Coopertown, Tennessee
It is that time of year again when the lawnmowers are being put to good use and motorcyclists are hitting the roads. Although both lawnmowers and motorcycles can coexist, caution has to be used when mowing near the roadway to prevent creating a hazardous condition for motorcyclists.
Something that may seem as trivial as grass clippings being blown onto the road can become a traffic hazard for motorcyclists. These clippings can reduce the traction motorcycles have with the roadway, creating the potential for a crash. Not only is it courteous to prevent your grass clippings from being blown into the roadway, it is against Tennessee law to place any hazardous item on the roadway.
Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) § 55-8-170
(Putting glass, nails and other substances on highway prohibited, 1989)
Putting Glass, Nails and Other Substances on Highway Prohibited
(a) No person shall throw or deposit upon any highway any glass bottle, glass, nails, tacks, wire, cans or any other substance likely to injure any person, animal or vehicle upon the highway.
(b) Any person who drops, or permits to be dropped or thrown, upon any highway any destructive or injurious material shall immediately remove the same or cause it to be removed.
(c) Any person removing a wrecked or damaged vehicle from a highway shall remove any glass or other injurious substance dropped upon the highway from the vehicle.
(d) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.
Coopertown adopted the State law under ordinance 2022-012. Violation of the law in Coopertown is punishable by a $50 fine, plus court costs. Not only is placing hazardous items on the roadway illegal, it could possibly leave a homeowner liable for damages or injuries should it result in a crash. The best practice is to mow in a direction where the grass clippings blow back onto the yard, rather than the road. If it is unavoidable to mow in such a manner, please be courteous and responsible enough to clear the clippings from the roadway as soon as it is safely possible to do so.
References
NewsChannel 5. (2019, May 18). Motorcycle riders warn about dangers of grass clippings on road [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5we7NUMq4
Putting glass, nails and other substances on highway prohibited, TCA § 55-8-170 (1989). https://advance.lexis.com/documentpage/?pdmfid=1000516&crid=6d9707e3-09e3-4a81-a7d4-d936182db0e3&config=025054JABlOTJjNmIyNi0wYjI0LTRjZGEtYWE5ZC0zNGFhOWNhMjFlNDgKAFBvZENhdGFsb2cDFQ14bX2GfyBTaI9WcPX5&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fstatutes-legislation%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A4X8K-SXV0-R03K-72GG-00008-00&pdcontentcomponentid=234179&pdteaserkey=sr0&pditab=allpods&ecomp=6s65kkk&earg=sr0&prid=6b4b15b5-a5c7-4c0f-98f8-12b7b0160084
