1.

1. (a) Every motor vehicle, operated or driven upon the public highways of the state, shall be provided with adequate brakes and steering mechanism in good working order and sufficient to control such vehicle at all times when the same is in use, and a suitable and adequate horn or other device for signaling, which horn or device shall produce a sound sufficiently loud to serve as a danger warning but shall not be used other than as a reasonable warning nor be unnecessarily loud or harsh.
2. (b) Every such motor vehicle shall be equipped with suitable wipers or other device which shall clear a sufficient area of the windshields to provide reasonable driving vision. (i) The use or placing of posters or stickers on windshields or rear windows of motor vehicles other than those authorized by the commissioner, is hereby prohibited. The attaching to windshields and windshield wipers of handbills and other forms of advertisements, is hereby prohibited.
3. (ii) In a city of one million or more, the attaching or affixing by any means whatsoever of handbills or other forms of advertisements to a motor vehicle is hereby prohibited. In any prosecution for an alleged violation of this subparagraph, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the person whose name, telephone number, or other identifying information appears on any handbill or other form of advertisement attached or affixed to a motor vehicle shall be in violation of the provisions of this subparagraph.
4. (iii) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in addition to those persons otherwise authorized to enforce this subdivision and adjudicate violations thereof, the provisions of subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph shall also be enforceable in a city having a population of one million or more by an agency or agencies designated for such purpose by the mayor of such city, and notices of violation may be returnable to the environmental control board of such city, which shall have the power to impose the monetary penalties provided in subdivision (b) of section eighteen hundred of this chapter. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, service of a notice of violation of subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph committed in such city may be made upon a person by first class mail, postage prepaid, and any such notice served by mail shall be returnable only to such environmental control board. Such service by first class mail shall be deemed complete upon mailing of the notice of violation, unless the notice of violation is returned to the sender by the United States postal service for any reason other than refusal of delivery. In addition, any notice of violation for a violation of subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph may be served by a means prescribed in article three of the civil practice law and rules or article three of the business corporation law. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, such penalties imposed by such environmental control board shall be paid into the general fund of such city.
5. (iv) Any final order issued pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph by an environmental control board of a city having a population of one million or more shall constitute a judgment which may be entered in any place provided for the entry of civil judgments within the state, and may be enforced without court proceeding in the same manner as the enforcement of money judgments entered in civil actions. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, before a judgment based upon a default may be so entered, such environmental control board must have notified the respondent by first class mail in such form as such environmental control board may direct: (A) of the default decision and order and the penalty imposed; (B) that a judgment will be entered in any place provided for the entry of civil judgments in the state; and (C) that the entry of such judgment may be avoided by requesting a stay of default for good cause shown and either requesting a hearing or entering a plea pursuant to the rules of such environmental control board within thirty days of the mailing of such notice. No judgment based upon a default may be so entered by the environmental control board within thirty days of the mailing of such notice. No judgment based upon a default may be so entered by the environmental control board within less than sixty days from the completion of service by mail of the notice of violation as provided in subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph. Any requirement of any provision of law other than this subdivision that related to the manner of service of the notice of violation that precedes any final order of such environmental control board shall not apply to a final order issued pursuant to this subparagraph. A judgment entered pursuant to this subdivision shall remain in full force and effect for eight years.
6. (c) Every trailer and semi-trailer weighing more than one thousand pounds unladen and every trailer and semi-trailer manufactured or assembled on or after January first, nineteen hundred seventy-one having a registered maximum gross weight, an actual gross weight or gross weight consisting of the unladen weight and maximum carrying capacity recommended by the manufacturer in excess of three thousand pounds also shall be equipped with adequate brakes in good working order if operated or drawn on the public highways of this state. Every trailer while being drawn upon the public highways of this state shall be so attached to the vehicle drawing the same as to prevent the wheels of such trailer from being deflected more than six inches from the path of the towing vehicle's wheels. On and after January first, nineteen hundred seventy-one every trailer, except a semi-trailer, while being drawn upon the public highways of this state, shall be attached to the vehicle drawing the same by a device of a type approved by the commissioner.
7. (d) The commissioner shall make rules prescribing standards of brake efficiency, except for motor vehicles the standard of brake efficiency of which are fixed by the department of public service, and no brakes shall be deemed adequate within the meaning of this subdivision unless they meet the requirements of such rules. Such rules shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state and thereafter published once in the state advertising bulletin and shall become effective one month after such publication. Any amendment to such rules shall be likewise filed and published and shall take effect one month after such publication.
8. (e) No operator or registered owner of any motor vehicle having a registered maximum gross weight of eighteen thousand pounds or more shall disconnect or knowingly permit the disconnection of any set of service brakes on such motor vehicle. Any violation of the provisions of this paragraph shall occur only when such vehicle is actually operated on the public highways. Such violation shall be punishable as a misdemeanor.

