Session of 2000
SENATE BILL No. 404
By Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations
1-11
9 AN ACT regulating traffic; concerning certain equipment requirements
10 for motor vehicles; amending K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 8-1742 and repealing
11 the existing section.
12
13 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
14 Section 1. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 8-1742 is hereby amended to read as
15 follows: 8-1742. (a) Every solid rubber tire on a vehicle shall have rubber
16 on its entire traction surface at least one inch thick above the edge of the
17 flange of the entire periphery.
18 (b) No person shall operate or move on any highway any motor ve-
19 hicle, trailer or semitrailer having any metal tire in contact with the
20 roadway.
21 (c) No tire on a vehicle moved on a highway shall have on its periph-
22 ery any protuberance of any material other than rubber which projects
23 beyond the tread of the traction surface of the tire, except that it shall be
24 permissible to use:
25 (1) Farm machinery with tires having protuberances which will not
26 injure the highway; and
27 (2) tire chains of reasonable proportions upon any vehicle when re-
28 quired for safety because of snow, ice or other conditions tending to cause
29 a vehicle to skid;
30 (3) studded traction equipment upon any vehicle when required for
31 safety because of snow, ice or other conditions tending to cause a vehicle
32 to skid; or
33 (4) pneumatic tires having metallic or nonmetallic studs designed to
34 improve traction without materially injuring the surface of the highway.
35 To qualify under paragraph (3) or (4), such tires or studded traction
36 equipment shall be approved by the secretary of transportation by adop-
37 tion of rules and regulations, and their use may be limited to certain
38 months or types of vehicles by such rules and regulations.
39 (d) The secretary of transportation and local authorities in their re-
40 spective jurisdictions may issue special permits authorizing the operation
41 upon a highway of traction engines or tractors having movable tracks with
42 transverse corrugations upon the periphery of such movable tracks or
43 farm tractors or other farm machinery, the operation of which upon a
2
1 highway would otherwise be prohibited under this section.
2 (e) It is unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle or com-
3 bination of vehicles having one or more tires in an unsafe condition. A
4 solid rubber tire is in an unsafe condition if it does not comply with the
5 provisions of subsection (a). A pneumatic tire is in an unsafe condition if
6 it has:
7 (1) Any part of the ply or cord exposed;
8 (2) any bump, bulge or separation;
9 (3) a tread design depth of less than 1/16 inch measured in any two or
10 more adjacent tread grooves, exclusive of tie bars, or, for those tires with
11 tread wear indicators worn to the level of the tread wear indicators in any
12 two tread grooves;
13 (4) a marking "not for highway use" or "for racing purposes only" or
14 "unsafe for highway use";
15 (5) tread of sidewall cracks, cuts or snags deep enough to expose the
16 body cord;
17 (6) been regrooved or recut below the original tread design depth,
18 excepting special taxi tires which have extra undertread rubber and are
19 identified as such; or
20 (7) such other conditions as may be reasonably demonstrated to ren-
21 der it unsafe.
22 (f) The provisions of subsection (e) shall not apply to a vehicle or
23 combination of vehicles being transported by a wrecker or tow truck, as
24 defined in K.S.A. 66-1329, and amendments thereto.
25 (g) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a vehicle with a
26 single tire on any hubs configured for a dual tire assembly. The provisions
27 of this subsection shall not apply: (1) To any truck registered for a gross
28 weight of 20,000 pounds or less; (2) to any vehicle or combination of
29 vehicles operating with wide-base single tires, as defined in K.S.A. 1999
30 Supp. 8-1742b, and amendments thereto, on any hubs configured for a
31 dual tire assembly; (3) to any single axle with hubs configured for a dual
32 tire assembly when such single axle does not exceed 9,000 pounds and is
33 a part of a triple-axle combination; or (4) in cases of emergency.
34 Sec. 2. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 8-1742 is hereby repealed.
35 Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
36 publication in the Kansas register.