Title 9, Vehicle Code

Chauffeur’s License. (a) No person shall operate a vehicle as a chauffeur, as defined in 9 CMC § 1102(c), without having in his immediate possession a valid chauffeur’s license issued under this article. A chauffeur’s license authorizes the licensee to drive as an operator and as…

Definitions. In this article, unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions apply: (a) “Approving authority” means the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety or an authorized agent of the department. (b) “Certificate” refers to the written document iss…

Program Certification. (a) All public, private or parochial college, university, or high school, or business enterprise seeking certification shall submit application, with payment of fees to the Department of Public Safety for review and approval. (1) The application shall inclu…

Student: Minimum Requirements. (a) A Driver Education Program may not enroll any student who has not attained the age of: (1) Fifteen and a half years, for course instruction for operation of motor vehicles as identified under 9 CMC § 2204(a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3); or (2) Twenty-o…

Classroom Curriculum. (a) All driver’s education programs shall submit written classroom curriculum to the approving authority for approval. (1) No curriculum may be utilized until approved. (2) All instructors shall conduct classroom instruction in accordance with the approved w…

Laboratory Curriculum. (a) All driver’s education programs shall submit written laboratory curriculum to the approving authority for approval. (1) No curriculum may be utilized until approved. (2) All instructors shall conduct laboratory instruction in accordance with the approve…

Minimum Requirements for Instructors. (a) All instructors who meet the requirements of this section shall be approved by the Commissioner. (b) All instructors shall be familiar with the standards and guidelines published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS…

Insurance. (a) All programs shall file with the Commissioner evidence of liability insurance obtained from a company licensed to do business in the Commonwealth. (1) Evidence of insurance shall be in the form of an original certificate of insurance from the insurance company with…

Surety. (a) All commercial driver education programs shall file with the approving authority evidence of surety company bond for the protection of the contractual rights of students obtained from a company licensed to do business in the Commonwealth. (1) Evidence of surety shall …

Records. (a) Commercial driver education programs shall maintain a contract file for a minimum of five years containing the original and subsequent contracts and renewal agreements by and between the student and the person receiving instruction. (1) Records shall be maintained in…

Rule-making Authority. Within nine months of this Act becoming law, the Department of Public Safety shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this Act. Such rules and regulations shall include but are not limited to: (a) The establishment of a rea…

Driver Education Program: Authorization. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles is hereby authorized to establish a Driver Education Program, for people in the Commonwealth to meet the needs of people who are of driving age within the Commonwealth community. Such program shall be deemed as…

Education Program: Eligibility. Persons between the age of 15 and above who are first time driver's and are in the CNMI shall be eligible for the Driver Education Program. Source: PL 17-45, § 2(C) (June 13, 2011).

Short Title. This article shall be known as the Motorcycle Safety Education Program Act. Source: PL 19-12, § 2(101) (Oct. 15, 2015), modified. Commission Comment: The Commission substituted “This Act” with “This article” pursuant to 1 CMC § 3806(d). The Commission inserted “the” …

Purpose. For the purposes of this article: “Motorcycle Safety Education Program” is a safety course designed to educate competency in operating a motorcycle upon public streets and highways with safety to himself or herself and other persons and property. Source: PL 19-12, § 2(10…

Motorcycle Endorsement. (a) No person shall drive or operate a motorcycle or a motor scooter upon a public street or highway within the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands without first securing a regular operator’s license with a motorcycle endorsement upon it. (b) Befo…

Motorcycle Safety Education Program. (a) The Department of Public Safety shall develop standards for, establish and administer the CNMI motorcycle safety education program. (b) The program shall include rider training courses, for novice and experienced riders, designed to develo…

Motorcycle Safety Education Program Course Fee. An applicant for a Motorcycle Safety Education Program course shall pay at least twenty dollars course fee. Increase of Motorcycle Safety Education Program course fee may be sanctioned by the Department of Public Safety Commissioner…

Exemption. The requirement of a Motorcycle Safety Program may be waived if: (a) The operator has in his or her immediate possession a valid motorcycle operator’s license or a valid driver’s license that is endorsed to operate a motorcycle issued by any other territory, or state f…

Penalties. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this article or standards hereby adopted or fails to comply therewith, or who violates or fails to comply with any orders made thereunder, or shall build in violation of any detailed statement of specifications or plans …

Disposition of Fees. 9 CMC § 5708(a) Inclusive. Notwithstanding 9 CMC § 5708(a) or any laws or provisions to the contrary, the Motorcycle Safety Education Program course fee and fines collected pursuant to this article shall be collected and used for the restricted purpose of fun…

Director to Erect and Maintain Signs and Markers. After consultation with the director, the Director of Public Works shall, by regulation, cause appropriate signs to be erected and maintained designating business, school and residential districts, and such other signs and marking…

Obedience to Traffic Signs. It is unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to disobey the instructions of any official traffic sign placed pursuant to these provisions unless otherwise directed by a police officer. Source: PL 3-61, § 1 (§ 506).

