Isaac Quintero next author in 2016-2017 MLHS senior student editorial series
Why Are There Mud Flap Laws?
Mud flaps. Splash guards. Mud guards.
People call them different things, but they all serve one purpose – to keep rocks, debris, mud or water form kicking up onto the windshields of the vehicles behind us on the highways.
Why are there mud flap laws?
This is a question I have asked myself since I started driving two years ago. What do they really serve in the whole rule of driving?
In researching this question, I realized that many states have mud flap laws.
In the state of Minnesota, mud flaps are required as protection on the tires of trucks and trailers in helping prevent debris being thrown up onto other vehicles on the road. Every truck must have some sort of protection behind the tires of their vehicle; It is the law in Minnesota. The mud flaps must be as wide as the tires are on a vehicle, and there must be a nine-inch ground clearance from the road to the bottom of the vehicle (vehicle must be empty when measuring). Sometimes there are metal fenders or other parts of the truck that may be used as a mud flap, so then no other type of protection is needed.
Somestates have specific requirements on mud flaps that truck drivers must follow when driving over the road. States such as Arizona, Texas, Missouri and Delaware state that the mud flaps must be within eight inhes of the ground, whereas other states, such as Maryland, state that the mud flap has to be the sam length as it is in width (an example being eight inches tall by eight inches wide). It is important that when you travel across the country in a semi truck, your mud flaps meet all state laws you come across. Most trucking companies make a standard rule that the mud flaps are approximately six-to-eight inches from the ground to be be sure to comply with different state laws.
Most companies put mud flaps of some sort on their vehicles when they come out of the factory, but if I am looking for quality mud flaps, then I need to go online to the aftermarket for mud flaps.
Mud flaps have gotten to be quite common in that they are a part of personalizing a vehicle. There is quite a abit of difference in the types of mud flaps when you pay attention to them on the road. Common types are the heavy rubber flaps that have the company logo on them (such as Ford, Chevrolet, Ram, Peterbilt), a picture of a woman, the Roadrunner or Yosemite Sam. The list goes on and on. Some have strip of metal on the bottom. Being able to personalize the kind of mud flaps on your vehicle helps make the vehicle be more yours and more unique.
Mud flaps. Splash guards. Mud guards. Different names, but they are all the same. They help keep our vehicles safer on the roads by minimizing the water, dirt, rocks and other debris that may be kicked up from the tires of other vehicles.
But, no matter what they are made of, they are all unique.