Sec 28-952. Required brake equipment

A. The following brake equipment is required:

1. A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle or motor driven cycle, if it is operated on a highway shall be equipped with brakes adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold the vehicle, including two separate means of applying the brakes, each of which means is effective to apply the brakes to at least two wheels. If these two separate means of applying the brakes are connected in any way, they shall be constructed so that failure of any one part of the operating mechanism does not leave the motor vehicle without brakes on at least two wheels.

2. A motorcycle, an all-terrain vehicle and every motor driven cycle when operated on a highway shall be equipped with at least one brake that may be operated by hand or foot.

3. When it is operated on a highway a trailer or semitrailer with a gross weight of three thousand pounds or more shall be equipped with brakes that are adequate to control the movement of and to stop and to hold the vehicle and that are designed to either be applied by the driver of the towing motor vehicle from its cab or be of a type that operates automatically when the service brakes of the towing motor vehicle are applied. The brakes shall be designed and connected so that in case of an accidental breakaway of the towed vehicle the brakes shall be automatically applied, except that brakes are not required on all wheels of a truck that is being towed as a semitrailer and that is being towed in a drive-away, tow-away operation, if the combination of vehicles is capable of complying with all state and federal brake performance requirements. Only those brakes on the vehicle being towed need to be operative as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the performance requirements.

4. A new motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer, except a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle or motor driven cycle, sold in this state and operated on the highways shall be equipped with service brakes on all wheels of the vehicle, except that a semitrailer or trailer with a gross weight of less than three thousand pounds need not be equipped with brakes.

5. In any combination of motor drawn vehicles, means shall be provided for either or both of the following if capable of being used alternatively:

(a) Applying the rearmost trailer brakes of a trailer equipped with brakes in approximate synchronism with the brakes on the towing vehicle and developing the required braking effort on the rearmost wheels at the fastest rate.

(b) Applying braking effort first on the rearmost trailer equipped with brakes.

6. A motor vehicle and combination of vehicles manufactured or sold in this state after July 1, 1964, except motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and motor driven cycles, shall be equipped with parking brakes that are:

(a) Adequate to hold the vehicle on any grade on which it is operated under all conditions of loading on a surface free from snow, ice or loose material.

(b) Capable of being applied in conformance with the requirements of subdivision (a) of this paragraph by the driver's muscular effort, by spring action or by equivalent means. The operation of the parking brakes may be assisted by the service brakes or other source of power, if failure of the service brake actuation system or other power assisting mechanism will not prevent the parking brakes from being applied in conformance with the foregoing requirements.

(c) Designed so that when the brakes are applied they shall remain applied with the required effectiveness despite exhaustion of any source of energy or leakage of any kind.

7. The same brake drums, brake shoes and lining assemblies, brake shoe anchors and mechanical brake shoe actuation mechanism normally associated with the wheel brake assemblies may be used for both the service brakes and the parking brakes. If the means of applying the parking brakes and the service brakes are connected in any way, they shall be constructed so that failure of any one part does not leave the vehicle without operative brakes.

8. The brake shoes operating within or on the drums on the vehicle wheels of a motor vehicle may be used for both service and hand operation.

B. At all times, under all conditions of loading, on a dry, smooth, level road free from loose material and on application of the service or foot brake, a motor vehicle or combination of motor drawn vehicles shall be capable of being stopped within the distances specified below or of being decelerated at a sustained rate corresponding to these distances:

                                            Feet to stop    Deceleration
                                            from 20 miles   in feet
                                            per hour        per second
     Vehicles or combinations of
     

vehicles having brakes on

       all wheels                           30              14
     Vehicles or combinations of
     

vehicles not having brakes

       on all wheels                        40              10.7
 

C. Brakes shall be maintained in good working order and shall be adjusted to operate as equally as practicable with respect to the wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle.