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Get involved! We are setting up an email list for Nevadians who are interested in registering modified Golf Carts and UTV's as LSV's.
Send us an email to lsv@xoatv.com We will keep you informed to the status of our efforts.
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We Are Working With Our Nevada State Reps, Assemblyman Joe Hardy, Clark County 20 And Senator Warren B. Hardy II, Clark County #12 to see if we need a new law, or if here are enough laws on the books to allow The DMV to Register UTV's and Modified Golf Carts that can conform to state law and federal regulations and allow them to be licensed AS LSV's. (Low Speed Vehicles)
Currently I believe there are no new laws that need to be created to allow us to register complying UTV's as LSV's. Our Reps have sent our information to the Legislative Council for review.
Across the country UTV's and modified golf carts are being allowed to be used on the streets. Neighboring states like Utah, Arizona and even California are allowing UTV's and converted Golf Carts on the streets.
Arizona licenses UTV's as motorcycles and they are allowed on most roads in the state. (If Not All) This is where I'd like to go with Nevada's law, however this would require a law change.
Utah has passed a law that goes into effect in October, 2008 that allows UTV's on the streets on most roads with a max speed limit of 50 MPH. (Currently all police departments from the areas of the residents I've talked to in Utah, are allowing the use of UTV's on the streets even before the law takes effect.) I do believe Salt Lake City is not allowing them.
California allows modified Golf Carts to be registered as LSV's however we don't know about the UTV's as speed limiting technology has just been introduced for some UTV's currently available for the Rhino 660 / 700 and more UTV models are expected. We have seen a Polaris Ranger licensed for the street In Ca. it was not registered as as LSV however.
Requirements and regulation for LSV's at the federal level to convert Golf Carts as LSV's are greatly reduced by design to make conversion more affordable, something the Nevada DMV will not recognize. Usually it's the feds that are more draconian than local and state government, but not in this case here in Nevada.
While the federal rule does not address UTV's directly as a low speed vehicle, it does however reference gas powered Golf Carts.
There are 2 classifications as far as Golf Carts go at the federal level. The Golf Cart that goes under 20 MPH, and Golf Carts including speed modified Golf Carts with a top speed of at least 20 MPH and no more than 25 MPH. Golf Carts meeting the 20 to 25 MPH speed limits do qualify as LSV's, provided they also meet the other existing requirements. More about the requirements a bit later.
Nevada has a lot to gain in allowing UTV's on the streets, as well IMO as having a good off-road program in general.
The California off-road industry is an 11 billion dollar industry. When the UTV came out, this spawned a huge industry in the UTV after market business. A complete and new industry with high paying jobs producing U.S. made goods was born.
Many companies which produced parts for the aero space industry finding hard times, were suddenly producing machined parts for UTV's and ATV's in general. Small manufacturing companies, some old and some new were finding a huge market in the UTV industry.
These manufactures spent massive amounts of money for the machines and equipment to produce these goods and hiring people in high paying jobs to design and manufacture custom parts and accessories to meet the growing demand.
States like California and Arizona are the main producers of these parts and accessories while Utah, Arizona and California brings in the tourism finding long ago the off-road industry was a boom to local and state economies even though some of California representatives have forgotten what the off-road industry brings to the state.
With the exception of Dynojet located in North Las Vegas all of the products we buy come from out of state and most of the products we sell are then sent back to the rest of the states and Canada with Nevada receiving almost no benefit.
We have a huge back yard here in Nevada with no vision, closed off land and roads, 1000's of miles of roads that are not open to off-road vehicles because our UTV's are not street legal.
Making UTV's street legal in Nevada will open these roads so we can enjoy the land in Nevada. If managed and promoted, rural Nevada could see an increase in tourism just as the small towns of Utah do along the Paiute Trail do. The trail is a 274 mile loop that encompass parts of Highway 89 in Utah. Within this trail 1,800 miles of trails are there to be explored.
You can go out on the trail and ride your UTV's and ATV's into town and stay for the night, visit a restaurant, get repairs, food and supplies and head back out the next morning on your adventure. Good family fun so many desire here in Nevada but currently most of us go out of state to ride. No one from out of state with the exception of Sand Mountain knows Nevada as a off-road destination I've ever heard of.
The BLM which manages most of the land in Nevada is so large, has so much to manage, IMO it can't effectively manage anything. In Utah, California and Arizona, if you are one of the nitwits that will not stay on the trail or road, someone, another responsible off-roader is going to report you. We understand that our ability to use these lands is something we can lose and we guard it.