2.

1. (a) Every motor vehicle except a motorcycle, driven upon a public highway during the period from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise or at any other time when windshield wipers are in use, as a result of rain, sleet, snow, hail or other unfavorable atmospheric condition, and at such other times as visibility for a distance of one thousand feet ahead of such motor vehicle is not clear, shall display:
2. 1. at least two lighted head lamps on the front, one on each side, having light sources of equal power;
3. 2. if manufactured prior to January first, nineteen hundred fifty-two, at least one lighted lamp on the rear which shall display a red light visible from the rear for a distance of at least five hundred feet;
4. 3. if manufactured on or after January first, nineteen hundred fifty-two, at least two lighted lamps on the rear, one on each side, which lamps shall display a red light visible from the rear for a distance of at least one thousand feet; and
5. 4. if required to display a number plate on the rear, a white light which shall illuminate the numerals on such plate in such manner as to render such numerals legible for at least fifty feet from the rear. The provisions of this subparagraph shall also apply to trailers.
6. (b) All lamps used on a motor vehicle except a motorcycle shall be so arranged, adjusted and operated, as to avoid dangerous glare or dazzle. Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this subdivision, the upper outline of any beam of dazzling light projected to the left of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle by the lowermost light distribution of a headlamp designed to produce more than one light distribution, or by the single light distribution of any other lamp used on such a motor vehicle, shall not rise higher than the lamp center at a distance of twenty-five feet nor higher than forty-two inches at a distance of seventy-five feet. In each case, the height of the beam shall be measured from the plane upon which the vehicle stands and the distance shall be measured from the lamp projecting the light.
7. (c) No lamp shall be used on a motor vehicle having a light source greater than thirty-two candle power, unless such lamp is approved by the commissioner as provided by this section. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any light which is permitted to be displayed only on an authorized emergency vehicle, a hazard vehicle or a vehicle which is permitted to display a blue or green light pursuant to paragraphs four and five of subdivision forty-one of this section.
8. (d) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, equipped with any device such as, but not limited to, a snow plow blade, which blocks or impairs the projection of light from the headlamps of such vehicle, shall be equipped with at least two additional headlamps on the front which headlamps meet all the requirements of this subdivision for headlamps except those provisions of paragraph (b) of this subdivision specifically limiting the height of the beam of any headlamp.

12-a.

1. (a) Every motor vehicle, except a motorcycle, when driven or operated upon a public highway, road or street shall be equipped with a front windshield in a fixed and more or less upright position constructed of safety glass as defined in subdivision fourteen of this section and required by subdivisions eleven and twelve hereof. No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign or other nontransparent material other than a certificate or paper required to be displayed by law upon the front windshield or the sidewings or side windows on either side forward of or adjacent to the operator's seat.

2. (b) No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon any public highway, road or street:

   1. (1) the front windshield of which is composed of, covered by or treated with any material which has a light transmittance of less than seventy percent unless such materials are limited to the uppermost six inches of the windshield; or
   2. (2) the sidewings or side windows of which on either side forward of or adjacent to the operator's seat are composed of, covered by or treated with any material which has a light transmittance of less than seventy percent; or
   3. (3) if it is classified as a station wagon, sedan, hardtop, coupe, hatchback or convertible and any rear side window has a light transmittance of less than seventy percent; or
   4. (4) the rear window of which is composed of, covered by or treated with any material which has a light transmittance of less than seventy percent. A rear window may have a light transmittance of less than seventy percent if the vehicle is equipped with side mirrors on both sides of the vehicle so adjusted that the driver thereof shall have a clear and full view of the road and condition of traffic behind such vehicle.
3. (c) Any person required for medical reasons to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun and/or any person operating a motor vehicle belonging to such person or in which such person is an habitual passenger shall be exempt from the provisions of subparagraphs one and two of paragraph (b) of this subdivision provided the commissioner has granted an exemption and notice of such exemption is affixed to the vehicle as directed by the commissioner. The applicant for such exemption must provide a physician's statement with the reason for the exemption, the name of the individual with a medically necessary condition operating or transported in the vehicle, the specific condition involved, and the minimum level of light transmission required. The commissioner shall only authorize exemptions where the medical condition certified by the physician is contained on a list of medical conditions prepared by the commissioner of health pursuant to subdivision sixteen of section two hundred six of the public health law. If such such exemption is granted, the commissioner shall make a record thereof and shall distribute a sufficiently noticeable sticker to the applicant to be attached to any window so shielded or altered pursuant to such exemption.
4. (d) The commissioner may test any window for a person who has been charged with violating this subdivision. If such window is found to be in conformity with this subdivision, a small label attesting to the conformity shall be affixed to the window tested.
5. (e) On and after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-two, no person shall manufacture, sell, offer for sale, equip or operate a motor vehicle in this state in violation of the provisions of this subdivision, except that a person may operate a nineteen hundred ninety-one or earlier model year vehicle without violating this subdivision if the windows on said vehicle were in conformity with this subdivision as it existed on December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-one.
6. (f) The commissioner shall make such rules and regulations as he shall deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this subdivision.
7. (ff) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any other general, special or local law, charter, administrative code, ordinance, rule or regulation to the contrary, any person operating a motor vehicle in a burial or funeral procession while travelling to or from a funeral, interment or cremation may place a funeral sign no larger than eight and one half by fourteen inches in any window of such vehicle, as long as such sign when so placed will not prevent such person from having a clear and full view of the road and the condition of traffic behind such vehicle.

