SENATE BILL 249

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Roberto "Bobby" J. Gonzales

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES; ENACTING A NEW SECTION OF THE MOTOR VEHICLE CODE REQUIRING VEHICLE DRIVERS TO YIELD THE RIGHT OF WAY TO A TRANSIT BUS THAT IS DISPLAYING A YIELD SIGN; DEFINING TERMS; PROVIDING PENALTIES.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. Section 66-1-4.11 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1990, Chapter 120, Section 12, as amended) is amended to read:

     "66-1-4.11. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Motor Vehicle Code:

          A. "mail" means any item properly addressed with postage prepaid delivered by the United States postal service or any other public or private enterprise primarily engaged in the transport and delivery of letters, packages and other parcels;

          B. "manufactured home" means a movable or portable housing structure that exceeds either a width of eight feet or a length of forty feet, constructed to be towed on its own chassis and designed to be installed with or without a permanent foundation for human occupancy;

          C. "manufacturer" means every person engaged in the business of constructing or assembling vehicles of a type required to be registered under the Motor Vehicle Code;

          D. "manufacturer's certificate of origin" means a certification, on a form supplied by or approved by the department, signed by the manufacturer that the new vehicle or boat described in the certificate has been transferred to the New Mexico dealer or distributor named in the certificate or to a dealer duly licensed or recognized as such in another state, territory or possession of the United States and that such transfer is the first transfer of the vehicle or boat in ordinary trade and commerce;

          E. "mass transit" means a coordinated system of transit modes providing transportation for use by the general public;

          [E.] F. "moped" means a two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicle with an automatic transmission and a motor having a piston displacement of less than fifty cubic centimeters that is capable of propelling the vehicle at a maximum speed of not more than thirty miles an hour on level ground at sea level;

          [F.] G. "motorcycle" means every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, including autocycles and excluding a tractor;

          [G.] H. "motor home" means a camping body built on a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis so designed that seating for driver and passengers is within the body itself;

          [H.] I. "motor vehicle" means every vehicle that is self-propelled and every vehicle that is propelled by electric power obtained from batteries or from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails; but for the purposes of the Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act, "motor vehicle" does not include "special mobile equipment"; and

          [I.] J. "motor vehicle insurance policy" means a policy of vehicle insurance that covers self-propelled vehicles of a kind required to be registered pursuant to New Mexico law for use on the public streets and highways. A "motor vehicle insurance policy":

(1) shall include:

                     (a) motor vehicle bodily injury and property damage liability coverages in compliance with the Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act; and

                     (b) uninsured motorist coverage, subject to the provisions of Section 66-5-301 NMSA 1978 permitting the insured to reject such coverage; and

                (2) may include:

                     (a) physical damage coverage;

                     (b) medical payments coverage; and

                     (c) other coverages that the insured and the insurer agree to include within the policy."

     SECTION 2. Section 66-1-4.14 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1990, Chapter 120, Section 15, as amended) is amended to read:

     "66-1-4.14. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Motor Vehicle Code:

          A. "park" or "parking" means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, other than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading and unloading;

          B. "parking lot" means a parking area provided for the use of patrons of any office of state or local government or of any public accommodation, retail or commercial establishment;

          C. "parts car" means a motor vehicle generally in nonoperable condition that is owned by a collector to furnish parts that are usually nonobtainable from normal sources, thus enabling a collector to preserve, restore and maintain a motor vehicle of historic or special interest;

          D. "passenger van" means a vehicle with seating for

thirteen or fewer people, a maximum interior headroom of fifty-two inches and single rear tires;

          [D.] E. "pedestrian" means any natural person on foot;

          [E.] F. "person" means every natural person, firm, copartnership, association, corporation or other legal entity;

          [F.] G. "personal information" means information that identifies an individual, including an individual's photograph, social security number, driver identification number, name, address other than zip code, telephone number and medical or disability information, but "personal information" does not include information on vehicles, vehicle ownership, vehicular accidents, driving violations or driver status;

