H-1688.3

SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1159


State of Washington	64th Legislature	2015 Regular Session

By House Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Pike, Wylie, Moeller, Zeiger, Kochmar, Harmsworth, and Ryu)

READ FIRST TIME 02/19/15.

AN ACT Relating to the safety of new drivers; adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that young drivers are involved in a disproportional number of traffic accidents and fatalities in the state. The legislature intends to reduce these accident rates by requiring the display of decals announcing new drivers to alert other drivers that inexperienced drivers are sharing the roadway with them and to keep a safe distance.

(1)(a) By July 1, 2016, the department, in consultation with the Washington traffic safety commission, must establish a pilot program requiring a driver under eighteen years of age to affix a decal to any vehicle he or she is driving.

(b) This pilot program may be operated only in counties with a population of at least three hundred fifty thousand that border the Columbia river.

(2) Under this pilot program, a person who is under eighteen years of age and operating a motor vehicle must affix a new driver decal to the inside of the motor vehicle's rear window on the lower portion of the passenger side of that window. The decal must be displayed any time a vehicle is being operated by a person under eighteen years of age.

(a) For the purposes of this section, "new driver decal" means a decal indicating that the person operating the vehicle is under eighteen years of age. The decal must: (i) Be at least twelve inches wide and four inches high; (ii) display the words "NEW DRIVER" in white lettering on a red background; and (iii) be printed on a material, such as a static cling, UV-resistant vinyl, which allows the decal to be easily removed and reused.

(b)(i) Upon a person's application for a driver's instruction permit, intermediate license, or driver's license, the department may provide a new driver decal to the applicant if he or she is under eighteen years of age and may offer the new driver decal to any other applicant. The department must charge a fee to the applicant equal to the cost of producing and issuing the new driver decal. The department must provide replacement decals at the same cost to any permit or license holder who requests a replacement.

(ii) The new driver decal may also be provided by private driver training schools licensed under chapter 46.82 RCW and by public schools providing traffic safety education pursuant to chapter 28A.220 RCW.

(3) A person who violates this section must perform twenty hours of community service, but the violation is not a traffic infraction under this title.

(4) By December 31, 2019, the department must provide a report to the legislature regarding the implementation of the pilot program, the program's impact on public safety, and recommendations regarding statewide implementation.