20. Every omnibus having a seating capacity of more than seven passengers, used exclusively to transport pupils, teachers and other persons acting in a supervisory capacity to and from school or school activities, or to transport children, instructors or other persons acting in a supervisory capacity to and from child care centers maintained for migrant farm and food processing laborers or to transport children, instructors or other persons acting in a supervisory capacity to and from camp or camp activities, or to transport children, instructors or other persons acting in a supervisory capacity to and from religious services or instruction shall be equipped in the manner provided by this subdivision and any such omnibus used by any state facility or not-for-profit agency licensed by the state and used to transport persons with disabilities, instructors or other persons acting in a supervisory capacity may be equipped in the manner provided by this subdivision:

1. (a) For each such omnibus having a seating capacity in excess of fifteen children, there shall be colored flashing signal lamps conforming to regulations prescribed by the commissioner on the front and on the rear thereof, including at least one flashing red signal lamp on the front thereof and at least one flashing red signal lamp on the rear thereof. For each such omnibus having a seating capacity of not more than fifteen children, there shall be colored flashing signal lamps conforming to regulations prescribed by the commissioner facing the front and facing the rear thereof, and at least one flashing red signal lamp facing the front thereof and at least one flashing red signal lamp facing the rear thereof. The driver of every such vehicle shall keep such red signal lamps lighted whenever passengers are being received or discharged or whenever he has stopped within fifty feet to the rear of a vehicle with such red signal lamps lighted, and shall light all other required signal lamps, as a warning, prior to stopping to receive or discharge passengers in accordance with regulations prescribed by the commissioner.

2. (b)

   1. (1) In addition to such signal lamps, two signs shall be conspicuously displayed on the exterior of every such omnibus designating it as a school omnibus by the use of the words "SCHOOL BUS" which shall be painted or otherwise inscribed thereon in black letters. Such letters shall be of uniform size, at least eight inches in height, and each stroke of each letter shall be not less than one inch in width. The background of each such sign shall be painted the color known as "national school bus chrome." For each such omnibus having a seating capacity in excess of fifteen children, such signs shall be securely mounted on top of such vehicle, one of which shall be affixed on the front and one on the rear thereof. For each such omnibus having a seating capacity of not more than fifteen children, such signs shall be securely mounted on top of such vehicle, one of which shall face the front and one of which shall face the rear thereof. Each such sign shall be visible and readable from a point at least two hundred feet distant.
   2. (2) The universal handicapped symbol shall be conspicuously displayed on the exterior of every omnibus equipped with a wheelchair lift which transports children with disabilities. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations regarding the size and location of such universal handicapped symbol. The commissioner shall require that any new signage relating to accessibility installed or replaced on or after the effective date of the chapter of the laws of two thousand fourteen which amended this subparagraph depict the logo promulgated by the secretary of state pursuant to section one hundred one of the executive law.
3. (c) In the event such vehicle is operated on a public highway during the period between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sunrise, the signs required by paragraph (b) of this subdivision shall be illuminated as to be visible from a point at least five hundred feet distant.
4. (d) Every such omnibus shall be equipped as provided in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subdivision, and such signs shall be displayed and illuminated in accordance with paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subdivision, and such signal lamps shall be operated as provided in paragraph (a) of this subdivision at all times when such omnibus shall be engaged in transporting pupils to and from school or school activities or in transporting children to and from child care centers maintained for children of migrant farm and food processing laborers, or in transporting children to and from camp or camp activities or transporting children to and from religious services or instruction or transporting persons with disabilities on any such omnibus used by any state facility or not-for-profit agency licensed by the state.
5. (e) Every such omnibus, having its engine located ahead of the driver, with a seating capacity of more than twelve school children shall be equipped with a mirror, convex in shape, at least eight inches in diameter, firmly mounted at hood, windshield or fender-top height in front of the bus. It shall be located on either the left or right side of the bus in such manner that the seated driver may observe through its use the road from the front bumper forward to the point where direct observation is possible.
6. (f) The commissioner of motor vehicles is hereby authorized and empowered to adopt and, from time to time, to amend such regulations, not inconsistent with this subdivision, governing the color, number, size, type, construction and use of such signal lamps and signs, as he may deem necessary for public safety. On and after July first, nineteen hundred fifty-one, no such signal lamp or sign shall be deemed to comply with the requirements of this subdivision unless it is of a size and type approved by the commissioner and unless it shall conform to the specifications prescribed and promulgated by him.
7. (g) In the event, however, that such an omnibus, equipped as herein provided, shall cease to be used to transport pupils or pupils and teachers or children of migrant laborers and migrant child care center instructors, or children and camp instructors, the equipment, markings and paint, herein provided for, shall be removed and changed within fifteen days after relicense. Nothing contained in this section, however, shall be deemed to waive any other requirements as to equipment, markings and paint, contained in this chapter.
8. (h) All the provisions of this chapter relating to school buses shall apply with equal force and effect to buses used in transporting children and instructors to and from child care centers maintained for children of migrant farm and food processing laborers and to buses used in transporting children to and from camp or camp activities and to buses used in transporting children to and from religious services or instruction. As used in this subdivision, camp or camp activities shall mean day camp or day camp activities respectively.
9. (i) Every omnibus subject to the provisions of this subdivision shall be operated with headlights and taillights illuminated at all times of day or night.
10. (j) The commissioner of transportation, in his discretion, by regulation or upon written request, by departmental order, for good cause, may exempt any school bus that does not receive or discharge passengers on or along the public highways on regularly scheduled routes from the requirements of any or all paragraphs of subdivisions twenty and twenty-one of this section.

