Vehicle Code

Many of us are intimidated by legalese, or government-speak. The thought of having to find or do research on information written in this manner―such as the South Dakota Codified Laws―is enough to intimidate most drivers.

However, there are times when you really might need to have access to this information. For example, in the motor vehicle realm, perhaps you want to contest a traffic ticket, and need to know exactly what the law says about the infraction. Or, maybe you're thinking of becoming a vehicle dealer, and need to know more about the rules governing them.

The good news is that it's surprisingly easy to find this information online.

For instance, most rules concerning motor vehicles fall under Title 32 of the South Dakota Codified Laws. Within this title are 39 chapters (with a few sub-chapters), each dealing with a different subject. Some of the areas covered include the state highway patrol, vehicle dealer regulation, motor vehicle inspection, traffic regulation, emergency vehicles, child safety restraints systems, and school buses.

Now, you may search for the information you need in three ways:

• Statute Quick Find ― If you know the title, chapter and/or statute number you need, you can type it here, and the relevant information will appear. Traffic violation laws can easily be found this way.

• Title List―This is a table of contents containing all 62 title headings. If you click on a title number, you'll see a listing of all the chapter headings within that title. You may then click on a chapter heading to see the information contained in the chapter.

• Text Search― This allows you to type in a keyword or phrase, and all statutes containing that phrase will be given. You may use filters to help narrow the search results.

Recent statutes may not be available online, however, as the code is updated annually around July 1.

As we said, finding the information you need is pretty easy. Understanding it, well...