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New ATV law in Illiniois starting Jan 1

35K views 38 replies 26 participants last post by  MrMartin 
#1 ·
Effective January 1st, 2010, (per Illinois Section 11-1426.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code) anyone operating a "non-highway vehicle" on a street, highway or roadway (including the right-of-way) is now subject to the state's mandatory insurance requirements just like automobiles. For purposes of the law, a "non-highway vehicle" means a motor vehicle not specifically designed for use on a public highway, including the following:

An all-terrain vehicle
A golf cart
An off-highway motorcycle and
A neighborhood vehicle. A neighborhood vehicle means a self-propelled, electronic powered, four-wheeled motor vehicle (or a self-propelled, gasoline powered, four wheeled motor vehicle with an engine displacement under 1,200 cubic centimeters) that is capable of attaining in one mile a speed of more than 20 miles per hour, but not more than 25 miles per hour and which conforms to federal regulations.

You will now need to carry an insurance I.D. card while using any of the above vehicles while using them in a public roadway.
Non-highway vehicles operating on a roadway will be subject to the same penalties as a motor vehicle. Those penalties are:

Three months drivers license suspsension;
SR-22 for three years;
$500 fine payable in court;
$100 drivers license reinstatement fee

If you can prove insurance coverage is in effect when stopped by a law enforcement officer, the charges might be dropped and the Secretary of State's statutorily penalties will not be enforced.

What does this mean to you? If you already have your "non-motorized vehicle scheduled on your insurance policy, most likely all you will need is an insurance I.D. card. If it is not currently on your policy, we may need to schedule it onto your policy. Everyone's situation is different, so give us a call to find out what needs to be done so that you can avoid the ticket and ride legally under Illinois law.
 
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#3 ·
I regularly drive my JD Gator on the street here in MI., don't know if it's legal. It has two cup holders that normally have something in them. My Buddy lives about a quarter mile down the road and He likes Miller Lite if You get My drift. By the way I lived in IL. for a very long time and nothing they do surprises me.


Dan
 
#6 ·
Here in Illinois, ATVs, Gators, golf carts, etc ARE not legal on public roads, and just having this insurance on them dont make them legal.

Now, a few of the local village/towns allow golf carts within city limits. You have to have insurance, head lights, tail lights, and mirrors on them, then buy a permit from the town when they approve your cart. Oh, and you have to have a valid drivers license too.
 
#7 ·
Here in NS you HAVE to have the bike registered to use it off your own property and you HAVE to have insurance on the ATV. You can not drive on the road, period, even dirt roads, as long as they are maintained roads you can't drive on them. No insurance $300 fine, driving on the road $300 fine. You guys have it easy.
 
#9 ·
I just think it's absolutely insane that in states like PA you now have to have a freaking plate on an ATV but no, you still can't legally drive it on the road... WHY NOT? An ATV meets all the requirements that a Moped does (lots of those don't have turn signals, brake lights etc).

I think it would be awesome to have a Polaris Razr to drive to work during the summer, it would probably be economical and my 15 mile drive can be all back roads if I want.

I think the law needs to get with this decade... For pete's sakes, Yamaha made a street legal pocket crotch rocket decades ago!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zhxi14pg0U
 
#10 ·
A moped? How about a bicycle! You can go buy a $100 bicycle pay $13 tax on it and drive wherever you want on any road you want or any trail you want. Not to mention have most of the say when it comes to shared use trails. I can't drive my $13,000 ATV that I paid $1700 tax on, paid $50 to register it for one year (including a $40 trail infrastructure fee) another $150 to insure it for a year, on any road, and I have almost NO say when it comes to shared use trails.
 
#11 ·
Allowing golf carts or ATVs on the roads is a safety issue. When government motors completes it switch over to government approved cars you will at significant risk of great bodily harm if you have a collision with a golf cart. So please keep your big golf carts and ATVs off the road.:sidelaugh :sidelaugh
 
#12 ·


Now you tell me WHY as a licensed motorist, that if I bought one of these for ohh 13K, I have a license, I have insurance and it's registered, why I can not drive it to work??? It can maintain 55-60MPH I see no reason why I can't drive it on the roads.