          [G.] H. "placard" or "parking placard" means a card-like device that identifies the vehicle as being currently in use to transport a person with severe mobility impairment and issued pursuant to Section 66-3-16 NMSA 1978 to be displayed inside a motor vehicle so as to be readily visible to an observer outside the vehicle;

          [H.] I. "platoon" means a series of motor vehicles that are traveling in a unified manner by means of being connected with wireless communications or other technology allowing for coordinated movement;

          [I.] J. "pneumatic tire" means every tire in which compressed air is designed to support the load;

          [J.] K. "pole trailer" means any vehicle without motive power, designed to be drawn by another vehicle and attached to the towing vehicle by means of a reach or pole or by being boomed or otherwise secured to the towing vehicle and ordinarily used for transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, structures, pipes and structural members capable, generally, of sustaining themselves as beams between the supporting connections;

          [K.] L. "police or peace officer" means every officer authorized to direct or regulate traffic or to make arrests for violations of the Motor Vehicle Code;

          [L.] M. "private road or driveway" means every way or place in private ownership used for vehicular travel by the owner and those having express or implied permission from the owner, but not other persons; [and]

          [M.] N. "property owner" means the owner of a piece of land or the agent of that property owner; and

          O. "public mass transit operator" means an agency

or a political subdivision of the state that provides mass

transit services."

     SECTION 3. Section 66-1-4.17 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1990, Chapter 120, Section 18, as amended) is amended to read:

     "66-1-4.17. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Motor Vehicle Code:

          A. "tank vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material within a tank that is either permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle or the chassis and that has either a gross vehicle weight rating of twenty-six thousand one or more pounds or is used in the transportation of hazardous materials requiring placarding of the vehicle under applicable law;

          B. "taxicab" means a motor vehicle used for hire in the transportation of persons, having a normal seating capacity of not more than seven persons;

          C. "temporary off-site location" means a location other than a dealer's established or additional place of business that is used exclusively for the display of vehicles or vessels for sale or resale and for related business;

          D. "through highway" means every highway or portion of a highway at the entrance to which vehicular traffic from intersecting highways is required by law to stop before entering or crossing it when stop signs are erected as provided in the Motor Vehicle Code;

          E. "title service company" means a person, other than the department, an agent of the department, a licensed dealer or the [motor transportation] New Mexico state police division of the department of public safety, who for consideration issues temporary registration plates or prepares and submits to the department on behalf of others applications for registration of or title to motor vehicles;

          F. "traffic" means pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles and other conveyances either singly or together using any highway for purposes of travel;

          G. "traffic-control signal" means any device, whether manually, electrically or mechanically operated, by which traffic is alternately directed to stop and to proceed;

          H. "traffic safety bureau" means the traffic safety bureau of the department of transportation;

          I. "trailer" means any vehicle without motive power, designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle, and so constructed that no significant part of its weight rests upon the towing vehicle;

          J. "transaction" means all operations necessary at one time with respect to one identification card, one driver, one vessel or one vehicle;

          K. "transit bus" means a bus operated by a public mass transit operator;

          [K.] L. "transportation inspector" means an employee of the [motor transportation] New Mexico state police division of the department of public safety who has been certified by the director of the division to enter upon and perform inspections of motor carriers' vehicles in operation;

          [L.] M. "transporter of manufactured homes" means a commercial motor vehicle operation engaged in the business of transporting manufactured homes from the manufacturer's location to the first dealer's location. A "transporter of manufactured homes" may or may not be associated with or affiliated with a particular manufacturer or dealer;

          [M.] N. "travel trailer" means a trailer with a camping body and includes recreational travel trailers and camping trailers;

          [N.] O. "trial court" means the magistrate, municipal or district court that tries the case concerning an alleged violation of a provision of the Motor Vehicle Code;

          [O.] P. "tribal court" means a court created by a tribe or a court of Indian offense created by the United States secretary of the interior;

          [P.] Q. "tribe" means an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo located wholly or partially in New Mexico;

          [Q.] R. "truck" means every motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property;

          [R.] S. "truck camper" means a camping body designed to be loaded onto, or affixed to, the bed or chassis of a truck. A camping body, when combined with a truck or truck cab and chassis, even though not attached permanently, becomes a part of the motor vehicle, and together they are a recreational unit to be known as a "truck camper"; there are three general types of truck campers:

                (1) "slide-in camper" means a camping body designed to be loaded onto and unloaded from the bed of a pickup truck;

                (2) "chassis-mount camper" means a camping body designed to be affixed to a truck cab and chassis; and

                (3) "pickup cover" or "camper shell" means a camping body designed to provide an all-weather protective enclosure over the bed of a pickup truck and to be affixed to the pickup truck; and

          [S.] T. "truck tractor" means every motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles and constructed to carry a part of the weight of the vehicle and load drawn."

