Title 56, Motor Vehicles

The termination shall not affect those portions of this chapter which apply to private roads irrespective of the provisions of this article.

The speed limits and location of traffic control signs on private roads subjected to the Uniform Act Regulating Traffic pursuant to Section 56-5-6310 shall be established as follows: (a) The owner of the private roads or both owners, or a majority of the owners, as the case may b…

Nothing contained in this article shall affect the application of this chapter to private roads in any county which complied with any laws in effect prior to the effective date of this article but such roads shall be governed by the provisions of this article as it applies to ter…

(A) Every driver of a motor vehicle (passenger car, pickup truck, van, or recreational vehicle) operated on the highways and streets of this State when transporting a child under eight years of age upon the public streets and highways of the State must properly secure the child i…

If a motor vehicle lacks a rear passenger seat or if all of its rear seating positions are occupied by children under eight years of age, a child under eight years of age may be transported in the front seat of the motor vehicle if the child is secured properly in an appropriate …

The provisions of this article do not apply to: (1) Taxi drivers. (2) Drivers of emergency vehicles when operating in an emergency situation. (3) Church, day care and school bus drivers. (4) Public transportation operators. (5) Commercial vehicles.

The provisions of this article apply to all motor vehicles equipped with safety belts.

A person who violates the provisions of this article, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one hundred fifty dollars. The court shall waive the fine against a person who, before, or upon the appearance date on the summons, supplies the court with evidence of acquisition, …

A violation of this article shall not constitute negligence, per se, contributory negligence nor be admissible as evidence in any trial of any civil action.

After June 30, 1984, any person violating the provisions of Article 47 of Chapter 5 of Title 56 may be, when apprehended, issued a summons, to appear in court for the violation, but no person shall at any time be placed under arrest or taken into custody for such a violation, oth…

As used in this article: (1) "Motor vehicle" means a passenger car, truck, van, or recreational vehicle required to be equipped with safety belts by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208 (49 CFR 571.208), manufactured after July, 1966. (2) "Driver" means a person who driv…

The driver and every occupant of a motor vehicle, when it is being operated on the public streets and highways of this State, must wear a fastened safety belt which complies with all provisions of federal law for its use. The driver is charged with the responsibility of requiring…

(A) The Department of Public Safety or any other law enforcement agency must not use a "Click It or Ticket" campaign or a similar endeavor of systematic checkpoints or roadblocks as a law enforcement tool where the principal purpose is to detect and issue a ticket to a violator o…

The provisions of this article do not apply to: (1) a driver or occupant who possesses a written verification from a physician that he is unable to wear a safety belt for physical or medical reasons; (2) medical or rescue personnel attending to injured or sick individuals in an e…

(A) A person who is adjudicated to be in violation of the provisions of this article must be fined not more than twenty-five dollars, no part of which may be suspended. No court costs, assessments, or surcharges may be assessed against a person who violates a provision of this ar…

No points provided for in Section 56-1-720 or any other provision of law may be assessed for a violation of this article.

(A) Any time a motor vehicle is stopped by a state or local law enforcement officer without a citation being issued or an arrest being made, the officer who initiated the stop must complete a data collection form designed by the Department of Public Safety that must include infor…

(A) The Department of Public Safety shall develop and implement education programs designed to create awareness of the state's safety belt laws and to increase safety belt use in rural and ethnically diverse areas throughout the State. The Department of Public Safety, when securi…

(A)(1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or any other provision of law, during a state of emergency declared by the Governor and in the course of responding to the state of emergency: (a) requirements relating to registration, permitting, length, width, weight, and lo…

(A) Subject to the limitations prescribed in Section 56-5-930, the provisions of this chapter shall not be deemed to prevent local authorities with respect to streets and highways under their jurisdiction and within the reasonable exercise of the police power from: (1) regulating…

The registered owner of any motor vehicle leased or rented to another is not liable for any municipal traffic or parking violation occurring while the leased or rented vehicle was not in his possession or control, if upon notice of the violation the registered owner notifies the …

No ordinances or regulations enacted under items (4), (5), (6), (7), (9) or (10) of Section 56-5-710 shall be effective until signs giving notice of such local traffic regulations are posted upon or at the entrances to the highway or part thereof affected as may be most appropria…

It is unlawful and, unless otherwise declared in this chapter with respect to particular offenses, it is a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or to fail to perform any act required in this chapter.

No person shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of any police officer, fireman or uniformed adult school crossing guard invested by law with authority to direct, control or regulate traffic.

