Can You Register A Utv In Virginia

All-terrain vehicles are popular in Westward Virginia and throughout the nation, but their use tin can as well lead to unsafe accidents. If you ain one of these vehicles, y'all should familiarize yourself with the laws that apply to its apply. Complying with the police force will assistance you avoid ATV accidents as well as the legal penalties that come with not-compliance.

Recent changes to country law in 2020 have made it legal to drive ATVs on sure public roads equally long as the person driving that vehicle follows sure rules and restrictions.

In this article, we will go over registration and licensing requirements, where you can and can't ride in about cases, historic period restrictions, and look into blow and injury liability for off-road vehicle accidents.

How Does Westward Virginia Ascertain an All-terrain Vehicle?

Under country law, an all-terrain vehicle is any motorized vehicle measuring less than 52 inches long and with an unladen weight of under 800 pounds.

Additionally, whatever vehicle operating on three or more low-pressure tires with the commuter straddling the seat that has the capability to scale rough or unimproved terrain, also falls under the umbrella of an ATV.

Do You Have to Register Your ATV?

Due west Virginia law requires owners to have their ATVs titled in lodge to ride on public lands.

If yous are planning on riding your ATV or UTV on the streets, you must have it registered as a "street-legal special purpose vehicle" under the new constabulary passed in March of 2020.

The procedure of registering your offroad vehicle to ride on public roads is the same as registering a motorcycle. This ways that you will need to obtain a valid registration card and a document of insurance besides every bit a license plate issued by the DMV.

Are There Any License Requirements to Operate an ATV?

Riders over the age of 18 do not accept to accept a valid driver's license to operate an ATV.

However, any rider under eighteen years of age must accept a level 2 intermediate commuter's license if they wish to acquit a rider.

Keep in mind that not all off-route vehicles are made for passengers and it is illegal to acquit an extra rider on a unmarried-rider ATV.

ATV Age Restrictions

Due west Virginia places no minimum age restrictions on riding ATVs. Nevertheless the following rules apply to riders under 18:

Any riders under age 18 must consummate a state-accredited complimentary vehicle rider safety awareness course.
ATV operators nether age eighteen must clothing a protective helmet that is size-advisable.
If a rider nether xviii wants to behave a passenger, and the vehicle tin legally hold a passenger, they must have a level 2 intermediate driver'south license.

ATV Road Laws

West Virginia'southward road laws with regard to ATVs, UTVs, and side-by-sides take inverse. Under Senate Bill 690, which was passed in March of 2020, operators can at present ride their vehicles on some public streets with a few restrictions.

If you are but operating your vehicle on private land, the vehicle will only need to be titled and the following street-legal requirements will not utilise.

Street-Legal Registration

Showtime, in lodge to be legally driven, the vehicle must exist registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles as a "street-legal special purpose vehicle". Y'all must have valid insurance in order to register and receive a license plate.In many ways the registration and licensing requirements are similar to registering a motorcycle.

ATV Required Equipment

2d, the vehicle must have the following:

A spark arrester
One or more headlights
One or more tail lights
One or more than restriction lights
A white low-cal to illuminate your registration plate
Ane or more red reflectors on the rear
Amber or red electrical turn signals for each side on the front end and back
Braking system, other than a parking restriction
A horn or other warning device
A muffler in expert working guild and an emission control system if required by federal law
Rearview mirrors on both sides of the driver
A windshield, unless the driver wears eye protection
A speedometer, illuminated for operating in the dark
A passenger seat for vehicles designed to carry a passenger
Tires that have at least 2/32 inches or greater of tire tread.

What Roads are ATVs Allowed on When Registered?

Riders may not operate their vehicles on controlled-access highways, interstate highways, or on roads that a county, municipality, or Division of Natural Resources has defined every bit off-limits to special purpose vehicles.

County commissions may pass countywide comprehensive plans that prohibit these vehicles from certain areas and roads.