     SECTION 4. A new Section 66-7-332.2 NMSA 1978 is enacted to read:

     "66-7-332.2. [NEW MATERIAL] YIELD TO TRANSIT BUSES DISPLAYING PROPER SIGNAGE.--

          A. A driver shall yield the right of way to a transit bus, excepting a passenger van, when an illuminated yield sign is displayed on the rear of the bus and the bus is attempting to merge into a traffic lane from a designated bus stop.

          B. This section does not require a public mass transit operator to install illuminated yield signs on the buses it operates.

          C. This section does not relieve a driver of a transit bus from any applicable traffic laws or duty of care.

          D. A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a penalty assessment misdemeanor."

     SECTION 5. Section 66-8-116 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1978, Chapter 35, Section 524, as amended) is amended to read:

     "66-8-116. PENALTY ASSESSMENT MISDEMEANORS--DEFINITION--SCHEDULE OF ASSESSMENTS.--

          A. As used in the Motor Vehicle Code and the Boat Act, "penalty assessment misdemeanor" means violation of any of the following listed sections of the NMSA 1978 for which, except as provided in Subsections D through F of this section, the listed penalty assessment is established:

COMMON NAME OF OFFENSE     SECTION VIOLATED     PENALTY                                                  ASSESSMENT

Vehicles subject to

  registration                66-3-1               $ 50.00

Improper display of

  registration plate          66-3-18                25.00

Failure to notify of

  change of name or address   66-3-23                25.00

Lost or damaged registration,

  plate or title              66-3-24              25.00

Horseless carriage

  registration                66-3-27                25.00

Transfer of registration

  and title                   66-3-103               25.00

Expiration of dealer

  plates                      66-3-403               25.00

Special registration

  plates                      66-3-409, 66-3-412.1,

                             66-3-413, 66-3-415,

                             66-3-417, 66-3-419,

                             66-3-421, 66-3-422,

                             66-3-424.4, 66-3-424.5,

                             66-3-424.7, 66-3-424.9,

                             66-3-424.13, 66-3-424.16

                             and 66-3-424.28        75.00

Bicycle laws                 66-3-701

                             through

                             66-3-707               50.00

No license display           66-5-16                25.00

Failure to change

  address or name on

  license                     66-5-22                25.00

Permitting unauthorized

  minor to drive              66-5-40                50.00

Permitting unauthorized

  person to drive             66-5-41                25.00

Failure to obey sign         66-7-104               25.00

Failure to obey signal       66-7-105               25.00

Pedestrian signs and

  signals                     66-7-106

                             through

                             66-7-108               25.00

Speeding                     66-7-301

  (1) up to and including

      ten miles an hour

      over the speed limit                           25.00

  (2) from eleven up to

      and including fifteen

      miles an hour over the speed limit             30.00

  (3) from sixteen up to

      and including twenty

      miles an hour over the

      speed limit                                    65.00

  (4) from twenty-one up to

      and including twenty-five

      miles an hour over the speed limit            100.00

  (5) from twenty-six up to

      and including thirty

      miles an hour over the

      speed limit                                   125.00

  (6) from thirty-one up to

      and including thirty-five

      miles an hour over the

      speed limit                                   150.00

  (7) more than thirty-five

      miles an hour over the

      speed limit                                   200.00

Unfastened safety belt     66-7-372                 25.00

Child not in restraint device

  or seat belt              66-7-369                 25.00

Minimum speed              66-7-305                 25.00

Speeding                   66-7-306                 25.00

Improper starting          66-7-324                 25.00

Improper backing           66-7-354                 25.00

Improper lane              66-7-308                 25.00

Improper lane              66-7-313                 25.00

Improper lane              66-7-316                 25.00

Improper lane              66-7-317                 25.00

Improper lane              66-7-319               25.00

