BRASS-NICKEL
TOURING REGION

There were also several other important highlights of the
1909 NC Motor Vehicle Law.

Section 2 - stated that any one owning or operating a motor vehicle was required to file with the Secretary of State a statement containing the name, address, a brief description of the vehicle including the name of the maker, factory number, style of vehicle and motor power. Once registered the Secretary would issue the owner a certificate of registration, together with a seal, of aluminum or other suitable metal, 2” in diameter. Stamped thereon the words “Registered Motor Vehicle No.——, North Carolina, the registration number & any other data deemed necessary. This had to be conspicuously displayed on the assigned vehicle at all times. The certificate duplicated this information plus contained name, address, the name of the maker, factory number, style and motor power, and date of registration. This registration was for one year and was due on July 1. The initial fee for registration, issuing the certificate, and seal was $5; $3 was paid to the treasurer of the county in which the owner resides to be used for the public roads in that county. Renewals were $1.

Section 4 - stated that it is the duty of each owner of every motor vehicle to have displayed on the front and back of their vehicle at all times the number assigned to them by the Secretary of State. The number had to be in Arabic numerals, black on white ground or white on black ground, and not less than 3 inches in height, and each stroke to be of a width not less than one-half inch, and also as a part of said number the name of the state, in full or abbreviated, and of the same color and on the same background as the numerals, the letters of the name to be not less than one inch in height. North Carolina did not issue license plates until 1913.

Section 9 - set the speed limit at not higher than 25 mph when on the highway, not higher than 12 mph in corporate limits of all cities and villages, and not higher than 8 mph in the business portion of the city. Upon approaching or traversing an intersecting highway, a bridge, dam, sharp curve, or steep descent, the speed limit could not to exceed 5 mph.

Section 18 -stated that any violation of the motor vehicle law was considered a misdemeanor. If found guilty, the first offense was punishable with a fine not to exceed $50 and the costs of prosecution or by imprisonment not to exceed 20 days, or both. The second or any subsequent offense was punishable with a fine not exceeding fifty dollars, costs of prosecution or by imprisonment for not exceeding thirty days, or both. Upon conviction for the third offense, the certificate of such owner shall be cancelled for the space of six months.

The 1909 North Carolina Motor Vehicle Law was approved March 6, 1909 and was the law everywhere in the state except for one exception as noted in Section 23. “That this act shall be in force from and after its ratification, but shall not apply to the New Hanover County”.
 

By the time of the Roaring Twenties, the horse no longer reigned supreme on NC highways. By the 1927-1929 edition of Laws of NC relating to The Use of the Highways, the subject of horses & automobiles was limited to just one paragraph.
 

Section #161 - Animals Governed by Same Rules as Vehicles. “An animal is a “vehicle” for the purpose of the use of the highway and the person in charge is required to observe the laws regulating the operation of vehicles on the highways.

Note: In 1909, North Carolina had 49,763 miles of roads
and 1,259 miles of improved roads.