With the DMV out of the way regarding UTV's and Golf Carts being converted to LSV's we could have a boom here in Nevada in the off-road and on-road industry. Nevadans like those in Utah and Arizona will be spending money to convert these vehicles and then customizing them like they do any other custom vehicle. Opening roads by being street legal in our wonderful state will promote tourism here in Nevada.
Here in Boulder City NV. where we were allowed to ride for a short time in town, we had plans to bring in a UTV and golf cart show. Out of state owners were interested as well as some manufactures, but thanks to the City Manager who ensured this failure by design, loaded the program with unneeded cost and the shortsightedness by a few counsel members sighting "I have no idea what I'm talking about" safety concerns (NEISS Reported Incidents are reported below) and cost to the city placed in by the City Manager through City Staff, the UTV's and golf carts on the streets were doomed and forced off.
Boulder City which desires an increase in tourism and could of been on the leading edge of this new industry squashed the idea and with it the benefit of a source of tourism it desires.
Paraphrasing a commercial I've seen lately, I don't think the City Manager and some of our Counsel members could recognize a good thing for Boulder City if it sat in their lap and called them mama!
The people that can afford these machines are the people we want in coming to Nevada and Boulder City, but we only seem to promote the mighty gambling dollar and when that falls off our officials cry the blues and start wringing their hands wondering what to do.
Benefits Of LSV's On The Road
LSV's Including Golf Carts and UTV Produce less or No CO2 a green house gas. They use less fuel and are ideal for short trips to run errands and visit friends.
The City of Palm Desert, Ca estimates that it has achieved a reduction of 16 tons annually of Carbon Monoxide.
LSV's along with converted golf carts and UTV's with 1 or 2 cylinders while not eliminating these green house gases would reduce the amount over a larger, heavier conventional automobiles with larger engines.
We live about a mile and 1/2 from our business and fire up the 7.3L Ford F-350 Diesel and drive it to the shop. It is used to run errands in town for the business and to deliver packages to the post office for shipment. Our Rhino would be perfect for this kind of duty and do a little bit for the environment as well.
Even the Sierra Club supports LSV's. While I doubt the Sierra Club would support UTV's As LSV's simply because thay are gas powered and can go off-road, the Sierra Club according to what I've read in the Federal Rule hearings did not say anything about not allowing them.
LSV's use less fuel or no fuel if electric and are ideal for short trips in the neighborhood and ideal solution for those on a fixed income with the costs and concerns about fuel and foreign oil dependance.
LSV's including UTV's and Golf Carts can increase the quality of life from the enjoyment of driving one just like any other vehicle we enjoy simply because it is fun to drive. As Americans we have a long history with our automobiles firmly rooted in almost all of us.
Safety
Injuries from the Federal Rule discussions appear to be negligible. These are the reported deaths and injuries from golf carts before the Federal Rule 571.500 became law.
National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) On-line
NEISS REPORTED INCIDENTS
1993 - 1997
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of InjurTypey
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1993
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1994
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1995
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1996
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1997
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5 year total
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pedestrian injury
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36
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19
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18
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16
|
30
|
119
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off-road injury
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96
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138
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145
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146
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168
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693
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on-road injury
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3
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4
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5
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5
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6
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23
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on-road fatality
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1
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0
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0
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0
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0
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1
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rollover injury
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4
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4
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8
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4
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7
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27
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ejection injury
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26
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17
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14
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11
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12
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94
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total
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100
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142
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149
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161
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174
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726
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Federal LSV requirements.
The Federal Rule 571.500 applies to LSV's. CLICK to read
This is another version of the Final Rule which reads about LSV's and the findings including safety factors. CLICK
Basically you have to meet the minimum and maximum speed requirements
Headlamps
Taillamps
Breaklights
Front And Rear Turn Signals
3 Reflectors
1 Mirror On The Drivers Side And Either One On The Passenger Side Or An Interior Rear View Mirror.
Parking Brake
Windshield that conforms to AS-1 Or AS-5 Standards
VIN number
And Type 1 Or Type 2 Seat Belt Assemblies.