I am not advocating unlicensed drivers being able to drive on the roads. But there is no reason why you shouldn't be permitted to drive a ute, when you can drive a freakin moped or pedal bike as a previous poster talked about, on the roads.
 
#26 ·


Now you tell me WHY as a licensed motorist, that if I bought one of these for ohh 13K, I have a license, I have insurance and it's registered, why I can not drive it to work??? It can maintain 55-60MPH I see no reason why I can't drive it on the roads.

I am not advocating unlicensed drivers being able to drive on the roads. But there is no reason why you shouldn't be permitted to drive a ute, when you can drive a freakin moped or pedal bike as a previous poster talked about, on the roads.

Umm lets see,

No safety bumpers, no pollution equipment and on and on. Drive it 60mph and meet a 7000lb 3/4 ton truck and I am pretty sure they would not even bother trying to scrape your body parts off the bottom the truck, because that is exactly what some hot dog show off would try and then it would be the fault of the poor person that owned the truck. It's not the governments fault people pay 13k for play toys that meet no federal stds. And how is it fair that auto makers have to pay 100's of thousands of dollars to certify a vehicle for street use and people think a play toy should have the same rights without any of the above. Seems kinda obvious to me.
 
#13 ·
Until about 4 or 5 years ago, you could here. Times are changing. It only takes a couple of a-holes to ruin it for everybody. I know for awhile we (west virginians) had the highest fatality rate, on ATV's. Mostly alcohol related. Those white oaks will stop you in a hurry. And they're puttin the halts to one of the funniest "free" places to ride around here. The rail road tracks would bring hundreds (no joke) of people from all around to ride. But the thievery of CSX property, new tie plates, "workin" signal light wire, has put an end to it all. I hear even the Potomac river lots, the RR rent out aren't going to renew leases this year. Can't blam'em.
 
#14 ·
Well this is good to know.I got my Suzuki 700 Kingquad late in the season last summer.So I did not have it added to my policy.I certainly will now that I heard this.

I ride mine on back roads from farm to farm and often like to just take a ride.In my area as long as your not out acting like a nutt and take things slow and easy your OK riding on back roads.
 
#15 ·
A UTV is about the same size as a Smart Car. Why is one street legal and one isn't. About the same price, size, and power. Go figure. New York State needs insurance and a DMV plate. Still can't run on the roads. Far!!! They do watch. I get away with about an 8th mile when plowing driveways.
 
#20 ·
but.. you walking on the road, horses and people on bicycles all have the same right to the road as a driver... same insurance requirements there too?

Oh and when my kid had his gocart the pigs came by and hassled him saying that they would impound it and rite ME for driving an uninsured motor vehicle if they ever caught him on the street with it... I have heard of people getting hit for such crap in the past; without any laws on the subject that I know of...
 
#21 ·
None of those are motorized vehicles. Big difference.

Motorized vehicles that are used on the road should either be:
Insured, plated, registered. OR Off road vehicles in rural areas.

I don't think they should force people to have their ATV insured if they live in the country and are just going down the shoulder in a remote area. But if people want them to be street legal other places I think they need to have the same requirements as other motorized vehicles.

Pretty simple, I see no reason why a motorized street legal vehicle wouldn't be plated and insured.
 
#22 ·
I think this discussion started out stating that these carry plates in most states now and are required to be insured. Two of the requirements already met.. They also have headlights, brake lights and turn signals (they at least have headlamps and brake lights, turn signals would be an easy addition) the license would fall under the same class as a regular passenger vehicle, they are small production and wouldn't classify for emissions and even if they did, chances are they would be exempt due to the mileage per year.

I say it again... There is NO reason these are not D.O.T legal... If a motorcycle is, so too should these be.
 
