S-4931               _______________________________________________

                                         SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 6434

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Bender and Metcalf)

Read first time 2/2/90.

AN ACT Relating to bicycle safety; amending RCW 46.37.480; and adding a new section to chapter 43.43 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 43.43 RCW to read as follows:

          A bicycle awareness program is created within the Washington state patrol.  The patrol shall conduct the program in conjunction with the safety education officer program and may use volunteers to implement the program.

        Sec. 2.  Section 46.37.480, chapter 12, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 6, chapter 227, Laws of 1988 and RCW 46.37.480 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle equipped with any television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast which is located in the motor vehicle at any point forward of the back of the driver's seat, or which is visible to the driver while operating the motor vehicle.

          (2) No person shall operate any bicycle or motor vehicle on a public highway while wearing any headset or earphones connected to any electronic device capable of receiving a radio broadcast or playing a sound recording for the purpose of transmitting a sound to the human auditory senses and which headset or earphones muffle or exclude other sounds to both ears.  This subsection does not apply to students and instructors participating in a Washington state motorcycle safety program.

          (3) This section does not apply to authorized emergency vehicles.