Sec. 647.013. PASSENGER SAFETY PROVISIONS ON MOTOR VEHICLE OTHER THAN BUS. (a) A motor vehicle other than a bus transporting migrant agricultural workers must have a passenger compartment in accordance with this section.

(b) The floor of the passenger compartment must be substantially smooth and without cracks or holes. Except as necessary to secure the seats or other devices attached to the floor, the floor may not have any object that protrudes more than two inches in height.

(c) The side walls and ends of the passenger compartment must extend at least 60 inches from the floor. If necessary, sideboards may be attached to the body of the motor vehicle. Stake body construction meets the requirements of this subsection only if the space six inches or larger between any two stakes is suitably closed to prevent the passengers from falling off the vehicle.

(d) The floor and interior of the sides and ends of the passenger compartment must be free of protruding nails, screws, splinters, or any other protruding object that is likely to injure a passenger or the passenger's clothes.

(e) The motor vehicle must have an adequate means of exiting and entering the passenger compartment from the rear or from the right side of the vehicle. Each exit and entrance must have a gate or door that has at least one latch or fastening device that will keep the gate or door securely closed during transportation. The latch or fastening device must be readily operative without the use of tools. An exit or entrance must:

(1) be at least 18 inches wide;

(2) have a top and clear opening of at least 60 inches or as high as the passenger compartment side wall if the side wall is less than 60 inches high; and

(3) have a bottom that is at the floor of the passenger compartment.

(f) If the motor vehicle has a permanently attached roof, the vehicle must have at least one emergency exit on a side or rear of the vehicle that does not have a regular exit or entrance. The exit must have a gate or door and a latch and hold as prescribed by Subsection (e).

(g) If necessary, a ladder or steps shall be used to enter and exit the passenger compartment. The maximum vertical spacing of footholds may not exceed 12 inches and the lowest step may not be more than 18 inches above the ground when the vehicle is empty.

(h) The motor vehicle must include handholds or other devices that will enable passengers to enter and exit the vehicle without hazard.

(i) The motor vehicle must have a way for passengers to communicate with the operator, including a telephone, speaker tube, buzzer, pull cord, or other mechanical or electrical device.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 62, Sec. 17.34(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1999.