BILL REQ. #:  H-3350.1 

Read first time 01/13/2004.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to intermediate drivers' licenses; amending RCW 46.20.075; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   Since the enactment of the intermediate driver license law in 2000, the restriction on carrying passengers under the age of 20 has prevented many young drivers from carpooling to and from school, sporting events, and other extracurricular activities. This wastes fuel and contributes to congestion on our roadways, defeating many important transportation goals of the state. The legislature intends to correct this situation by allowing holders of intermediate licenses to once again carry unrelated underage passengers. The legislature further intends to permit holders of intermediate licenses to carry more than three unrelated underage passengers when accompanied by a parent, guardian, or licensed driver over twenty-five years of age.

Sec. 2   RCW 46.20.075 and 2000 c 115 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) An intermediate license authorizes the holder to drive a motor vehicle under the conditions specified in this section. An applicant for an intermediate license must be at least sixteen years of age and:
     (a) Have possessed a valid instruction permit for a period of not less than six months;
     (b) Have passed a driver licensing examination administered by the department;
     (c) Have passed a course of driver's education in accordance with the standards established in RCW 46.20.100;
     (d) Present certification by his or her parent, guardian, or employer to the department stating (i) that the applicant has had at least fifty hours of driving experience, ten of which were at night, during which the driver was supervised by a person at least twenty-one years of age who has had a valid driver's license for at least three years, and (ii) that the applicant has not been issued a notice of traffic infraction or cited for a traffic violation that is pending at the time of the application for the intermediate license;
     (e) Not have been convicted of or found to have committed a traffic violation within the last six months before the application for the intermediate license; and
     (f) Not have been adjudicated for an offense involving the use of alcohol or drugs during the period the applicant held an instruction permit.
     (2) For the first six months after the issuance of an intermediate license or until the holder reaches eighteen years of age, whichever occurs first, the holder of the license may not operate a motor vehicle that is carrying ((any passengers under the age of twenty who are not members of the holder's immediate family as defined in RCW 42.17.020. For the remaining period of the intermediate license, the holder may not operate a motor vehicle that is carrying)) more than three passengers who are under the age of twenty who are not members of the holder's immediate family as defined in RCW 42.17.020, except when the holder is accompanied by a parent, guardian, or a licensed driver who is at least twenty-five years of age.
     (3) The holder of an intermediate license may not operate a motor vehicle between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. except when the holder is accompanied by a parent, guardian, or a licensed driver who is at least twenty-five years of age.
     (4) It is a traffic infraction for the holder of an intermediate license to operate a motor vehicle in violation of the restrictions imposed under this section.
     (5) Enforcement of this section by law enforcement officers may be accomplished only as a secondary action when a driver of a motor vehicle has been detained for a suspected violation of this title or an equivalent local ordinance or some other offense.
     (6) An intermediate licensee may drive at any hour without restrictions on the number of passengers in the vehicle if necessary for agricultural purposes.
     (7) An intermediate licensee may drive at any hour without restrictions on the number of passengers in the vehicle if, for the twelve-month period following the issuance of the intermediate license, he or she:
     (a) Has not been involved in an automobile accident; and
     (b) Has not been convicted or found to have committed a traffic offense described in chapter 46.61 RCW or violated restrictions placed on an intermediate licensee under this section.