RVers and others who ignore road closure signs are now being targeted by a new Wyoming law with stricter enforcement. On July 1, the “Light and High Profile Vehicle Closures Bill” took effect. Get a $1,000 fine and be sent to jail for up to a month if you break this new law.
Wyoming road sign for “light, high-profile vehicles”
What’s it all about? The law says, “Any person who willfully fails to observe any sign, marker, warning, notice or direction” for closures to light, high-profile vehicles is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, subject to a fine of $1,000 and potential imprisonment for not more than 30 days.
What’s a “light, high-profile vehicle”? A media release from the Wyoming Department of Transportation clarifies this. “RVs, campers, moving vans, utility trailers and other large, boxy vehicles or trailers are also considered light and high profile and are subject to these penalties.”
“Blow-over hot spots”
The cause for this stringent law are high Wyoming winds, not uncommon in summer and winter months. Hurricane force winds have made some Wyoming highways what the state dubs “blow-over hot spots.” Some of the most notorious are parts of Interstate 80 and State Route 28.
Highway signs will warn vehicles most likely to blow over, showing the road closed. You put yourself at risk of being blown over by the wind or the size of the ticket if you blow past the sign. Repeat offenders pay more: If convicted of subsequent offenses within three years of the first offense, violators could net a $2,500 fine. Under Wyoming Statute 31-5-229, a driver’s conviction would result in reckless driving charges, potentially leading to licensing action.
“Drivers who test their luck…”
“We hope these new penalties will be a better deterrent for drivers who otherwise may decide to test their luck and chance the wind closures to save some time,” said Col. Tim Cameron with the Wyoming Highway Patrol. “We see time and time again that this gamble results in crashes, injuries, and lost time for everyone if the road has to close for cleanup.”
Planning a trip through Wyoming? You can see active wind-related highway closures, high wind warnings, and weather sensors by clicking here.
Click here to learn more about wind on Wyoming’s highways.
##RVT1166b
It’s called the Wind River Valley for a reason. This law makes sense because people don’t often make sense.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Well, I guess we were quite fortunate a couple of years ago. We had just gotten RV #2 and drove from Fort Myers, Florida to Rock Springs, Wyoming in three days (7/12-14/2022). I had enough trouble adjusting to driving without a tag axle during tbat trip. I shudder to imagine how it might have been had I-80 been windy while we came through. I have since added several aplications to my phone that gather and report wind information, thanks to Nanci! Thank you, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Having lived in Wyoming many years I have seen many trucks,and RV’s, blown over along the roads. I have seen oil and gas drilling rig derricks blown over around Gillette. Some may call it bee ess but facts are facts. My advice go around the state…especially the Southern half.
would be nice to see a picture of the sign
Hi, William. The messages will be on their electronic signs. There are samples at this website. Sorry for the delay in responding. I got interrupted when I read your comment last night and forgot to follow-up on it until now. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Do these alerts show up on the newer GPS?
We stayed over in Rawlings WY recently and thought our TT was going to be tipped over from the wind. Relieved the wind paused the next day as we were back on the road.
Thank you for touching on what the definition of light and high-profile. Of course the State provides no clarity at all. Does a pop-up camper fit the definition? It’s light but not high profile. How about an 18-wheeler? It’s high-profile but can easily be the heaviest vehicle on the road. How hard can it be to define the vehicle surface area and weight that would trigger the definition and enforcement? Seems this was intentionally designed to create an opportunity for selective enforcement by the State. Maybe to pad their pockets with some civil forfeitures on I-80.
If you go to the Wyoming Department of Transportation website, you will notice in the upper right-hand corner a link to “Blow Over” information. On that link, the information about what is a high-profile vehicle is defined. The link has pictures to help explain, along with photos of 18 wheelers blown over.
Towing my airstream to the 2023 National rally in Rock Springs, the cross wind was something else. Made me feel sorry for the monster RV’s.
If the closures are well marked, I have no objection.
If there is a wind warning will there be a vehicle holding area to park while waiting it out? If so, will the sign notify when it is safe and be visible to those waiting?