(Spirit Lake)– With the influx of ATV’s, UTV’s and side-by-sides expected this weekend in the Iowa Great Lakes comes a reminder of the laws and regulations that affect them. Kevin Krull of the Iowa State Patrol says you need to make sure the registrations are up to date on them and a slow moving vehicle emblem attached…
“You need to have that same one that’s on all the farm equipment. It can’t be downsized. It’s the same, bigger-sized sign affixed to the back so that it’s visible because they are operating at slower speed. The other thing that most people don’t realize is those vehicles, when operated on the roadways, they’re limited to 35 mph speed limit. That’s why you have to have that slow moving vehicle sign and it comes back to how they’re registered or how they’re, the vehicle manufacturing is designed as far as where they fall in the code section and that’s where all this comes from with the slow moving vehicle sign and the speed limit on these vehicles. 35 mph is the max speed when traveling down the roadway.”
Krull also reminds everyone it is illegal to operate ATV’s, UTV’s and side-by-sides on state and federal highways, with one exception: …
“The only time you can be on that state highway is to use it to get directly across or if you’re going to the next intersection then you get off that roadway as soon as you possibly can. Because obviously there’s people that live on these roads that are state highways. They’re allowed to get to and from their house but they have to get off as soon as they possibly can, and they need to have the lights, you know, have operational lights and that’s just a safety concern, common sense on that aspect. Rules of the road apply. OWI’s apply to these, so if you’re out on the ice operating these vehicles and you’ve had much too much to drink, when you get caught driving one of those that is a OWI and it affects your driver’s license just the same.”
Krull also recommends you check with your local jurisdiction when it comes to operations on city streets, as ordinances vary from city to city.
Krull adds the Iowa State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies will have additional officers on duty this weekend in the Iowa Great Lakes keeping an eye out for drunk or distracted drivers and other offenses.
He reminds everyone that it is illegal to drive with a cell phone or electronic device in your hands. The hands-free law in Iowa went into effect July 1st of this past year. Agencies started issuing fines to violators January 1st.
