AN ACT Relating to enforcement of traffic violations; amending RCW 46.64.020, 46.52.020, 46.20.336, 46.20.342, 46.20.420, and 46.65.090; adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

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

Sec. 1. Section 46.64.020, chapter 12, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 1, chapter 38, Laws of 1988 and RCW 46.64.020 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The legislature finds that:

(a) Traffic laws are necessary for the safe and expeditious flow of motor vehicle traffic.

(b) For traffic laws to be effective, they must be judiciously and fairly enforced. This enforcement includes the issuance of notices of infraction and citations and the assessment of fines and penalties.

(c) The adjudication of notices of infraction through a written and signed promise to respond, and of citations through a written and signed promise to appear, as provided in this title is an integral and important part of the traffic law system.

(d) Approximately twenty percent of all people issued notices of infraction and citations violate their written and signed promise to respond or appear and obtain notices of failure to respond or appear on their driving records. Through their actions, these people are destroying the effectiveness of the traffic law system and undermining the department of licensing regulatory control of drivers' licenses.

(e) Notices of failure to respond or appear accumulated on a person's driving record shall be considered if they were issued after July 25, 1987.

(2) Any person violating his or her written and signed promise to appear in court or his or her written and signed promise to respond to a notice of traffic infraction, as provided in this title, is guilty of a misdemeanor regardless of the disposition of the charge upon which he or she was originally arrested or the disposition of the notice of infraction: PROVIDED, That a written promise to appear in court or a written promise to respond to a notice of traffic infraction may be complied with by an appearance by counsel: PROVIDED FURTHER, That a person charged under RCW 46.20.021 with driving with an expired driver's license may respond by mailing to the court within fifteen days of the violation, a copy of the person's currently valid driver's license. Any person who has been issued a notice of infraction pursuant to RCW 46.63.030(3) and who fails to respond as provided in this title is guilty of a misdemeanor regardless of the disposition of the notice of infraction.

(3) Any person who drives a motor vehicle within the state and has accumulated two or more notices of failure to appear or respond on his or her driving record maintained by the department of licensing in any five-year period as a result of noncompliance with the traffic ((~~infraction~~)) laws in any jurisdiction or court within Washington, or in any jurisdiction or court within other states which are signatories with Washington in a nonresident violator compact or reciprocal agreement under chapter 46.23 RCW, shall be guilty of failure to comply, a gross misdemeanor. A person is not subject to this subsection for failure to pay a fine for any pedestrian, bicycling, or parking offense.

Probable cause for arrest under this subsection is established by the officer obtaining, orally or in writing, information from the department of licensing that two or more notices of failure to appear or respond are on the person's driving record. For purposes of this chapter, failure to satisfy any penalties imposed under this title is considered equivalent to failure to appear or respond.

Venue for prosecution shall be in the court with jurisdiction in the area of apprehension.

Sec. 2. Section 1, chapter 18, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 97, Laws of 1980 and RCW 46.52.020 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in the injury to or death of any person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close thereto as possible but shall then forthwith return to, and in every event remain at, the scene of such accident until he has fulfilled the requirements of subsection (3) of this section; every such stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.

(2) The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting only in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person or damage to other property shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close thereto as possible and shall forthwith return to, and in any event shall remain at, the scene of such accident until he has fulfilled the requirements of subsection (3) of this section; every such stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.

(3) Unless otherwise provided in subsection (7) of this section the driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or damage to any vehicle which is driven or attended by any person or damage to other property shall give his name, address, insurance company, insurance policy number, and vehicle license number and shall exhibit his vehicle driver's license to any person struck or injured or the driver or any occupant of, or any person attending, any such vehicle collided with and shall render to any person injured in such accident reasonable assistance, including the carrying or the making of arrangements for the carrying of such person to a physician or hospital for medical treatment if it is apparent that such treatment is necessary or if such carrying is requested by the injured person or on his behalf. Under no circumstances shall the rendering of assistance or other compliance with the provisions of this subsection be evidence of the liability of any driver for such accident.