11. (k) All omnibuses manufactured or assembled prior to April first, nineteen hundred seventy-seven and all omnibuses manufactured or assembled after April first, nineteen hundred seventy-seven which do not meet federal standards for school bus safety, shall be phased out of use beginning with the nineteen hundred ninety-six--nineteen hundred ninety-seven school year and ending with the nineteen hundred ninety-seven--nineteen hundred ninety-eight school year. In each of such school years, at least one-half of such omnibuses shall be retired from use according to the following formula: in the nineteen hundred ninety-six--nineteen hundred ninety-seven school year, the minimum number of such omnibuses to be phased out of each owner/operator's fleet shall be the total number of such omnibuses divided by two and rounded upwards to the nearest whole number. All such omnibuses remaining shall be phased out in the nineteen hundred ninety-seven--nineteen hundred ninety-eight school year. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this paragraph the commissioner of education may make exceptions on a case by case basis if a school district certifies to the commissioner of education that a certain omnibus should not be retired for reason of economic hardship and the commissioner of transportation determines upon inspection that such omnibus is in good working order. In making his determination, the commissioner of transportation shall consider, among other relevant factors, the relative age and structure of each such omnibus. When such determination is made, every such omnibus so certified shall be reinspected by the commissioner of transportation once every six months. Any school district receiving an exemption from the provisions of this paragraph for any omnibus shall provide to the commissioner of education an annual recertification of economic hardship. (l)(1) Every such omnibus used on a regular basis to transport pupils with a disability on a regularly scheduled route shall, with the written consent of the parent, guardian, or person in a position of loco parentis, have maintained on such omnibus the following information about each such pupil:

    1. (i) name;
    2. (ii) nature of the disability; and
    3. (iii) the name of such pupil's parent, guardian, or person in a position of loco parentis and one or more telephone numbers where such person can be reached in an emergency, and/or the name and telephone number of any other person designated by such parent, guardian or person in a position of loco parentis as a person who can be contacted in an emergency.
    4. (2) Such information shall be used solely for the purpose of contacting such pupil's parent, guardian, person in a position of loco parentis, or designee in the event of an emergency involving such pupil, shall be kept in a manner which retains the privacy of the pupil, and shall not be accessible to any person other than the driver or a teacher acting in a supervisory capacity. Provided, however, that in the event that such driver or teacher is incapacitated, such information may be accessed by any emergency services provider for the purpose authorized by this subparagraph.
    5. (3) Such information shall be updated as needed, but at least once each school year. Such information shall be destroyed if: parental consent is revoked; the pupil no longer attends such school; or, the disability no longer exists.
    6. (4) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "disability" shall mean a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of a pupil, whether of a temporary or permanent nature.

(c) The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations for exterior reflective markings required to be attached on school buses. Such rules and regulations:

1. (1) shall require the rear of school buses to be marked with reflective material to outline the perimeter of the back of the bus and of the rear emergency exit;
2. (2) shall require the horizontal application of strips of reflective material, not less than one and three-quarters inches wide, above the rear windows, and above the rear bumper from the edges of the rear emergency exit door to both corners of the school bus with vertical strips of reflective material at each corner connected to the horizontal strips;
3. (3) shall require the horizontal application of strips of reflective material, not less than one and three-quarters inches wide, the entire length of the sides of the school bus body and located equidistant between the floorline and the beltline of the bus; and
4. (4) may require the marking of the front, rear or both bumpers of school buses with reflective material between one and three-quarters and two and one-quarter inches wide applied thereto at a forty-five degree angle to the center line of the road surface. * NB There are 2 sub. 21-h's

5. 21-i.

   1. (a)

      1. (1) Every school bus manufactured on or after January first, nineteen hundred ninety, fueled with other than diesel fuel and used to transport three or more students who use wheelchairs or other assistive mobility devices or with a total capacity of more than eight passengers and used to transport students who use wheelchairs or other assistive mobility devices shall be equipped with an engine fire suppression system.
      2. (2) Every school bus manufactured for use in this state on or after September first, two thousand seven fueled with diesel fuel and used to transport three or more students who use wheelchairs or other assistive mobility devices or with a total capacity of more than eight passengers and used to transport students who use wheelchairs or other assistive mobility devices shall be equipped with an engine fire suppression system.
   2. (b) The commissioner of the department of transportation shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing standards for the use of engine fire suppression systems on school buses used to transport students who use wheelchairs or other assistive mobility devices.
6. 22. It shall be unlawful to operate a motor vehicle upon the public highways of this state which is equipped with any glass which is so broken, fractured or discolored as to distort visibility.
7. 23. Every motor vehicle operated for hire upon the public highways of this state shall be equipped with handles or other devices which shall permit the door or doors to the passenger compartment to be readily opened from the interior of the vehicle.
8. 24. It shall be unlawful to operate upon any public highway in this state a motor vehicle which is equipped with a television receiving set within view of the operator or in which a television receiving set is in operation within the view of the operator. A motor vehicle shall not be deemed to be equipped with a television receiving set solely because such set utilizes power from such vehicle. The provisions of this subdivision shall not prohibit a vehicle with a weight of ten thousand pounds or more or a school bus from using closed-circuit television receiving equipment exclusively for safety and maneuvering purposes, in accordance with regulations to be established by the commissioner.
9. 24-a. It shall be unlawful to operate upon any public highway in this state a motor vehicle, limited use automobile, limited use motorcycle or bicycle while the operator is wearing more than one earphone attached to a radio, tape player or other audio device.

10. 25.

    1. (a) On and after the first day of January, nineteen hundred seventy-four it shall be unlawful to operate on any public highway or street in this state any tractor, commercial motor vehicle, combination of a commercial motor vehicle and trailer, or combination of a truck-tractor and semi-trailer which is not so constructed or equipped as reasonably to bar water or other road surface substances from being thrown by the rearmost wheels beyond the extreme rear of the vehicle or combination of vehicles, and to minimize side spray.
    2. (b) Unless the commercial vehicle or combination vehicle is so designed or constructed to accomplish the objectives set forth in paragraph (a) of this subdivision by reason of fender or body construction or other means of enclosure, any such commercial vehicle or combination vehicle shall be equipped, on and after January first, nineteen hundred fifty-seven, with splash guards and stone deflectors which shall be composed of materials substantial enough to withstand ripping or tearing by ordinary means and withstand the action of the elements for a reasonable length of time. Such splash guards and stone deflectors shall also have a reasonable degree of flexibility and the distance from the lower end thereof to the ground shall not exceed one-third of the distance, measured along the ground, from the bottom of the splash guard to the point of contact of the rear wheel.
    3. (c) The commissioner of motor vehicles is hereby authorized and empowered to make rules and regulations with respect to splash guards and stone deflectors, their type and construction, manner of attachment to vehicles and all other matters requisite for the proper effectuation of the purposes of this subdivision. In making such rules and regulations the commissioner shall be guided by the desirability of uniformity in requirements with regard to splash guards and stone deflectors among the several states.
    4. (d) The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers registered pursuant to subdivision thirteen of section four hundred one of this chapter, and not operated upon the public highways in excess of one and one-half miles by direct route between farms or portions of farms under single or common ownership or operation.
11. 26. A gong or siren whistle shall not be used on any vehicle other than an authorized emergency vehicle. This shall not be construed to apply to a gong or siren designed and used solely as a burglar alarm on a vehicle.
12. 27. When a vehicle (a) has a crane, boom or other similar device attached or (b) is loaded with any material, and such crane, boom, device or material extends four feet or more beyond the front or rear of such vehicle, such vehicle shall be provided with a red flag not less than twenty-four inches square by day and a red light visible from the rear and an amber light visible from the front for a distance of at least five hundred feet by night on the extreme end of the extending portion of such crane, boom, device or material.
13. 28. No person shall operate upon a public highway a vehicle which emits unnecessary smoke or unnecessary offensive vapors.
14. 28-a. Except as permitted or authorized by law, no person shall remove, dismantle or otherwise cause to be inoperative any equipment or feature constituting an operational element of a motor vehicle's air pollution control system or mechanism required by federal or state law or by any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.
15. 28-b. Except where inconsistent with federal law, every motor vehicle registered in this state and manufactured or assembled after June thirty, nineteen hundred sixty-three shall be equipped with a crankcase ventilating system of a type approved by the state commissioner of environmental conservation for the purpose of reducing the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Such system shall be maintained in good working order in continued conformity with standards promulgated by the state commissioner of environmental conservation. For the purposes of this subdivision the term "motor vehicle" shall exclude diesel powered motor vehicles, motorcycles, vehicles driven by electric power and special purpose commercial motor vehicles registered under paragraph F of subdivision seven of section four hundred one of this chapter.
16. 28-c. Except where inconsistent with federal law, rules and regulations, every motor vehicle registered in this state and manufactured or assembled after June thirty, nineteen hundred sixty-seven and known as a nineteen hundred sixty-eight or subsequent model shall be equipped with an air contaminant emission control system of a type approved by the state commissioner of environmental conservation. Such systems shall be maintained in good working order in continued conformity with emission standards promulgated by the state commissioner of environmental conservation. For the purposes of this subdivision, "air contaminant emission control systems" may include, but shall not be limited to, exhaust control systems and gasoline evaporation control systems but shall exclude crankcase ventilating systems.
17. 28-d. The state commissioner of environmental conservation may exempt or partially exempt from the provisions of subdivisions twenty-eight-b and twenty-eight-c of this section any type or class of motor vehicle for which no practical control systems have been developed or are necessary.
18. 28-e. Standards and exemptions established by the state commissioner of environmental conservation pursuant to subdivisions twenty-eight-b, twenty-eight-c and twenty-eight-d of this section, shall be consistent with applicable federal laws and regulations.

