Special mileage commercial tire" shall mean a tire manufactured with an extra layer of rubber between the cord body and original tread design, which extra layer is designed for the purpose of recutting or regrooving, and which tire is specially labelled as a special mileage comm…

"Special mobile equipment" shall mean a vehicle not designed for the transportation of persons or property upon a highway and only incidentally driven or moved over a way, including but not limited to ditch-digging apparatus, well-boring apparatus and road construction and mainte…

"State" shall mean: I. For purposes of the provisions of this title relative to financial responsibility, any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any province of the Dominion of Canada. II. For purposes of the provisions of this title relative to certificate …

"Street rod" shall mean a vehicle, the body and frame of which were manufactured prior to the year 1949 and which has been modified for safe road use, or a replica thereof which has also been modified for safe road use. For purposes of this section, the word "modified" means, but…

"Suspension" shall mean the temporary withdrawal by formal action of the department or of a court of competent jurisdiction of a person's driver's license or privilege to drive a vehicle on the ways of this state, or any other license, registration or permit issued by the departm…

"Tandem axle" shall mean 2 consecutive axles whose centers may be included between parallel vertical planes spaced at least 4 feet and not more than 10 feet apart, extending across the full width of the vehicle, except that for vehicles being driven on the interstate and defense …

"Tractor" shall mean: any self-propelled vehicle designed or used for agricultural purposes or as a traveling power plant or for drawing other vehicles, but having no provision for carrying a load other than attached implements such as snowplows, tool boxes, or bucket loaders, bu…

"Tractor-trailer" shall mean any truck-tractor and semi-trailer.

"Collateral" or "bond," as used in connection with a traffic citation or arrest, shall mean any cash or other security deposited to secure an appearance for trial following a citation by an arresting officer for violation of a traffic law, ordinance or rule.

"Combination vehicle" shall mean a combination of truck-tractor and semi-trailer, or a combination of truck-tractor, semi-trailer, and full trailer, being driven together as an articulated unit.

"Traffic" shall mean pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars, and other conveyances either singly or together while using any way for purposes of travel.

"Traffic control signal" shall mean any device, whether manually, electrically or mechanically operated, by which traffic is alternately directed to stop and permitted to proceed.

"Trailer" shall mean any vehicle without motive power designed for carrying property or passengers wholly on its own structure and for being drawn by a self-propelled vehicle, except those running exclusively on snow or on stationary tracks and vehicles used exclusively for agric…

"Transporter" shall mean: I. Any person who moves any motor vehicle owned by another person which requires registration for use upon a way for business purposes; or II. Any person engaged in the business of buying promissory notes secured by mortgages or conditional sales contrac…

"Tread depth" shall mean the amount of tread design on the tire. Tread depth includes both original, retread and recap tread design; and, in respect to special mileage commercial tires, recut, re-grooved and siped tread design.

"Tridem" shall mean 3 consecutive axles, the centers of which, when measured between the first and third axles, may be included between parallel vertical planes spaced more than 8 feet apart, and which tridem unit measures less than 12 feet overall between the centers of extreme …

"Truck" shall mean every motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property.

"Truck-tractor" shall mean any vehicle designed and intended primarily for drawing other vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the vehicle and load so drawn, except that a truck-tractor engaged in the transportation of automobiles may transport m…

"Unimproved Rural Highway" means the territory contiguous to a 2-lane highway not comprising a business district, urban residence district, or rural residence district, but where reduced speeds are warranted due to highway geometry, lack of paved shoulders, or low-density presenc…

"Uninsured motor vehicle," for the purposes of RSA 264:15, shall mean, subject to the terms and conditions of the coverage required therein, an insured motor vehicle for which the liability insurer is unable to make payment with respect to the legal liability of its insured withi…

"Urban residence district" shall mean the territory contiguous to a highway not comprising a business district when the frontage on such highway for a distance of 300 feet or more is mainly occupied by dwellings or by dwellings and buildings in use for business.

"Use," as used in the provisions of this title relative to road tolls, shall mean, in addition to its original meaning, the receipt of special fuel by any user into his motor vehicle or into a receptacle from which special fuel is supplied by such user to his motor vehicle.

"Commercial driver" shall mean a person who drives a commercial motor vehicle as defined in RSA 259:12-e.

"Commerce" shall mean: I. Trade, traffic, or transportation within the jurisdiction of the United States; between a place in a state and a place outside of the state, including a place outside the United States; and II. Trade, traffic, and transportation in the United States whic…

"Commercial driver learner permit" shall mean a permit issued pursuant to RSA 263:88.

"Commercial driver license" or "CDL" shall mean a license issued by the department in accordance with the requirements of RSA 263:82 et seq. and the federal Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to an individual which authorizes the individual to drive a class of commercial…

"Commercial driver license information system" or "CDLIS" shall mean the information system established pursuant to the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 to serve as a clearinghouse for obtaining information related to the licensing and identification of commercial moto…

I. "Commercial motor vehicle" shall mean a motor vehicle or a combination of motor vehicles, used in commerce, to transport passengers or property if: (a) The vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more; (b) The vehicle has a gross combination weight rating…

"User," as used in the provisions of this title relative to road tolls, shall mean any person, except the United States government or any of its agencies, the state of New Hampshire and all of its political subdivisions, including school districts and village districts, or any st…

"Utility dealer" shall mean: I. Any person engaged in the manufacture, purchase, sale, or exchange at wholesale or retail of travel or camp trailers, utility trailers, boat trailers, semi-trailers, tractors, farm equipment, construction equipment, chassis with special equipment, …

"Vehicle" shall mean: I. Except as provided in paragraphs II and III, every mechanical device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a way, excepting devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks; II. [Repealed.] III. When us…

"Vehicle identification number" shall mean a unique distinguishing number issued by a vehicle manufacturer to a particular vehicle and stamped or embossed on a permanent part of the vehicle or on a plate provided by the manufacturer for that purpose, or such unique distinguishing…

"Walking disability," as used in RSA 261:88, means a severe physical impairment including partial paralysis, lower limb amputation, chronic heart disease, emphysema, arthritis, rheumatism or other debilitating condition: I. Which limits personal mobility and results in an inabili…

"Way" shall mean: I. Except as provided in paragraphs II and III, the entire width between the boundary lines of any public highway, street, avenue, road, alley, park or parkway, or any private way laid out under authority of statute, or any such way provided and maintained by a …

"Wrecker" shall mean a motor vehicle of the truck type designed, manufactured, intended, or adapted primarily for the towing of vehicles upon a way.

"Commissioner" shall mean the commissioner of safety.

"Compact utility tractor" shall mean any self-propelled 4-wheel vehicle utilizing diesel fuel, with a rated horsepower not to exceed 28 horsepower, that is capable of carrying not more than one occupant, is equipped by the manufacturer with at least one PTO (power take-off) in ad…

"Consigned," as used in RSA 261:104, shall mean entrusted by a notarized written statement to a dealer as consignee, whereby the dealer has agreed to hold a vehicle for the consignor for the purpose of selling it.

"Controlled substance" shall mean any substance so classified under section 102(6) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 USC section 802(6)), and includes all substances listed on schedules I through V of 21 CFR 1308, as they may be revised from time to time, or any controlled dru…