(A) In the absence of mitigating circumstances, it is unlawful for a motor vehicle driver, while driving on a road, street, or highway of the State, to fail to stop when signaled by a law enforcement vehicle by means of a siren or flashing light. An attempt to increase the speed …

(A) The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to an emergency call or when in the pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law or when responding to but not upon returning from a fire alarm, may exercise the privileges set forth in this section, but …

(A) When a motor vehicle or motorcycle of a law enforcement agency, except a motor vehicle or motorcycle of the Department of Public Safety, is involved in a traffic collision that: (1) results in an injury or a death, or (2) involves a privately-owned motor vehicle or motorcycle…

Every person riding an animal or driving any animal-drawn vehicle or pushing a pushcart upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except those provisions of this chapter which…

Unless specifically made applicable, the provisions of this chapter except those contained in Articles 3, 9 and 23 and Sections 56-5-1590 to 56-5-1620 shall not apply to persons, motor vehicles and other equipment while actually engaged in work upon a highway but shall apply to s…

Nothing in this chapter 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, from requiring other or different or additional conditions than th…

(A) A person operating a low speed vehicle on a highway must comply with all statutes regarding low speed vehicles in this title. (B) Each violation of low speed vehicle laws constitutes a separate offense. (C) The penalty for a violation of this section is contained in Section 5…

(A) For motor carriers subject to this title, an intrastate motor carrier driver may not drive: (1) more than twelve hours following eight consecutive hours off duty; (2) for any period after having been on duty sixteen hours following eight consecutive hours off duty; (3) after …

No local authority shall erect or maintain any stop sign or traffic-control signal at any location so as to require the traffic on any state highway to stop before entering or crossing any intersecting highway unless approval in writing has first been obtained from the Department…

The Department of Transportation may adopt a manual of standards and specifications for a uniform system of traffic-control devices, consistent with the provisions of this chapter, for use upon highways and streets within this State.

The Department of Transportation may place and maintain such traffic-control devices, conforming to its manual and specifications, upon all state highways as it shall deem necessary to indicate and to carry out the provisions of this chapter or to regulate, warn or guide traffic.…

The United States Department of Energy is authorized to place and maintain traffic control devices upon roads within the confines of the lands in Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell counties acquired or to be acquired by the United States Government. The Department of Energy is not re…

Subject to the limitations prescribed in Section 56-5-930, local authorities in their respective jurisdictions shall place and maintain such traffic-control devices upon highways under their jurisdiction as they may deem necessary to indicate and to carry out the provisions of th…

(a) The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device, applicable thereto placed or held in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, subject to the exceptions granted the driver of an…

Whenever traffic is controlled by traffic-control signals exhibiting different colored lights or colored lighted arrows, successively one at a time or in combination, only the colors, green, red, and yellow, shall be used except for special pedestrian signals carrying a word lege…

Whenever special pedestrian control signals exhibiting the words "Walk" or "Wait" are in place such signals shall indicate as follows: (1) "Walk" indicates that a pedestrian facing such signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and shall be given the ri…

(A) There will be a uniform traffic ticket used by all law enforcement officers in arrests for traffic offenses and for the following additional offenses: (1) Interfering with Police Officer Serving Process Section 16-5-50; (2) Dumping Trash on Highway/Private Property Section 16…

(A) When the operator or owner of an individual private passenger automobile as defined in Section 38-77-30(5.5) is issued a traffic ticket for a moving violation by a law enforcement officer, he may be furnished a written request form to be completed by him and his insurance com…

(A) The uniform traffic ticket, established pursuant to the provisions of Section 56-7-10, may be used by law enforcement officers to arrest a person for an offense that has been freshly committed or is committed in the presence of a law enforcement officer if the punishment is w…

Each ticket shall have a unique identifying number. Each printed copy must be labeled at the bottom with the purpose of the copy. A handwritten traffic ticket must consist of four copies, one of which must be blue and must be given to the vehicle operator who is the alleged traff…

(A) The Department of Public Safety shall have the traffic tickets printed. Law enforcement agencies shall order tickets from the Department of Public Safety and shall record the identifying numbers of the tickets received by them. The cost of the tickets must be paid by the law …

(A)(1) A law enforcement officer who issues a uniform traffic ticket for a violation of a local ordinance or traffic laws relating to speeding must do so incident to and contemporaneous with a traffic stop. (2) A copy of the citation must be given directly to the offender by the …