19. 28-f.

    1. (a) Except where inconsistent with federal law, rules and regulations, in addition to any air contaminant emission control systems required by subdivisions twenty-eight-b and twenty-eight-c of this section, the commissioner of environmental conservation may by regulation require the installation of exhaust emission control devices in proper working condition on all or any vehicles of any class or classes of gasoline powered motor vehicle having a registered maximum gross weight in excess of six thousand pounds. The commissioner of environmental conservation shall not promulgate any such regulation unless he (i) has determined, with the concurrence of the commissioner, that any such device is, or devices are, effective and reliable, (ii) has determined that the installation of any such device on all or any vehicles of such class or classes is necessary to the achievement of federal ambient air quality standards pursuant to an approved air quality implementation plan adopted pursuant to the federal clean air act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1857 et seq.) and (iii) has determined that the effect of such regulation will not be diluted by the absence of a comparable requirement in an adjoining state; provided, however, that the effective date of the requirements of such regulation shall not be prior to the approval or promulgation of a transportation control plan pursuant to the Federal clean air act as amended for those portions of adjoining states designated as the territorial areas forming parts of the New Jersey-New York-Connecticut Interstate Air Quality Control Region under such act and not prior to the effective date of comparable requirements for such vehicles registered in, required to be registered in, or operated in any such portions. Any such requirement shall take effect with respect to any such motor vehicle as of the date of issuance of a registration for such vehicle in the year next succeeding the date on which the regulation requiring the installation of such a device is promulgated by the commissioner of environmental conservation, but in no event prior to March first, nineteen hundred seventy-six.
    2. (b) The provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall apply only to gasoline powered vehicles which are registered in or are required by law to be registered pursuant to subdivision seven of section four hundred one of this chapter in, or are regularly operated in that portion of the state designated as the territorial area forming part of the New Jersey-New York-Connecticut Interstate Air Quality-Control Region under the federal clean air act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1857 et seq.) or any part of such region.
    3. (c) Whenever a motor vehicle registered pursuant to subdivision seven of section four hundred one of this chapter is not required by a regulation promulgated pursuant to this subdivision, to have an exhaust emission control device installed in accordance with this subdivision, the applicant for registration for any such motor vehicle shall be required to file a statement as prescribed by the commissioner in conjunction with such registration that such motor vehicle is not required to have such a device. A false statement in relation to such exemption shall constitute a material false statement in an application for registration.
    4. (d) A notation on the registration for a vehicle and an identifying sticker on the vehicle, both of which indicate that such vehicle is required to have an exhaust emission control device shall be presumptive evidence that such device in proper working condition is required on that vehicle pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
    5. (e) The rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall contain provisions necessary or appropriate to implement this subdivision, including the definition of terms and exemptions for motor vehicles registered in areas from which no substantial numbers of motor vehicles are regularly operated in the portion of the state referred to in paragraph (b) of this subdivision.
    6. (f) No registered owner shall permit a motor vehicle, required to have an exhaust emission control device in proper working condition pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision, to be operated in the portion of the state to which this subdivision is applicable, unless such vehicle is equipped with an approved exhaust emission control device in proper working condition. Every person convicted of a violation of this paragraph shall for a first violation thereof with respect to a particular motor vehicle be punished by a fine of seven hundred fifty dollars. Such fine may not be waived, suspended or in any other manner not levied, except that four hundred fifty dollars of such fine may be waived upon presentation of acceptable evidence prior to the final determination of the violation that the device required pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision has been installed on the vehicle and is in proper working condition. Every person convicted of a second or subsequent violation with respect to a particular vehicle shall be punished by a fine of seven hundred fifty dollars, which fine may not be waived, suspended or in any other manner not levied.

