Brief Description: Requiring vehicle sound system components to be securely attached.

Sponsors: By Representatives Dunshee, Pearson, Lovick, Kristiansen, Berkey, Sullivan and Wood.

Brief Summary of Engrossed Bill

• Requires vehicle sound system components, such as stereo speakers, to be securely fastened to the vehicle.

• Failure to do so is a traffic infraction.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 22 members: Representatives Murray, Chair; Rockefeller, Vice Chair; Simpson, Vice Chair; Ericksen, Ranking Minority Member; Jarrett, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Armstrong, Clibborn, Cooper, Dickerson, Flannigan, Hankins, Hatfield, Hudgins, Kristiansen, Lovick, Morris, Nixon, Romero, Shabro, Sullivan, Wallace and Wood.

It is increasingly popular for motor vehicle owners to wire or install stereo speakers in the back seat of a car or in the bed of a passenger truck. Certain stereo speakers are manufactured only for residential use, rather than automotive use. These ill-adapted speakers pose a safety risk when installed in a motor vehicle, as they can become dangerous projectiles in the event of a collision.

There are no state laws specifically prohibiting or restricting the placement of sound system components (such as stereo speakers) on or within a vehicle, nor are there specific rules or regulations in the Washington Administrative Code that prohibit or restrict the placement of such equipment.

All vehicle sound system components must be securely attached to the vehicle so that they cannot become dislodged or loose during operation of the vehicle. Failure to do so is a traffic infraction.

Law enforcement officers may only issue tickets for this infraction as a secondary violation.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testified: Representative Dunshee, prime sponsor; Ron Amisson; Carol Amisson; Missy Waldron; Nathan Rengen; Michelle Voge; and Patricia Dalby.