No. 184. an Act Relating to Clarifying the Definition of Stiff Hitch in the Motor Vehicle

NO. 184 Page 2

NO. 184. AN ACT RELATING TO CLARIFYING THE DEFINITION OF “STIFF HITCH” IN THE MOTOR VEHICLE STATUTES.

(S.297)

It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:

Sec. 1. 23 V.S.A. § 4(77) is amended to read:

§ 4. DEFINITIONS

Except as may be otherwise provided herein, and unless the context otherwise requires in statutes relating to motor vehicles and enforcement of the law regulating vehicles, as provided in this title and part 5 of Title 20, the following definitions shall apply:

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(77) “Stiff hitch” shall mean a tow bar used by a self-propelled motor vehicle to tow another validly registered self-propelled motor vehicle while all the wheels of the towed vehicle remain in contact with the ground. The towed vehicle shall not be required to be registered.

Sec. 2. 23 V.S.A. § 4(78) is added to read:

(78) An “all-surface vehicle” or “ASV” means any non-highway recreational vehicle, except a snowmobile, when used for cross-country travel on trails or on any one of the following or combination of the following: land, water, snow, ice, marsh, swampland, and natural terrain. An all-surface vehicle shall be designed for use both on land and in water, with or without tracks, shall be capable of flotation and shall be equipped with a skid-steering system, a sealed body, a fully contained cooling system, and six or eight tires designed to be inflated with an operating pressure not exceeding 10 pounds per square inch as recommended by the manufacturer. An all-surface vehicle shall have a net weight of 1,500 pounds or less, shall have a width of 75 inches or less, shall be equipped with an engine of not more than 50 horsepower, and shall have a maximum speed of not more than 25 miles per hour. An ASV when operated in water shall be considered to be a motor boat and shall be subject to the provisions of subchapter 2 of chapter 29 of this title. An ASV operated anywhere except in water shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 31 of this title.

Sec. 3. 23 V.S.A. § 364b is added to read:

§ 364b. ALL-SURFACE VEHICLES; REGISTRATION

(a) The annual fee for registration of an all-surface vehicle (ASV) shall be the sum of the fees established by sections 3305 and 3504 of this title, plus $25.00.

(b) Evidence of the registration shall be a sticker, as determined by the commissioner, affixed to the plate issued pursuant to chapter 31 of this title.

Sec. 4. 23 V.S.A. § 3501(5) is amended to read:

§ 3501. DEFINITIONS

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(5) “All-terrain vehicle” or “ATV” means any nonhighway recreational vehicle, except snowmobiles, having no less than three low pressure tires (10 pounds per square inch, or less), not wider than 60 inches, and having a dry weight of less than 1,700 pounds, when used for cross-country travel on trails or on any one of the following or a combination thereof: land, water, snow, ice, marsh, swampland, and natural terrain. An ATV on a public highway shall be considered a motor vehicle, as defined in section 4 of this title, only for the purposes of those offenses listed in subdivisions 2502(a)(1)(H), (N), (R), (U), (Y), (FF), (GG), (II), and (ZZ); (2)(A) and (B); (3)(A), (B), (C), and (D); (4)(A), and (B) and (5) of this title and as provided in section 1201 of this title. An ATV shall not include an electric personal assistive mobility device.

Approved: June 2, 2008