Title: An act relating to traffic infractions involving rental vehicles.

Brief Description: Addressing traffic infractions involving rental vehicles.

Sponsors: Representative Appleton.

Brief History:

Transportation: 2/1/06, 2/2/06 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 27 members: Representatives Murray, Chair; Wallace, Vice Chair; Woods, Ranking Minority Member; Skinner, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Appleton, Buck, Campbell, Clibborn, Curtis, Dickerson, Flannigan, Hankins, Holmquist, Hudgins, Jarrett, Kilmer, Lovick, Morris, Nixon, Rodne, Sells, Shabro, Simpson, B. Sullivan, Takko, Upthegrove and Wood.

Staff: David Munnecke (786-7315).

Background:

When liability for a traffic infraction based on the identity of the vehicle is determined to reside in a vehicle registered to a car rental company, current law creates a 30-day window from the time the car rental company is informed of the traffic infraction. Within this time frame, the car rental company may either provide, under oath, the name and address of the person driving the vehicle, or state under oath, that they are unable to determine who was driving or renting the vehicle at the time the infraction occurred.

Mailing this statement to the issuing law enforcement agency within the 30-day window relieves the car rental company of liability for the infraction. In lieu of identifying the vehicle operator, the company may also choose to pay the applicable penalty.

A traffic infraction based on the identity of the vehicle is defined to include, but is not limited to, parking infractions, high-occupancy toll lane violations, and violations recorded by automated traffic safety cameras.

Summary of Bill:

When the owner of a vehicle is a rental car business, parking infractions issued by private parking facilities based on a vehicle's identification are subject to the same statutory scheme currently applicable to infractions based on a vehicle's identification issued by law enforcement agencies.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on January 30, 2006.

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

Testimony For: Parking spaces are rented to individuals, not cars, so it makes sense that the person should be responsible for the infraction.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Appleton, prime sponsor; and Gordon Walgren, Car and Truck Renting and Leasing Association.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.