Title 23, Title 23: Motor Vehicles

§ 1057. Duty toward persons who are blind (a) Whenever a pedestrian is crossing or attempting to cross a public street or highway, guided by a guide dog or carrying in a raised or extended position a cane or walking stick, white in color or white tipped with red, the driver of ev…

§ 1058. Duties of pedestrians All pedestrians shall obey the instructions of all traffic control devices that are applicable to them and all instructions of enforcement officers relating to control of traffic. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973.)

§ 1059. Driving through safety zone No vehicle shall at any time be driven through or within a safety zone. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973.)

§ 1061. Turning at intersections A driver intending to turn at an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway shall proceed as follows: (1) Right turn. Both the approach for a right turn and a right turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or…

§ 1062. Turning prohibited No person shall turn a vehicle in order to proceed in the opposite direction on any curve, or upon the approach to or near the crest of a grade, where the vehicle cannot be seen by the driver of any other vehicle approaching from either direction for a …

§ 1063. Starting parked vehicles No person shall move a vehicle that is stopped, standing, or parked unless the movement can be made with reasonable safety. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973.)

§ 1064. Signals required; general obligation to turn and move safely (a) Before changing direction or materially slackening speed, a driver shall give warning of his or her intention with the hand signals as provided in section 1065 of this title, or with a mechanical or lighting…

§ 1065. Hand signals (a) A right or left turn shall not be made without first giving a signal of intention either by hand or by signal in accordance with section 1064 of this title. Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, all signals to indicate change of speed or d…

§ 1071. Railroad grade crossings (a) An operator approaching a railroad grade crossing shall stop within 50 feet of, but not nearer than 15 feet from, the nearest rail of the railroad and may not proceed until he or she can do so safely when: (1) an electric or mechanical signal …

§ 1072. Certain vehicles must stop (a)(1) Before crossing at grade any track or tracks of a railroad, the drivers of the following vehicles shall stop within 50 feet, but not less than 15 feet, from the nearest rail of the railroad and while so stopped shall look and listen in bo…

§ 1073. Heavy equipment (a) No individual shall operate or move any crawler-type tractor, steam shovel, derrick, roller, or any equipment or structure having a normal operating speed of 10 miles per hour or less upon or across any tracks at a railroad grade crossing except in acc…

§ 1074. Vehicle entering roadway A driver of a vehicle emerging from an alley, private road, legal trail, class 4 town highway, class 3 town highway serving only one residence, or driveway shall stop immediately prior to driving onto a sidewalk or onto the sidewalk area extending…

§ 1075. Passing school bus (a) The operator of a motor vehicle, including authorized emergency vehicles under section 1015 of this title, upon meeting or overtaking a vehicle marked and equipped as provided in section 1283 of this title that has stopped on the highway for the pur…

§ 1076. Commercial motor vehicles; railroad crossings (a) Persons operating a commercial vehicle who are not required to stop at railroad crossings shall slow to a speed sufficient to allow for a clear view of the tracks in both directions and stop before reaching the crossing if…

§ 1081. Basic rule and maximum limits (a) No individual shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions, having regard for the actual and potential hazards then existing. In every event, speed shall be controlled as necess…

§ 1082. Slow-moving vehicles All slow-moving vehicles shall keep at all times as close to the right-hand side of the highway as is reasonably practicable. A person operating a motor vehicle that impedes other traffic on a highway shall pull off the highway at the first opportunit…

§ 1083. Special speed limitations (a) No person may drive any vehicle equipped with iron, steel, or solid rubber tires at a speed greater than 10 miles per hour. (b) No person may drive a vehicle over any bridge or other elevated structure constituting a part of a highway at a sp…

§ 1091. Negligent operation; grossly negligent operation (a) Negligent operation. (1) A person who operates a motor vehicle on a public highway in a negligent manner shall be guilty of negligent operation. (2) The standard for a conviction for negligent operation in violation of …

§ 1092. Damaging surface of road No person may operate or move upon or over any highway or bridge a vehicle, machine, or contrivance that has any flange, ribs, clamps, or other object attached to or made a part of its wheels that will injure, cut into, or destroy the surface of t…

§ 1093. Smoke screen device No person may operate, or permit to be operated, a motor vehicle that is equipped with any special device or contrivance, subject to the control of the operator, designed to give off a smoke screen, so-called, or designed to impede or hinder any law en…

§ 1094. Operation without consent of owner; aggravated operation without consent of owner (a) A person commits the crime of operation without consent of the owner if: (1) the person takes, obtains, operates, uses, or continues to operate the motor vehicle of another when the pers…

§ 1095. Entertainment picture visible to the operator A person shall not operate upon a highway in this State a moving motor vehicle carrying or having installed a screen or other device transmitting a moving entertainment picture that is visible to the operator. (Added 1971, No.…

§ 1095a. Junior operator use of portable electronic devices (a) An individual under 18 years of age shall not use any portable electronic device as defined in subdivision 4(82) of this title while operating a moving motor vehicle in a place open temporarily or permanently to publ…