Improper passing     66-7-309 through 66-7-312     25.00

Improper passing           66-7-315                 25.00

Controlled access

  violation                 66-7-320                 25.00

Controlled access

  violation                 66-7-321                 25.00

Improper turning           66-7-322                 25.00

Improper turning           66-7-323                 25.00

Improper turning           66-7-325                 25.00

Following too closely      66-7-318                 25.00

Failure to yield     66-7-328 through 66-7-331     25.00

Failure to yield           66-7-332                 50.00

Failure to yield     66-7-332.1 and 66-7-332.2     25.00

Pedestrian violation       66-7-333 

                           through

66-7-34025.00

Failure to stop      66-7-342 and 66-7-344

                        through 66-7-346            25.00

Railroad-highway grade

  crossing violation  66-7-341 and 66-7-343        150.00

Passing school bus         66-7-347                100.00

Failure to signal    66-7-325 through 66-7-327     25.00

Riding on motorcycles      66-7-355                100.00

Video screens in

  automobiles               66-7-358                 25.00

Driving on mountain

  highways                  66-7-359                 25.00

Coasting prohibited        66-7-360                25.00

Animals on highway at

  night                     66-7-363                 50.00

Failure to secure load     66-7-407                100.00

Operation without oversize-

  overweight permit         66-7-413                 50.00

Transport of reducible

  load with special

  permit more than six miles

  from a border crossing    66-7-413                100.00

Driving while license

  administratively

  suspended                 66-5-39.2                25.00

Improper equipment    66-3-801 through

                     66-3-840 and 66-3-842

through 66-3-85150.00

Improper equipment         66-3-901                 50.00

Improper emergency

  signal              66-3-853 through 66-3-857     25.00

Minor on motorcycle

  without helmet            66-7-356                300.00

Operation interference     66-7-357                 50.00

Littering                  66-7-364                300.00

Improper parking     66-7-349 through 66-7-352

                           and 66-7-353             25.00 

Improper parking           66-3-852                 25.00

Riding in or towing

  occupied house trailer    66-7-366                 25.00

Improper opening of doors  66-7-367                 25.00

No slow-moving vehicle

  emblem or flashing

  amber light               66-3-887                 25.00

Open container-first

  violation                 66-8-138                 25.00

Texting while driving-

  (1) first violation       66-7-374                 25.00

  (2) second and subsequent

  violation                                          50.00

Using a handheld mobile

  communication device

  while driving a     

  commercial motor vehicle  66-7-375

  (1) first violation                                25.00

  (2) second and subsequent

  violation                                          50.00.

          B. The term "penalty assessment misdemeanor" does not include a violation that has caused or contributed to the cause of an accident resulting in injury or death to a person.

          C. When an alleged violator of a penalty assessment misdemeanor elects to accept a notice to appear in lieu of a notice of penalty assessment, a fine imposed upon later conviction shall not exceed the penalty assessment established for the particular penalty assessment misdemeanor and probation imposed upon a suspended or deferred sentence shall not exceed ninety days.

          D. The penalty assessment for speeding in violation of Paragraph (5) of Subsection A of Section 66-7-301 NMSA 1978 is twice the penalty assessment established in Subsection A of this section for the equivalent miles per hour over the speed limit.

          E. Upon a second conviction for operation without a permit for excessive size or weight pursuant to Section 66-7-413 NMSA 1978, the penalty assessment shall be two hundred fifty dollars ($250). Upon a third or subsequent conviction, the penalty assessment shall be five hundred dollars ($500).

          F. Upon a second conviction for transport of a reducible load with a permit for excessive size or weight pursuant to Subsection N of Section 66-7-413 NMSA 1978 more than six miles from a port-of-entry facility on the border with Mexico, the penalty assessment shall be five hundred dollars ($500). Upon a third or subsequent conviction, the penalty assessment shall be one thousand dollars ($1,000)."

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