SB695: Bill Text

LRB-5081/1

EVM:jld

2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE

2017 Senate BILL 695

January 19, 2018 - Introduced by Senators Petrowski and Cowles, cosponsored by Representatives Rohrkaste, Neylon, Steffen, Kuglitsch, Horlacher, Kooyenga, Macco, Mursau, Schraa and Tauchen. Referred to Committee on Transportation and Veterans Affairs.

SB695,1,3 An Act to renumber 346.14 (1); to amend 346.02 (10) and 346.02 (11); and to create 346.14 (1b) and 346.14 (2) (c) of the statutes; relating to: distances between motor vehicles.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, the operator of a motor vehicle may not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent. Current law further specifies that, with certain exceptions, on a highway outside a business or residential district the operator of a motor truck with a gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds must maintain a distance of not less than 500 feet behind the vehicle immediately preceding and must leave sufficient space so that an overtaking vehicle may enter the space without danger.

This bill creates another exception to the large truck specification. In particular, under this bill, the large truck specification does not apply to platoons. A “platoon” is defined in the bill as a group of individual motor vehicles traveling in a unified manner at electronically coordinated speeds.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB695,1 Section 1. 346.02 (10) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB695,2,6 346.02 (10) Applicability to snowmobiles. The operator of a snowmobile upon a roadway shall in addition to the provisions of ch. 350 be subject to ss. 346.04, 346.06, 346.11, 346.14 (1) (1m), 346.18, 346.19, 346.20, 346.21, 346.215 (3), 346.26, 346.27, 346.33, 346.35, 346.37, 346.39, 346.40, 346.44, 346.46, 346.47, 346.48, 346.50 (1) (b), 346.51, 346.52, 346.53, 346.54, 346.55, 346.87, 346.88, 346.89, 346.90, 346.91, 346.92 (1) and 346.94 (1) and (9).

SB695,2 Section 2. 346.02 (11) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB695,2,14 346.02 (11) Applicability to all-terrain vehicles and utility terrain vehicles. The operator of an all-terrain vehicle or a utility terrain vehicle on a roadway is subject to ss. 346.04, 346.06, 346.11, 346.14 (1) (1m), 346.18, 346.19, 346.20, 346.21, 346.215 (3), 346.26, 346.27, 346.33, 346.35, 346.37, 346.39, 346.40, 346.44, 346.46, 346.47, 346.48, 346.50 (1) (b), 346.51, 346.52, 346.53, 346.54, 346.55, 346.71, 346.87, 346.88, 346.89, 346.90, 346.91, 346.92 (1) and 346.94 (1) and (9) but is not subject to any other provision of this chapter.

SB695,3 Section 3. 346.14 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 346.14 (1m).

SB695,4 Section 4. 346.14 (1b) of the statutes is created to read:

SB695,2,18 346.14 (1b) In this section, “platoon” means a group of individual motor vehicles traveling in a unified manner at electronically coordinated speeds.

SB695,5 Section 5. 346.14 (2) (c) of the statutes is created to read:

SB695,2,21 346.14 (2) (c) This subsection does not apply to an operator of vehicle in a platoon other than the lead vehicle.

SB695,2,22 (End)