Nevada Law On LSV's
9. For every low-speed vehicle, as that term is defined in section 4 of this act, a fee for registration of $33.
Sec. 4. Chapter 484 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto a new section to read as follows:
1. As used in this section, "low-speed vehicle" means a motor vehicle:
(a) Designed to carry not more than four persons;
(b) Designed to operate at a maximum speed of at least 20 but not more than 25 miles per hour;
(c) Having at least four wheels in contact with the ground;
(d) Having an unladen weight of less than 1,800 pounds; and
(e) Complying with the standards for safety of such a vehicle set forth in Federal Motor Safety Standard No. 500 at 49 CFR § 571.500.
2. If registered, a low-speed vehicle may be operated upon a highway where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less. A person shall not operate a low-speed vehicle upon a highway where the posted speed limit is greater than 35 miles per hour, except to cross such a highway at an intersection.
The Nevada DMV and LSV's
Conversion
The Nevada DMV is currently using non existing laws and laws from other parts of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) to keep us from registering our UTV's and converting our golf carts to LSV's
Nowhere in Nevada law does it say we can't convert Golf Carts or UTV's to LSV's.
Federal Rule 571.500 allows conversion and more importantly does not disallow conversions by the owner, something the DMV claims on the DMV web site and I can't find a reference backed by any law.
If our legislature who passed the LSV law wanted it to be by licensed manufactures only, they simply would of had the law read: LSV's are vehicles manufactured by licensed manufactures and my not be licensed as LSV's if the vehicle is not originally manufactured As A LSV.
To view the Nevada DMV web site on low speed vehicles CLICK
Use of other laws by the DMV
What the DMV told us about registering our Rhino as a LSV.
The DMV said our Rhino was an ATV and it does not register ATV's.
UTV's And ATV's
The UTV is a new class of vehicle that is different than ATV's. The Manufactures sell ATV's and UTV's. Nevada law does not address UTV's anywhere.
An ATV is a vehicle that you ride on, straddle a saddle same as a motorcycle and does not have seat belts.
A UTV is a separate class of vehicle which you sit in and seats 2 people or more side by side and is manufactured with seat belts.
The Rhino is a off road vehicle and the DMV does not register off road vehicles.
This is false. You can find examples of off road vehicles like dune buggy's converted and rebuilt and registered on the road today.
A off road motorcycle, purchased a an off road motorcycle not designed for street use can be converted to meet street motorcycle standards and then licensed by the DMV for road use. It also allows the conversion of such by the owner an after completing RD-64 by a Nevada Licensed Garage, Body Shop or Rebuilder. CLICK to view the RD-64 Form.
The manufacture of UTV's states it is not for on road use and therefore can't be converted for street use.
Beside what I have written above, the DMV does issue golf cart permit's which allows them to be used on the streets in designated areas. A standard golf cart which DMV permits and allows on the street was not designed by the manufacture to be an on-road vehicle.
Nowhere on the RD-64 Form which does address LSV's does it state the work has to be completed by a licensed garage or manufacture. This form is for inspection purposes only.
We have a State Body Shop willing to certify that our Rhino meets the Federal Rule 571.500 and Nevada law. Despite this a DMV supervisor stated "Even if you do meet all the requirements of an LSV, have all the inspections required, we will not register it."
If you call the DMV and depending on who answers call about registration, many of the DMV's employees will state that according to the law, UTV's and Modified Golf Carts can be registered as a LSV, providing it meets the rest of the requirements. It is when you get to the nuts and bolts of registration it now becomes impossible because of DMV policies.
I have not found any police officers that when they read the law in regards to LSV's that have said that UTV's can't be registered as LSV's.
I believe that if the Nevada State Legislature wanted to deny Golf Cart and UTV's conversions or to be licensed by the state when it was only produced by licensed manufacture would have written it to read as such into the LSV law.
It is a sad state of affairs when the average person, DMV employees and police officers read a law, follow the law to the tee, and are told the law that you are reading does not mean what it says it means.
When you ask the DMV where is the law none will provide it only citing other laws which have nothing to do with LSV's. When the DMV is cornered by a reasonable well thought out argument, the final word is "I'm not going to argue with you", meaning that's the way it is, like it or not. This is usually followed by hearing a dial tone on the phone.
We should not have to be attorneys in order to understand the law as it is written.
How can we follow the law and be law abiding citizens if the law does not mean what it reads? When this kind of thing happens, and we are only granted rights and privileges when it is granted to us by law, this becomes naturally abhorrent by nature to a free society.
Craig Castleberry
www.xopco.com
702-987-0202
While I'm not a lawyer this is my opinion and is intended for informational purposes only and not submitted as legal advise.
This information maybe copied for non commercial purposes providing full credit is given to the author.
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