1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to traffic regulations; requiring mud flaps 
  1.3             on sport utility vehicles; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.4             2002, sections 169.01, by adding a subdivision; 
  1.5             169.733, subdivision 1.  
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 169.01, is 
  1.8   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 91.  [SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE.] "Sport utility vehicle" 
  1.10  means a high-performance four-wheel drive passenger vehicle 
  1.11  built on a truck chassis.  
  1.12     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 169.733, 
  1.13  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.14     Subdivision 1.  [VEHICLES GENERALLY.] Every truck, 
  1.15  truck-tractor, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, sport utility 
  1.16  vehicle, and rear-end dump truck, excepting rear-end dump farm 
  1.17  trucks and military vehicles of the United States, shall be 
  1.18  provided with wheel flaps or other suitable protection above and 
  1.19  behind the rearmost wheels of the vehicle or combination of 
  1.20  vehicles to prevent, as far as practicable, such wheels from 
  1.21  throwing dirt, water, or other materials on the windshields of 
  1.22  vehicles which follow.  Such flaps or protectors shall be at 
  1.23  least as wide as the tires they are protecting and shall have a 
  1.24  ground clearance of not more than one-fifth of the horizontal 
  1.25  distance from the center of the rearmost axle to the flap under 
  2.1   any conditions of loading or operation of the motor vehicle.