Chapter 20

(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Article, the Division shall suspend for a period of 30 days the license of any driver without preliminary hearing on receiving a record of the driver's conviction of either (i) exceeding by more than 15 miles per hour the speed lim…

(a) Basis for Officer to Require Chemical Analysis; Notification of Rights. - Any person who drives a vehicle on a highway or public vehicular area thereby gives consent to a chemical analysis if charged with an implied-consent offense. Any law enforcement officer who has reasona…

(a) When Alcohol Screening Test May Be Required; Not an Arrest. - A law-enforcement officer may require the driver of a vehicle to submit to an alcohol screening test within a relevant time after the driving if the officer has: (1) Reasonable grounds to believe that the driver ha…

(a) A law-enforcement agency may conduct checking stations to determine compliance with the provisions of this Chapter. If the agency is conducting a checking station for the purposes of determining compliance with this Chapter, it must: (1) Repealed by Session Laws 2006-253, s. …

(a) Definitions. - As used in this section the following words and phrases have the following meanings: (1) Law Enforcement Officer. - As described in G.S. 20-16.2(a1). (2) Clerk. - As defined in G.S. 15A-101(2). (3) Judicial Official. - As defined in G.S. 15A-101(5). (4) Revocat…

(a) The driver of a vehicle shall not at any time drive through or over a safety zone. (b) No person shall drive any motor vehicle upon a sidewalk or sidewalk area except upon a permanent or temporary driveway. (1937, c. 407, s. 122; 1973, c. 1330, s. 24.)

(a) Unless the conduct is covered under some other law providing greater punishment, a person who commits the offense of failure to yield while approaching or entering an intersection, turning at a stop or yield sign, entering a roadway, upon the approach of an emergency vehicle,…

(a) No person shall park or leave standing any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, upon the main-traveled portion of any highway or highway bridge with the speed limit posted less than 45 miles per hour unless the vehicle is disabled to such an extent that it is impossible t…

No person parking or leaving standing a vehicle at night on a highway or on a side road entering into a highway shall permit the bright lights of said vehicle to continue burning when such lights face oncoming traffic. (1953, c. 1052.)

(a) No person shall park a vehicle or permit it to stand, whether attended or unattended, upon a highway in front of a private driveway or within 15 feet in either direction of a fire hydrant or the entrance to a fire station, nor within 25 feet from the intersection of curb line…

(a) Whenever evidence shall be presented in any court of the fact that any automobile, truck, or other vehicle was found upon any street, alley or other public place contrary to and in violation of the provisions of any statute or of any municipal or Department of Transportation …

No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended on a public highway or public vehicular area without first stopping the engine, effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or s…

In all cases where the Department of Transportation has heretofore, or may hereafter lawfully designate any highway or other separate roadway, under its jurisdiction for one-way traffic and shall erect appropriate signs giving notice thereof, it shall be unlawful for any person t…

(a) The driver of any vehicle who knows or reasonably should know: (1) That the vehicle which he or she is operating is involved in a crash; and (2) That the crash has resulted in serious bodily injury, as defined in G.S. 14-32.4, or death to any person; shall immediately stop th…

(a) Notice of Accident. - The driver of a vehicle involved in a reportable accident must immediately, by the quickest means of communication, notify the appropriate law enforcement agency of the accident. If the accident occurred in a city or town, the appropriate agency is the p…

(a) The passenger of any vehicle who knows or reasonably should know that the vehicle in which he or she is a passenger is involved in an accident or collision shall not willfully leave the scene of the accident by acting as the driver of a vehicle involved in the accident until …

(a) Limited Duration of Storage. - A motor vehicle that is towed and stored at the direction of a law enforcement agency following a collision may be held for evidence for not more than 20 days without a court order. Absent a court order, the vehicle must be released to the vehic…

Any person operating any vehicle transporting any explosive as a cargo or part of a cargo upon a highway shall at all times comply with the rules and regulations of the United States Department of Transportation as adopted by the Division of Motor Vehicles. (1937, c. 407, s. 129;…

(a) No person, firm or corporation shall transport upon the highways of this State any spent nuclear fuel unless such person, firm, or corporation notifies the State Highway Patrol in advance of transporting the spent nuclear fuel. (b) The provisions of this section shall apply w…

(a) Subject to the exceptions in subsection (b), the provisions of this Article applicable to the drivers of vehicles upon the highways shall apply to the drivers of all vehicles owned or operated by the State or any political subdivision thereof. (b) While actually engaged in ma…

Local authorities, except as expressly authorized by G.S. 20-141 and 20-158, shall have no power or authority to alter any speed limitations declared in this Article or to enact or enforce any rules or regulations contrary to the provisions of this Article, except that local auth…

(a) The Division shall forthwith revoke the license of any driver upon receiving a record of the driver's conviction for any of the following offenses: (1) Manslaughter (or negligent homicide) resulting from the operation of a motor vehicle. (2) Either of the following impaired d…

(a) The Commissioner, upon receipt of notice that any person has been legally adjudicated incompetent or has been involuntarily committed to an institution for the treatment of alcoholism or drug addiction, shall forthwith make inquiry into the facts for the purpose of determinin…

If otherwise eligible under G.S. 20-7 and any other applicable provision of law, the Division shall restore the drivers license of a person adjudicated to be restored to competency under G.S. 35A-1130 upon receiving notice from the clerk of court in which the adjudication is made…

