§ 5701. Declaration of Protection
TITLE 9: VEHICLE CODE DIVISION 5: RULES OF THE ROAD § 5701. Traffic Laws Apply to Persons Operating Motorcycles, Motor Scooters, and Mopeds. Every person operating a motorcycle, motor scooter, or moped shall be grant- ed all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the operator of any other vehicle under this title, except as to special regulations in this division and except as to those provisions of this Title which by their nature can have no application. Source: PL 3-61, § 1 (§ 547); amended by PL 15-29, § 8 (5701). Commission Comment: PL 15-29 took effect on September 26, 2006, and contained the following title, findings, and global amendment sections, in addi- tion to other amendments and severability and savings clauses. Section 1. Title. This Act may be cited as the “Motor Scooter Act of 2006.” Section 2. Findings. The Legislature finds that motor scooters have become a popular mode of transportation for residents and tourists in the Commonwealth. The Legislature further finds that motor scooter busi- nesses have flourished in the past few years as well. However, the Legis- lature finds that traffic accidents involving motor scooters have also in- creased due to the increased use of motor scooters on public highways. Furthermore, there was at least one reported traffic fatality involving a motor scooter the past year. Based on the foregoing reasons, the Legislature finds that motor scooters must be better regulated to protect the health and welfare of CNMI residents as well as tourists visiting the Commonwealth. The pur- pose of this legislation is to classify motor scooters in a distinct category from mopeds and motorcycles, to make applicable to motor scooters cer- tain rights and duties applicable to other motor vehicles, and to require certain safety equipment on motor scooters and mopeds operated in the Commonwealth… . Section 9. Global Amendment. The term “motor vehicle” shall be amended and construed to include “motor scooter” throughout Title 9 of the Commonwealth Code.
Source: CNMI Law Revision Commission