HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The ordinance permitting recreation use of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) passed its second reading during the Sept. 16 Hopkinsville City Council meeting. It was legalized for Christian County residents by the fiscal court earlier this summer, with Hopkinsville following suit.
The classification of SPVs as spelled out in Senate Bill 63 by the Kentucky Legislature includes all terrain vehicles, and utility terrain vehicles. Before being street legal, they must be equipped with a long list of safety features such as headlamps, a horn, a speedometer, a roll bar, review mirrors, a windshield, license plate light, turn signals, and a working muffler.
Hopkinsville’s ordinance specifies that SPVs must be driven by licensed drivers and are limited to highways that have a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less. Passengers under the age of 18 must wear a helmet.
What to know before hitting the road, inspections by deputies
“Now that the ordinance is passed, yes, city residents can start operating those on the roads,” Hopkinsville Police Chief Jason Newby told Christian County Now. “But there is a process. They (SPVs) have to go through the inspections, and they have to meet certain requirements.”…