20. 29.

    1. (a) A motor vehicle shall not be used to tow more than one other vehicle.
    2. (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the following vehicles or combination of vehicles are permitted to be operated in New York state:
    3. 1. Municipal garbage or ash collecting systems consisting of three vehicles;
    4. 2. A tow truck or wrecker being used to tow a disabled tractor semitrailer combination;
    5. 3. A tractor being used to tow a semitrailer and trailer outside the city of New York or counties of Nassau and Suffolk or on any qualifying highway or access highway within the city of New York or counties of Nassau or Suffolk;
    6. 3-a. A tractor semitrailer-semitrailer combination of vehicles where the two semitrailers are connected by a B-train assembly and such combinations of vehicles is operated outside the city of New York or counties of Nassau and Suffolk or on any qualifying highway or access highway within the city of New York or counties of Nassau or Suffolk;
    7. 4. Subject to rules and regulations of the commissioner of transportation, a combination of an automotive powered cab and truck chassis being used to tow two such additional vehicles in double saddle-mount fashion, each mounted upon a device designed and constructed so as to be readily dismountable and which performs the function of a conventional fifth wheel, so that while all the wheels of the towing powered chassis touch the roadway, only the wheels on the rear axle of each of the towed vehicles are in contact with the roadway; and
    8. 5. Subject to rules and regulations of the commissioner of transportation, a combination of an automotive powered cab and truck chassis being used to tow three such additional vehicles in triple saddle-mount fashion on a qualifying or access highway, each mounted upon a device designed and constructed so as to be readily dismountable and which performs the function of a conventional fifth wheel, so that while all the wheels of the towing powered chassis touch the roadway, only the wheels on the rear axle of each of the towed vehicles are in contact with the roadway.
    9. (c) No vehicle shall be towed by a rope or other non-rigid connection which is longer than sixteen feet.

36.

1. (a)

   1. (i) The slow-moving vehicle emblem as developed by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers shall be recognized as the official state slow moving vehicle emblem. The commissioner of motor vehicles shall adopt standards and specifications for design, creation and use, in conformance with those recommendations of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers for the size, design and mounting of said slow-moving vehicle emblem.
   2. (ii) The commissioner shall adopt standards and specifications for design, creation and use, in conformance with those recommendations of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers standard which meets the criteria of the American National Standards Institute/American Society for Testing and Materials S584 for the size, design and mounting of a speed identification symbol. A speed identification symbol shall indicate the maximum speed in miles per hour at which the unit of farm machinery, implement of husbandry and other machinery including road construction and maintenance machinery to which it is mounted is designed by its manufacturer to operate.

2. (b)

   1. (i) Farm machinery and implements of husbandry and other machinery including road construction and maintenance machinery designed to operate at twenty-five miles per hour or less, traveling on a public highway during day or night, whether self-propelled or used in combination, shall each separately display a slow-moving vehicle emblem as specified in paragraph (a) of this subdivision.

   2. (ii)

      1. (A) Farm machinery and implements of husbandry and other machinery including road construction and maintenance machinery designed to operate at a speed greater than twenty-five miles per hour but less than forty miles per hour, traveling on a public highway during day or night, whether self-propelled or used in combination, shall each separately display a slow-moving vehicle emblem and a speed identification symbol as specified in paragraph (a) of this subdivision.
      2. (B) If an agricultural tractor that is designed by its manufacturer to operate at a speed greater than twenty-five miles per hour but not greater than forty miles per hour is being operated on a street or highway at a speed greater than twenty-five miles per hour but less than forty miles per hour and is towing, pulling, or otherwise drawing a unit of farm machinery, the unit of farm machinery shall display a slow-moving vehicle emblem and a speed identification symbol that is the same as the speed identification symbol that is displayed on the agricultural tractor.
      3. (C) When an agricultural tractor is designed by its manufacturer to operate at a speed greater than twenty-five miles per hour but less than forty miles per hour is being operated on a street or highway at a speed greater than twenty-five miles per hour, the operator shall possess some documentation published or provided by the manufacturer indicating the maximum speed in miles per hour at which the manufacturer designed the agricultural tractor to operate.
3. (c) The use of such emblem and symbol shall be in addition to any lighting devices, flags or other equipment required by law. Such emblem and symbol shall be used only on farm machinery and implements of husbandry on road construction and maintenance machinery, and on such other vehicles, machinery and equipment as may be specified in regulations issued by the commissioner. All use shall be in accordance with such regulations. Use of such emblem as a clearance marker or on stationary objects on the highways is prohibited.