The Division shall revoke for one year the driver's license of any person who has been convicted of violating any of the following: (1) G.S. 18B-302(c), (e), or (f). (2) G.S. 18B-302(b), if the violation occurred while the person was purchasing or attempting to purchase an alcoho…

(a) One Year. - Any of the following disqualifies a person from driving a commercial motor vehicle for one year if committed by a person holding a commercial drivers license, or, when applicable, committed while operating a commercial motor vehicle by a person who does not hold a…

(a) When No Accompanying Revocation. - A person who is disqualified as the result of a conviction that requires disqualification but not revocation may keep any regular Class C drivers license the person had at the time of the offense resulting in disqualification. If the person …

(a) Scope. - This section applies to a person whose license was revoked as a result of a conviction of any of the following offenses: (1) G.S. 20-138.1, driving while impaired (DWI). (2) G.S. 20-138.2, commercial DWI. (3) G.S. 20-138.3, driving while less than 21 years old after …

The Commander of the State Highway Patrol may adopt rules implementing fines for violation of out-of-service criteria as defined in 49 C.F.R. § 390.5. These fines may not exceed the schedule of fines adopted by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance that is in effect on the…

(a) Scope. - This section applies to a person whose license was revoked as a result of a conviction of driving while impaired, G.S. 20-138.1, and any of the following conditions is met: (1) The person had an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or more. (2) The person has been convicted…

Any person who tampers with, circumvents, or attempts to circumvent an ignition interlock device required to be installed on a motor vehicle pursuant to judicial order, statute, or as may be otherwise required as a condition for an individual to operate a motor vehicle, for the p…

The Division shall revoke the commercial drivers license with a P or S endorsement of any person convicted of any offense on or after December 1, 2009, that requires registration under Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes. The person may apply for the issuance of a n…

Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prevent the owner of real property used by the 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 tha…

Every person riding an animal or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway shall be subject to the provisions of this Article applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those provisions of the Article which by their nature can have no application. (1939, c. 275.) Par…

As used in this Part, except where the context clearly requires otherwise, the words and expressions defined in this section shall be held to have the meanings here given to them: Bicycle. - A nonmotorized vehicle with two or three wheels tandem, a steering handle, one or two sad…

(a) It is unlawful for any parent or legal guardian of a person less than eight years of age to knowingly permit that person to operate an all-terrain vehicle. (b) Repealed by Session Laws 2015-286, s. 3.13(a), effective October 22, 2015. (c) It is unlawful for any parent or lega…

No operator of an all-terrain vehicle shall carry a passenger, except on those vehicles specifically designed by the manufacturer to carry passengers in addition to the operator. (2005-282, s. 2.)

No person shall knowingly sell or offer to sell an all-terrain vehicle: (1) For use by a person under the age of eight years. (2) In violation of the Age Restriction Warning Label affixed by the manufacturer as required by the applicable American National Standards Institute/Spec…

Every all-terrain vehicle sold, offered for sale, or operated in this State shall meet the following equipment standards: (1) It shall be equipped with a brake system maintained in good operating condition. (2) It shall be equipped with an effective muffler system maintained in g…

(a) No person shall operate an all-terrain vehicle on a public street or highway or public vehicular area when such operation is otherwise permitted by law, unless the person wears eye protection and a safety helmet meeting United States Department of Transportation standards for…

(a) Bicycle racing on the highways is prohibited except as authorized in this section. (b) Bicycle racing on a highway shall not be unlawful when a racing event has been approved by State or local authorities on any highway under their respective jurisdictions. Approval of bicycl…

Effective October 1, 2006, every all-terrain vehicle operator born on or after January 1, 1990, shall possess a safety certificate indicating successful completion of an all-terrain vehicle safety course sponsored or approved by the All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Institute or by anot…

Any person violating any of the provisions of this Part shall be responsible for an infraction and may be subject to a penalty of not more than two hundred dollars ($200.00). (2005-282, s. 2; 2008-187, s. 11.)

(a) The provisions of this Part do not apply to any owner, operator, lessor, or renter of a farm or ranch, or that person's employees or immediate family or household members, when operating an all-terrain vehicle while engaged in farming operations. (a1) Any person may operate a…

(a) Law enforcement officers acting in the course and scope of their duties may operate motorized all-terrain vehicles owned or leased by the agency, or under the direct control of the incident commander, on: (i) public highways where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less;…

(a) Municipal and county employees may operate motorized all-terrain vehicles owned or leased by the agency on: (i) public highways where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less; and (ii) nonfully controlled access highways with higher speeds for the purpose of traveling fro…

(a) Natural gas utility employees and contractors engaged in pipeline safety, leak survey, and patrolling activities, acting in the course and scope of their employment, may operate motorized all-terrain vehicles owned or leased by the utility on public highways and rights-of-way…

(a) Persons qualified under the Disabled Sportsmen Program, pursuant to G.S. 113-296, are authorized to transverse public roadways using an all-terrain vehicle while engaging in licensed hunting or fishing activities. Use of the all-terrain vehicle shall be limited to driving acr…

This Article shall be known and may be cited as the "Child Bicycle Safety Act." (2001-268, s. 1.)

(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that: (1) Disability and death of children resulting from injuries sustained in bicycling accidents are a serious threat to the public health, welfare, and safety of the people of this State, and the prevention of that disability and de…