MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY: INDIANA’S NEW LAWS
Motor Vehicle Safety if very important for not only for you but also for the people that’s driving around you. Beginning on July 1, 2018, there are new laws in effect regarding motor vehicle safety. The following topics regarding the new law changes are address below in turn: license plates, lights on a motor vehicle, authority of police officers not in uniform or driving an unmarked police car, and new infractions for breaking motor vehicle laws.
LICENSE PLATES
The license plate on your car must be displayed horizontally and upright with the expiration year in the top right corner. S, 266, 2018. Additionally, when you receive a new registration sticker, it must be promptly placed directly over the previous sticker. Id.
LIGHTS
All headlamps on motor vehicles, motorcycles, and motor-driven cycles can only show white or amber light. S, 266, 2018. This means that no longer may cars display green, blue, or any other color headlamp.
So long as your vehicle was manufactured prior to January 1, 1956, your car must have two stop lights (brake lights). Id. More specifically, the new law states, “that: (1) stop lamps on the rear of a vehicle must be red; and (2) signal lamps on the rear of a vehicle must display only red or amber light or any shade of color between red and amber. Specifies that signal lamps showing to the front of a vehicle must display only white or amber light or any shade of color between white and amber.” Id.
POLICE OFFICERS
This new law also affects police officersnot in uniform or driving marked police cars. These officers may now, “make an arrest for a violation of: (1) reckless driving causing endangerment; (2) recklessly passing a stopped school bus resulting in bodily injury; and (3) operating a vehicle while intoxicated in a manner that endangers a person.” S, 266, 2018.
INFRACTIONS FOR BREAKING MOTOR VEHICLE LAWS
The following provisions regarding infractions are now in effect: “…exceeding an altered speed limit established by a local authority is a Class C infraction… exceeding a speed limit in a school zone is a Class B infraction… failing to maintain a minimum speed limit established by the department of transportation is a Class C infraction… exceeding an altered speed limit established by the department of transportation is a Class C infraction.” S, 266, 2018.
If you are unsure or confused about any of the laws now in effect in Indiana, contact Hayes Law Office at 317-982-6122 for more information and clarification.