#23 ·
I say it again... There is NO reason these are not D.O.T legal... If a motorcycle is, so too should these be.
So your UTV has DOT approved tires? Should say right on them. It has DOT approved light assemblies? Also stamped on them. How about the brake and control systems? Or the wheels? These things are DOT approved on new motorcycles. And frankly when people modify motorcycles I think the street legality should be revoked, such as when people chop a motorcycle and don't put a front brake on.

Anyhow, while I can see wanting street legal ATV's in the country, I live near Chicago. What possible good would street legal ATV's do here?

Atleast mopeds have parking benefits.
 
#31 ·
I think the point we keep making is that you HAVE to plate and insure them.. You are paying these fees for no reason, sorry no reason.. If I don't "have" to insure my boat (of course I do!) why should I be forced to insure a UTV, why should one be forced to have a license plate on a vehicle which can not be driven on the roads?

I rode ATC's and ATV's for years and when I did, we had none of this garbage. I'm all for paying the fees if I can reap the benefits..
 
#32 ·
in Mississippi you can ride on the road in the country and the law wont bother you unless its hunting season and the game warden sees you pulling out of the woods and **** stop you and ask for a hunting license
 
#33 ·
What I find interesting is the wording of the lawyers. Notice they make sure to leave out any farm machinery. So if your ATV has a mower or cultivator I'm guessing your exempt. As long as you engine is above the stated cc requirement.
(I thought Yamaha made a ATV with a mower a while back)
Unless I read it wrong. (which is entirely possible)
I think I'm ok with my C500 Holder.


Happy mowering

omg
 
#36 ·
Notice they make sure to leave out any farm machinery.
At least in Maryland, the Tractor Triangle is your friend. Hang one off the back of just about any contraption, and you're legal to operate on state roads for "temporary" purposes.

Here's another example - some artists in Canada gutted a Buick and made it pedal-powered. They put tea lights (aka "candles") in the headlight spaces. They were cited for all sorts of stuff, and the opposing attorney attempted to play up the danger of the exposed candle flames.
"What would happen," Lerner charged with pointed conviction, "if a lit candle hit another car?"
I read the judgement a while ago. If I recall correctly, the judge said to stay off the primary roads, hang a tractor triangle on the back, and everything would be good. He also busted on the prosecution for having no case.
 
#37 ·
The way some of these law sound to be the farmers are going to have a problem with their tractors. Many use ATV's for spot spraying , checking fence and cattle so are on the road between fields and such. Now if your on the road Joy riding I can see it but if your working on a farm, Have a SMV sign and such in place then there shouldn't be a problem . I'm talking country two lane roads. I run may Mule and JD mower between my place and my sons place (1/2 mile) All the time
 
#38 ·
This isn't about whether you're allowed to operate on the road or not, it's the fact that you can't be on the road, but are required to have a license/registration/insurance, to drive...WHERE?

North Dakota had this crap, too. We never did it. Talk about a law that should be illegal.
 
#39 ·
North Dakota had this crap, too. We never did it. Talk about a law that should be illegal.
In North Dakota you can drive on all roads except four lane roads. If you drive anywhere off of your own property you have to have liability insurance and lic. I looked into the law very closely when I got mine.

However, Most towns you cannot drive in with a ATV/UTV. Every town has its own law. So once you get into city limits you are breaking the law. The town that I live next to allows ATV/UTVs on the street, but the town that I work at 6 miles away does not. Which kinda sucks cause I would love to ride to work.

There are also some restrictions that the ATV/UTV needs to have done. Most of them are factory like speedo, odometer, lights, brakes, but the ones that I had to do to make mine "street legal" were to add a mirror and horn.

Here is a link to ND's law:
http://www.dot.nd.gov/divisions/mv/docs/faq-off-highway-vehicles.pdf

Actually it is ironic to read through it and note that in one paragraph it says you cannot operate and a highway, then in the next paragrph it says you can.
 
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