§ 31-5-956 — Tires; restriction of travel under hazardous conditions; penalties

Wyoming § 31-5-956

• Jurisdiction: Wyoming
• Title 31: Motor Vehicles
• Ch. 5: REGULATION OF TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAYS
• Art. 9: EQUIPMENT

Text

(a) Every solid rubber tire on a vehicle shall have rubber
on its entire traction surface at least one (1) inch thick above
the edge of the flange of the entire periphery.
(b) No person shall operate or move on any highway any
motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer having any metal tire in
contact with the roadway.
(c) No tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on
its periphery any protuberance of any material other than rubber
which projects beyond the tread of the traction surface of the
tire, except that it shall be permissible to use:
(i) Implements of husbandry with tires having
protuberances which will not injure the highway;
(ii) Tire chains of reasonable proportions upon any
vehicle when required for safety because of snow, ice or other
conditions tending to cause a vehicle to skid;
(iii) Pneumatic tires having studs designed to
improve traction without materially injuring the surface of the
highway. Pneumatic tires having studs must be approved by the
superintendent.
(d) The superintendent and local authorities in their
respective jurisdictions may issue special permits authorizing
the operation upon a highway of tractors having movable tracks
with transverse corrugations upon the periphery of the movable
tracks or farm tractors or other farm machinery, the operation
of which upon a highway would otherwise be prohibited under this
section.
(e) When the superintendent or his authorized
representative determines that travel is sufficiently hazardous
due to snow, ice or other conditions travel on a highway may be
restricted to use only by motor vehicles utilizing adequate snow
tires or tire chains, motor vehicles that are all-wheel drive
vehicles or necessary emergency vehicles as defined in W.S.
31-5-102(a)(ii), including snow plows. The superintendent or his
authorized representative may further restrict travel in
extremely hazardous conditions to use only by necessary
emergency vehicles as defined in W.S. 31-5-102(a)(ii), including
snow plows, and those vehicles utilizing tire chains or to all-
wheel drive vehicles utilizing adequate snow tires with a mud
and snow or all-weather rating from the manufacturer having a
tread of sufficient abrasive or skid-resistant design or
composition and depth to provide adequate traction under
existing driving conditions. The prohibition or restriction of
use shall be effective when signs, including temporary or
electronic signs, giving notice thereof are erected upon that
portion of the highway, and it shall be unlawful to proceed in
violation of the notice. The operator of a commercial vehicle
shall affix tire chains to at least two (2) of the drive wheels
of the vehicle at opposite ends of the same drive axle when the
vehicle is required to utilize tire chains under this
subsection. The state highway patrol shall cooperate with the
department in the enforcement of any closing or restriction of
use under this subsection.
(f) A person shall not operate any vehicle when one (1) or
more of the tires in use on that vehicle is in unsafe operating
condition or has a tread depth less than four thirty-seconds
(4/32) inch in the case of tires which are used on the front
wheels of a bus, truck or truck tractor, or two thirty-seconds
(2/32) inch in other cases, measured in any two (2) adjacent
tread grooves at three (3) equally spaced intervals around the
circumference of the tire but the measurements shall not be made
at the location of any tread wear indicator, tie bar, hump or
fillet. No vehicle shall be operated on any tire that has
fabric exposed through the tread or sidewall.
(g) A person in the business of selling tires shall not
sell or offer for sale for highway use any tire which is in
unsafe condition or which has a tread depth of less than two
thirty-seconds (2/32) inch measured as specified in subsection
(f) of this section.
(h) This section applies to motorcycles, motor-driven
cycles, multipurpose vehicles, mopeds and off-road recreational
vehicles as defined by W.S. 31-1-101(a)(xv)(K)(II) that are
registered pursuant to W.S. 31-2-232.
(j) Any person who operates a motor vehicle in violation
of restrictions imposed by the department or the highway patrol
under subsection (e) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor
and upon conviction shall be subject to a penalty of not more
than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00). Any person who
operates a motor vehicle in violation of restrictions imposed by
the department or the highway patrol under subsection (e) of
this section, where the result of the violation is an incident
that causes the closure of all lanes in one (1) or both
directions of the highway, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction shall be subject to a penalty of not more than seven
hundred fifty dollars ($750.00).
(k) As used in this section, "tire chains" means metal
chains which consist of two (2) circular metal loops, one (1) on
each side of the tire, connected by not less than nine (9)
evenly spaced chains across the tire tread and any other
traction devices differing from metal chains in construction,
material or design but capable of providing traction equal to or
exceeding that of metal chains under similar conditions.