Altered Height Vehicles
The objective of this project was to develop and provide information to assist jurisdictions in promoting, retaining and refining standards and statutes relating to vehicles whose heights have been altered through suspension changes, lift kits and addition of oversized tires. The intended outcome of the legislation is to reduce crashes and fatalities caused by vehicles altered into an unsafe condition, e.g. over-ride, under-ride and braking and steering problems.
In Dec. 2000, the Vehicle Safety and Inspection (VS&I) discipline tested a representative vehicle at the Hunter Engineering test facility in St. Louis, Missouri. The result was as predicted: larger tires made the vehicle harder to brake. There were also significant findings of propensity for rollover. The final report, called "Effect of Oversize Tires on Stopping Capability and Handling Stability of an Altered-Height Vehicle" was completed Dec. 2003. Following the publication of this Study, a working group met to advance the recommendations contained in the study. The result of the recommentations is model legislation.
Preamble Altered Height (Raised) Vehicle Model Legislation
Altered Height (Raised) Vehicle Model Legislation
Lighting Issues
Vehicle lighting equipment that does not meet safety standards or is not properly aimed can reduce visibility, increase glare, and otherwise contribute to vehicle crashes. Jurisdictions have many concerns about enforcing safety and inspection standards for lighting equipment e.g. headlamps, clear tail lamps, decorative lighting e.g. neon, LED brake lamps, turn signals, reflectors, etc. Law enforcement may find it difficult to enforce lighting laws because they have no clear instructions on how to apply them to the new product technologies.
The main objective of this project is to develop jurisdictional model legislation regarding lighting equipment to assist enforcement efforts. Other objectives include monitoring federal law changes and working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), automakers, the aftermarket industry and many others to resolve concerns.
Final Report: Altered-Height Vehicle The final report, called "Effect of Oversize Tires on Stopping Capability and Handling Stability of an Altered-Height Vehicle" was completed December 2003.
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