Manx Club

Unbelievable!  read the law  AB 1595
What do you think, does it apply?
Does representative Cook deserve an award?
What Kind?

MnC

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_1551-1600/ab_1595_bill_20120724_chaptered.pdf 

Interesting. As I see it, since most of our vehicles do not meet ALL of the the requirements. Specifically, they were originally "manufactured" for street use, and so should not fall under this section. "(a) Designed by the manufacturer for operation primarily off of the highway."



That being said, I'm not sure how replacing the body with a F/G tub would be interpreted, especially ones that are then registered as "special construction." The second section including dune buggies and jeeps leaves too much room for interpretation (nothing unusual hear), but I think a street legal buggy would be exempt.



Just my opinion though.

Thank you for posting this Mark. I fear it's the proliferation of serious accidents involving side-by-side ATV's that led to this. Allthough I agree with Mike's interpretation that our buggies were manufactured to be street vehicles, I'm thinking pretty strongly that once we're offroad this regulation will be enforced. I guess the question is by whom . . .Park Rangers? Offroad Police?

This will also shine a light on our well equipped our buggies are with safety equipment such as seat belts, and at the same time prohibit passengers riding on the back shelf of buggies (which always concerned me anyway).  Helmets do save lives, but they're also a drag to wear in a car. Just my opinion.

Just my opinion, I was part of the San Bernardino County Sheriffs off highway enforcement team for many years. I would say this only applies to "green"stickered vehicles. If your buggy is licensed for the street it should be exempt as it is primarily used on road. I also suspect we'll start seeing a lot of the cheap motorcycle helmets with counterfeit DOT stickers.

Ok, so where do we find an expert(s) to tell us where we stand with this new law?

Will
they try to enforce it while we are on the street or just off road
only, that could make most runs a 50 /50 proposition for a ticket, since we start and end on a street, to get to and from the dirt?

What
about all of the 4X4 trucks and cars made by all of the vehicle Mfg's
(domestic and import) out there that are off road capable but street
legal and licensed?

who do we ask to get the facts and get them in writing so we can all carry a copy to prove we are legal?

Bob

Also Section 1, item (e) Has an engine displacement equal to or less than 1,000cc (61 ci).

I think most of us are a bit over 1,000cc's... LOL

Old Manx - glad to see you are up and contributing again!  Sorry to hear about your accident.  Tom

I have an email in with the BLM asking about this. If I don't hear back soon, I will give them a call. I'll update this thread once I get the official scoop.

Thanks Lee ... This legislation appears to have intrinsic proprieties that could remove some values of common sense & responsibilities.



MnC

I reviewed the CA Vehicle Code related to this issue and found that our vehicles fall under the "Off-Highway Vehicle" definition and are subject to identification (registration, but we already knew that). The changes to the 38600 section (requiring helmets and seat belts etc.) are for vehicles defined as "Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle(s)," and those are the vehicles that are defined in Section 500 (1000 cc or less etc.). So as I read it, we do not fall under these new laws. Just adding one word makes a world of difference.

Thanks Mike ... good news! Do you think this is an openness to field enforcement interpretations?

MnC

I called the BLM office in El Centro, and the lady assured me that the law is for side by sides.  Our buggies are not affected.  I got the feeling she's been getting a lot of calls like mine!

When one word makes a difference, it's getting too close for comfort.
Give the California Legislature more time and they will eventually legislate all the fun out of life.

Ed ... Its up to folks like us to prevent that from happening.

I think my next contact will be the Blue Ribbon Coalition. I want to see what they have to say about this, and see if we need to be proactive to keep the highway licensed vehicles exempt from this idiocy.



My buddies and I came up with another scenario. Since the vehicle must meet ALL of the criteria in order to fall under the helmet law, be expecting to see side by sides with greater than 1000cc displacements appearing on the market Real Soon. A law that was intended to make certain vehicles safer will result in vehicles with even more power and speed than before.