§ 1095b. Handheld use of portable electronic device prohibited (a) Definitions. As used in this section: (1) “Hands-free use” means the use of a portable electronic device without utilizing either hand by employing an internal feature of, or an attachment to, the device or a moto…

§ 1096. General penalties (a) Any person who violates the speed restrictions of subsection 1083(b) of this title shall be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $50.00 and is liable for damages for injuries thereby done to the bridge or structure, which may be recovered in a c…

§ 1097. Excessive speed No person shall operate a motor vehicle on a public highway at a speed of 60 miles per hour or more and at least 30 miles per hour in excess of a State speed zone or local speed limit. A person who violates this section shall be imprisoned upon a first con…

§ 1098. Disposition of pending cases (a) The Judicial Bureau shall enter judgment against the defendant in all cases in which: (1) prior to January 1, 2007, the defendant filed an answer admitting or not contesting the violation; (2) the defendant paid all or a portion of the fin…

§ 1099. Texting prohibited (a) As used in this section, “texting” means the reading or the manual composing or sending of electronic communications, including text messages, instant messages, or e-mails, using a portable electronic device as defined in subdivision 4(82) of this t…

§ 1101. Stopping, standing, or parking (a) No person shall stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, upon the paved or main-traveled part of the highway or within that portion of a highway right of way that the Traffic Committee finds to be a dang…

§ 1102. Removal of stopped vehicles (a) Subject to subsection (c) of this section, any enforcement officer is authorized to: (1) cause the removal of a vehicle stopped, parked, or standing contrary to section 1101 of this title or require the driver or other person in charge to m…

§ 1104. Stopping prohibited (a) Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of an enforcement officer or official traffic-control device, no person may: (1) Stop, stand, or park a vehicle: (A) on the roadway side of any …

§ 1105. Additional parking ordinances (a) Except as otherwise provided by local ordinance, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a two-way roadway shall be stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the right-hand curb or if there is no curb, …

§ 1106. Limitations on use of State highway facilities (a) As used in this section, “State highway facility” means a State highway rest area, picnic ground, parking area, or park-and-ride facility. (b) No individual shall enter or remain on any State highway facility for the purp…

§ 1110. Prohibited idling of motor vehicles (a)(1) General prohibition. A person shall not cause or permit operation of the primary propulsion engine of a motor vehicle for more than five minutes in any 60-minute period while the vehicle is stationary. (2) Exceptions. The five-mi…

§ 1111. Unattended motor vehicle No person shall permit a motor vehicle to stand unattended without first stopping the engine; locking the ignition; removing the key from the ignition and effectively setting the brake, air temperatures permitting; and, when the vehicle is standin…

§ 1112. Closed highways (a) Except by the written permit of the authority responsible for the closing, a person shall not drive any vehicle over any highway across which there is a barrier or a sign indicating that the highway is closed to public travel. (b) An authority responsi…

§ 1113. Limitations on backing (a) The driver of a vehicle shall not back the same unless such movement can be made with safety and without interfering with other traffic. (b) The driver of a vehicle shall not back the same upon any shoulder or roadway of any controlled-access hi…

§ 1114. Riding on motorcycles and motor-driven cycles (a) An individual operating a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle shall ride only upon the permanent and regular seat of the motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, and such operator shall not carry any other individual nor shall any o…

§ 1115. Operating motorcycles and motor-driven cycles on roadways laned for traffic (a) All motorcycles or motor-driven cycles are entitled to full use of a lane and no motor vehicle shall be driven in such a manner as to deprive any motorcycle or motor-driven cycle of the full u…

§ 1116. Clinging to other vehicles No person riding a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle shall attach himself or herself or the motorcycle or motor-driven cycle to any other vehicle on a roadway. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973; amended 1977, No. 20, § 4;…

§ 1117. Footrests and handlebars (a) Any motorcycle or motor-driven cycle carrying a passenger, other than in a sidecar or enclosed cab, shall be equipped with footrests for such passenger. (b) No person shall operate any motorcycle or motor-driven cycle with handlebars more than…

§ 1118. Obstruction to driver’s view (a) A person shall not operate or attempt to operate a motor vehicle when more than three persons over two years of age, including the operator, are occupying the front seat or seats or are in the front or driving compartment of the motor vehi…

§ 1119. Opening and closing vehicle doors No person shall open the door of a motor vehicle on the side nearest to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and can be done without interfering with the movement of traffic, nor may any person leave a door open on the sid…

§ 1121. Coasting prohibited (a) [Repealed.] (b) No driver of a motor truck or motor bus, when traveling upon a downgrade, shall coast with the clutch disengaged. (Added 1971, No. 258 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 1, 1973; amended 1997, No. 55, § 11(1), eff. June 26, 1997.)

§ 1122. Following fire apparatus prohibited No operator of a motor vehicle, other than one on official business relating to the suppression of fire or the handling of an emergency, shall follow any fire apparatus traveling to an emergency closer than 500 feet, or in a manner to i…

§ 1123. Driving over fire hose prohibited No person shall operate a motor vehicle over any unprotected hose of a fire fighting unit laid down on any highway, alley, private road, or driveway, to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent of the fire department offi…