<< Back to Driving Force, April 2012
A Sunday Drive
Maryland Historic Vehicle Owners Fight to Retain "Pleasure Use" Benefit
The work week is over. The weather is perfect. The gas tank is full. For historic vehicle owners, there isn't an experience quite as rewarding as a weekend cruise in the machine of your dreams with your best guy or gal at your side. After all, you've put countless amounts of time, money and effort into every detail of the vehicle. It's commonly said that what matters is the journey, not the destination, and few days are brighter than while enjoying your rolling creation in the great outdoors. How would it feel if that experience with your collector vehicle was compromised or even removed?
A story that began with Maryland legislation that sought to severely curtail hobbyist rights, ended with an army of angry state hobbyists taking steps to protect enjoyment of vintage vehicles. As introduced, Maryland House Bill 550 and Senate Bill 846 aimed to further limit the use of historic motor vehicles, beyond what is currently provided for in the law. According to bill sponsors, these bills sought to address abuses of the historic vehicle designation by certain historic vehicle owners. Under the introduced bills, the age requirement would have been raised from 20 to at least 25 years old, historic cars would have been prohibited from being used for "occasional transportation" and an historic vehicle, show vehicle or antique insurance policy would have been required. While the SEMA Action Network (SAN) does not approve of the misuse of reasonable collector car laws, imposing new, unfair limitations became grounds for debate. So, the SAN went to work. In partnership with the hobbyist community in the state, the SAN worked with Delegate Kirill Reznik to propose amendments to H.B. 550 to protect legitimate historic vehicle owners. These amendments were also offered to S.B. 846 for Senate committee consideration.
Under the amendments, which have not yet been formally approved, vehicles would continue to be eligible for the historic class upon their 20th year; there would be no collector insurance requirement and the "occasional use" provision would be restored. Further, permissible use would now include "for the purposes of obtaining repairs and routine maintenance." The SAN also helped increase the classes of vehicles among those eligible for historic status to include taxi cabs, funeral vehicles, ambulances and limousines. The American Truck Historical Society successfully negotiated separate legislation to address historic trucks over 10,000 lbs.
To address abusers of the current law who may be using the historic status to operate daily drivers without constraints, the proposed amendments to H.B. 550 and S.B. 846 require that an historic vehicle owner must have use of a regularly registered vehicle to be used for primary transportation. The bill would also clearly stipulate that the historic vehicle not be "an individual's or a family's primary method or transportation." Further, the amended bills enhance law enforcement authority to target violators of the historic vehicle laws without inconveniencing legitimate hobbyists.
"The amended versions of these bills demonstrate a real effort by the primary bill sponsors, especially Delegate Reznik, to enact reasonable and fair compromise legislation that recognizes the unique place these vehicles play in our nation's heritage, while adequately addressing the abuses of the rights and freedoms granted these cars," said SEMA Vice President of Government Affairs Steve McDonald. "If enacted into law, this legislation will also aid in facilitating law enforcement efforts to crack down on abusers."
The SAN would especially like to thank the dedicated hobbyists of Maryland for helping to ensure that historic vehicle owners can continue to create fond memories using their cars. Stay posted on these bills and others around the nation at www.semasan.com.
About This Month's Cover
Award-winning artist Tom Fritz is best known for paintings inspired by the motorcycle and car cultures, particularly in Southern California. To see more of his work, go to FritzArt.com.