Special purpose vehicles are also not allowed to travel more than 20 miles on a highway with heart line markings.

What are the Full general ATV Requirements if You're Non Taking it on the Route?

We accept mentioned some of these above, but you should too ensure your ATV meets the post-obit full general requirements even if you are non riding it on the road:

A working muffler system that you lot have not modified
A spark arrester
Operable illuminated headlights and tail lights if you lot ride at dark
Manufacturer-designed seat for passengers if you are conveying a rider

If your vehicle is not registered to ride on the road, you are still permitted to cross public roads by observing the following rules:

Come up to a complete stop before crossing
Yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic
Cross at a 90 degree angle (get directly across)
Head- and tail-lights must be on

Yous may also operate your vehicle on the shoulder of some roads for less than 10 miles, traveling nether 25 miles per hour, with lights on between sunrise and sunset if you lot are traveling between a residence and trail.

Are There Other ATV Regulations in West Virginia?

There a few more ATV laws that you should also know if you plan on operating an ATV:

If you are riding on individual property with the permission of the possessor, the laws in a higher place do not utilise.
Riders who utilize off-route vehicles for lawful non-recreational commercial purposes do not demand to comply with the restrictions above. Examples include farming, ranching, oil and gas operations, surveying, timbering, and public utility access.
It's against the law to operate an ATV while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
The state, past statute, offers a free ATV condom course for anyone who wants to take it.

Individual Property Exemption

ATV riders and passengers riding exclusively on private holding with the owner's permission are not required to follow the laws described above.

Withal, these laws are in place for your rubber.

It'due south best practice to always wear a helmet to protect against head trauma if an accident occurs, even though it is non legally required on private property.

Similarly, properly equipping your ATV can forestall accidents. For instance, headlights help you meet what is in front of you so you lot tin avoid hitting an animal or running into another chance.

Legal Consequences of Non Abiding by the Law

Riders who do not comply with these laws risk license intermission, up to a $100 fine, and a misdemeanor conviction and sentence of community service.

Parents, legal guardians, or others with responsibility for a child under xviii who know that their child is operating an off-road vehicle without a helmet may be charged with a misdemeanor with the following consequences:

First offense: A $50-$100 dollar fine or upward to ten hours of community service, or both.
Second criminal offence: A $100-$200 dollar fine or upwardly to twenty hours of community service, or both
3rd criminal offence: A fine of $200-$500 or upwardly to 100 hours of customs service, or both.

Declining to follow Due west Virginia law besides risks the physical consequences that can occur when riders get into an accident. For example, not wearing a helmet could result in a severe traumatic brain injury.

ATV Risks

By following the state of West Virginia's ATV laws, you can reduce your chance of injuries and avoid becoming one of the post-obit statistics:

More than 95 percentage of ATV crash victims were non wearing a helmet.
1 out of 3 ATV crashes involves a rider.
Approximately one-quarter of fatalities related to ATV apply occur in children under age 16.
More than one out of five ATV accidents involve drugs or alcohol.

Who'southward Liable in an ATV Blow?

Westward Virginia ATV riders who suffer injuries in accidents while riding may have legal rights to receive bounty, if their accidents outcome from someone else's careless or reckless actions.

Parties who could confront liability for causing an blow that injures an ATV riders could include:

The owner (if different from the rider)
The manufacturer (if a defective part causes an accident)
The owner of land where the injury happened (if the possessor fails to warn of a subconscious, unreasonably unsafe belongings condition)

Always contact an experienced motor vehicle blow injury lawyer afterward sustaining any sort of injury in an ATV accident. You may accept valuable rights to bounty, if you deed quickly.

Injured in an ATV Crash? Contact an ATV Injury Lawyer Today

If you've suffered injuries in an off-road vehicle blow, contact the experienced ATV accident attorneys at the Miley Legal Grouping today for a free consultation to discuss the details of your accident and injuries.

Source: https://mileylegal.com/blog/wv-atv-laws/

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