Interference With Official Traffic Signs. It is unlawful for any person to deface, injure, knock down or remove any official traffic sign placed or erected as provided in this division. Source: PL 3-61, § 1 (§ 507).

Display of Unauthorized Traffic-Control Devices, Signs, or Signals. (a) No person shall place, maintain or display upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device which purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic-control d…

Traffic Signals. (a) It is unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to disobey the directions of any official traffic signal placed in accordance with the provisions of this division unless otherwise directed by a police officer. (b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, …

Flashing Signals. When a red or yellow flashing light is used as a traffic signal it shall require obedience by vehicular traffic as follows: (a) Flashing Red (Stop Signal). When a red flashing light is used as a traffic signal at an intersection, operators of vehicles shall stop…

Speed Limits. (a) All motor vehicles traveling upon the public highway shall be operated at a careful, prudent rate of speed not greater than nor less than is reasonable and proper, having due regard to the surface of the highway, the width of the highway and the condition of tra…

Minimum Speed Limit. (a) No person may operate a motor vehicle so slowly as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law. (b) Whenever the bureau determines on the basis of an engineeri…

Racing on Highways. (a) No person may operate any vehicle upon any highway in any race, speed competition or contest, drag race or acceleration contest, test of physical endurance, exhibition of speed or acceleration, or for the purpose of making a speed record, and no person may…

Definitions. When used in this chapter, the following terms shall be interpreted as follows unless the specific context clearly requires otherwise: (a) “ARP” means the Assigned Risk Plan created by this chapter. (b) “Bureau” or “Bureau of Motor Vehicles” means that part of the De…

Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Required for Registration. No motor vehicle shall be registered or re-registered under 9 CMC, Division 2, Chapter 1 [9 CMC §§ 2101 to 2111] unless the application for registration or renewal of registration contains satisfactory evidence of minim…

Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Required for Operation of Vehicle on Public Roads. No person shall operate any motor vehicle on the public roads or highways of the Commonwealth unless during such operation, the operator and the vehicle are covered by the minimum liability motor…

Possession of Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Required for Operation of Vehicle on Public Roads. No person shall operate any motor vehicle on the public roads or highways of the Commonwealth unless at the time of such operation, the operator has in their immediate possession or…

Regulation of Motor Vehicle Insurance Policies. All motor vehicle liability insurance policies that provide coverage for the operation of any motor vehicle within the Commonwealth are hereby required by law to contain, at a minimum, the following terms and provisions: (a) Minimum…

Regulation of Insurance Providers. (a) No person shall engage in the business of providing any kind of motor vehicle liability insurance for the operation of any motor vehicle within the Commonwealth unless they have a valid Insurance Provider's License, issued by the Insurance C…

Assigned Risk Plan (ARP). The Insurance Commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations, to have the force and effect of law, to create an Assigned Risk Plan for motor vehicle liability insurance. Such rules and regulations shall provide as follows: (a) As a condition of doin…

Assigned Risk Plan - Enforcement and Statutory Causes of Action. (a) A court of competent jurisdiction shall order, by way of injunction, in whatever manner the court deems just and proper, any company, business or party that fails to properly participate in the ARP or otherwise …

Civil Traffic Citations for Violations of 9 CMC §§ 8203 and 8204. Any person who operates a motor vehicle in violation of 9 CMC § 8204 shall be issued a civil traffic citation by the Department of Public Safety for a violation of both 9 CMC §§ 8203 and 8204. If within seven days …

Penalties for Violations of 9 CMC §§ 8203 and 8204. (a) Civil Fines. (1) Notwithstanding any other laws or provisions to the contrary, any person who violates 9 CMC § 8204 by failing to produce proof of insurance, shall pay a civil fine of not more than $200.00 for the first viol…

Suspension of Driver's License for Failure to Report Compliance With this Chapter. Any person who receives notice of the cancellation or termination of their motor vehicle liability insurance as required under 9 CMC § 8205(d) shall within 30 days of receipt thereof, submit to the…

Police Roadblocks/Check Points. The Department of Public Safety, in coordination with the Office of the Attorney General, is hereby authorized by this chapter to conduct roadblocks and/or checkpoints along the public highways of the Commonwealth to enforce the provisions of this …

Applicability of Chapter to Rented and Leased Motor Vehicles. This chapter shall apply to any motor vehicle that is rented or leased for operation within the Commonwealth with the added provision that no motor vehicle shall be rented or leased for any period of time unless the ow…

Special Account for Fees and Fines. Any fines or fees paid or collected under any provision of this chapter shall be deposited in a special, separate account from the General Fund. Fifty percent of such funds shall be allotted to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to be expended, spent…

Jurisdiction of Courts. Unless specifically stated otherwise in this chapter, the Commonwealth Superior Court has jurisdiction over any causes of action, injunctions, or other court actions or remedies contained in this chapter, provided that any such actions may be removed to th…

No Impairment of Contract Obligations/No Exemption for Prior Existing, Policies. (a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to alter, enlarge, amend, infringe, or impair any obligations or duties of any contracts or insurance policies in existence upon the effective date of t…