47.

1. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or cause to be operated, an audio amplification system which is operated in, installed in or powered by a vehicle which generates an A-weighted sound level in excess of seventy dB (A) measured at, or adjusted to, a distance of twenty-five feet from the vehicle which is driven, standing, or parked on a public highway, or within one hundred feet of a public highway unless that system is being operated to request assistance or warn of a hazardous situation. This section shall not apply to authorized emergency vehicles or vehicles operated by gas, electric, communications or water utilities. This section shall not apply to the sound systems of vehicles used for advertising, or in parades, political or other special events, except that the use of sound systems on those motor vehicles may be prohibited by a local authority by ordinance or local law.
2. (b) Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall for a first conviction thereof be punished by a fine of up to one hundred fifty dollars; for a conviction of a second violation, both of which were committed within a period of eighteen months, such person shall be guilty of a traffic infraction and shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred fifty dollars and not more than three hundred dollars; upon conviction of a third or subsequent violation, all of which were committed within a period of eighteen months, such person shall be guilty of a traffic infraction and shall be punished by a fine of not less than three hundred seventy-five dollars and not more than seven hundred fifty dollars.

48. Bumpers or similar devices. (a) For the purposes of this subdivision, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

1. (i) Bumper. A system, the primary function of which is to provide protection against damage affecting front or rear external lamps, body parts and vehicle occupants during low speed impacts.
2. (ii) Passenger car. A motor vehicle whose body style is a sedan, hardtop, coupe, convertible, station wagon or hatchback but not a van, minivan, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, tractor, motorcycle or bus.
3. (b) No person shall operate a passenger car registered in New York unless it is equipped with both a front and rear bumper, each securely fastened and with some part of the bumper located between sixteen inches and twenty inches above the ground. This provision shall not apply to a vehicle registered as an historical vehicle.
4. (c) Except insofar as paragraph (b) of this subdivision shall apply, no person shall operate a motor vehicle designated as a nineteen hundred ninety or newer model year vehicle, which is registered in this state, except a motorcycle or special purpose commercial vehicle registered under schedule F of subdivision seven of section four hundred one of this chapter, which is so constructed that the body has a clearance at the front end of more than thirty inches from the ground when empty, unless the front end of the vehicle is equipped with bumpers or devices serving similar purposes which shall be so constructed and located that (i) some part of the bumpers or devices must be at least sixteen but not more than thirty inches above the ground with the vehicle empty; (ii) the maximum distance between the closest points between bumpers or devices, if more than one is used, shall not exceed twenty-four inches; (iii) the maximum transverse distance from the widest part of the motor vehicle at the front to the bumper or device shall not exceed eighteen inches; and (iv) the bumpers or devices shall be substantially constructed and firmly attached. A motor vehicle constructed and maintained so that the body, chassis, or other parts of the vehicle afford the front end protection contemplated shall be deemed to be in compliance with this section.
5. (d) Except insofar as paragraph (b) of this subdivision shall apply, no person shall operate a motor vehicle or a combination of vehicles, designated as a nineteen hundred ninety or newer model year vehicle, except a tractor, pole trailer, vehicle engaged in saddle-mount operation, motorcycle or special purpose commercial vehicle registered under schedule F of subdivision seven of section four hundred one of this chapter, if the motor vehicle is registered in this state, and which is so constructed that the body, or the chassis assembly without the body, has a clearance at the rear end of more than thirty inches from the ground when empty, unless the rear end of the vehicle or combination of vehicles is equipped with bumpers or devices serving similar purposes which shall be so constructed and located that: (i) some part of the bumpers or devices must be at least sixteen but not more than thirty inches above the ground with the vehicle empty; (ii) the maximum distance between the closest points between bumpers, or devices, if more than one is used, shall not exceed twenty-four inches; (iii) the maximum transverse distance from the widest part of the motor vehicle at the rear to the bumper or device shall not exceed eighteen inches; (iv) the bumpers or devices shall be located not more than twenty-four inches forward of the extreme rear of the vehicle; and (v) the bumpers or devices shall be substantially constructed and firmly attached. Motor vehicles constructed and maintained so that the body, chassis, or other parts of the vehicle afford the rear end protection contemplated shall be deemed to be in compliance with this section.

(c) For the purposes of this subdivision:

1. (i) "Stretch limousine" shall mean an altered motor vehicle having a seating capacity of nine or more passengers, including the driver, commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" and which is used in the business of transporting passengers for compensation; and
2. (ii) "Commercial global positioning system (GPS) technology" shall mean global positioning system (GPS) technology which has been specifically designed to assist in the navigation of commercial motor vehicles. * NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in writing that chapter 11 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible for the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 11 of 2020 § 3)