(4) Any driver covered by the provisions of subsection (1) of this section failing to stop or comply with any of the requirements of subsection (3) of this section under said circumstances shall be guilty of a class C felony and, upon conviction, be punished pursuant to RCW 9A.20.020: PROVIDED, That this provision shall not apply to any person injured or incapacitated by such accident to the extent of being physically incapable of complying herewith.

(5) Any driver covered by the provisions of subsection (2) of this section failing to stop or to comply with any of the requirements of subsection (3) of this section under said circumstances shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor ((and, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment for not less than thirty days nor more than one year or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or by both such fine and imprisonment)): PROVIDED, That this provision shall not apply to any person injured or incapacitated by such accident to the extent of being physically incapable of complying herewith.

(6) The license or permit to drive or any nonresident privilege to drive of any person convicted under this section or any local ordinance consisting of substantially the same language as this section of failure to stop and give information or render aid following an accident with any vehicle driven or attended by any person shall be revoked by the department.

(7) If none of the persons specified are in condition to receive the information to which they otherwise would be entitled under subsection (3) of this section, and no police officer is present, the driver of any vehicle involved in such accident after fulfilling all other requirements of subsections (1) and (3) of this section insofar as possible on his part to be performed, shall forthwith report such accident to the nearest office of the duly authorized police authority and submit thereto the information specified in subsection (3) of this section.

Sec. 3. Section 41, chapter 121, Laws of 1965 ex. sess. as amended by section 1, chapter 92, Laws of 1981 and RCW 46.20.336 are each amended to read as follows:

It is a misdemeanor for any person:

(1) To display or cause or permit to be displayed or have in his or her possession any ((~~canceled, revoked, suspended,~~)) fictitious or fraudulently altered driver's license or identicard;

(2) To lend his or her driver's license or identicard to any other person or knowingly permit the use thereof by another;

(3) To display or represent as one's own any driver's license or identicard not issued to him or her;

(4) Willfully to fail or refuse to surrender to the department upon its lawful demand any driver's license or identicard which has been suspended, revoked or canceled;

(5) To use a false or fictitious name in any application for a driver's license or identicard or to knowingly make a false statement or to knowingly conceal a material fact or otherwise commit a fraud in any such application;

(6) To permit any unlawful use of a driver's license or identicard issued to him or her.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:

It is a traffic infraction for any person to display or cause or permit to be displayed or have in his or her possession any canceled, revoked, or suspended driver's license or identicard.

Sec. 5. Section 3, chapter 148, Laws of 1980 as last amended by section 1, chapter 388, Laws of 1987 and RCW 46.20.342 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any person who drives a motor vehicle ((~~on any public highway of~~)) in this state while that person is in a suspended or revoked status or when his or her privilege so to do is suspended or revoked in this or any other state or when his or her policy of insurance or bond, when required under this title, has been canceled or terminated, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. ((Upon the first conviction for a violation of this section, a person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than ten days nor more than six months. Upon the second conviction, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than ninety days nor more than one year. Upon the third or subsequent such conviction, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year. There may also be imposed in connection with each such conviction a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.))

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, upon receiving a record of conviction of any person or upon receiving an order by any juvenile court or any duly authorized court officer of the conviction of any juvenile under this section upon a charge of driving a vehicle while the license of the person is under suspension, the department shall extend the period of the suspension for an additional like period and if the conviction was upon a charge of driving while a license was revoked the department shall not issue a new license for an additional period of one year from and after the date the person would otherwise have been entitled to apply for a new license. The department shall not so extend the period of suspension or revocation if the court recommends against the extension and:

(a) The convicted person has obtained a valid driver's license; or

(b) The department determines that the convicted person has demonstrated proof of future financial responsibility as provided for in chapter 46.29 RCW, and, if the suspension or revocation was the result of a violation of RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504, that the person is making satisfactory progress in any required alcoholism treatment program.

Sec. 6. Section 2, chapter 134, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 5, chapter 302, Laws of 1985 and RCW 46.20.420 are each amended to read as follows:

Any resident or nonresident whose driver's license or right or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state has been suspended or revoked as provided in this title shall not operate a motor vehicle in this state under a license, permit, or registration certificate issued by any other jurisdiction or otherwise during such suspension or after such revocation until a new license is obtained when and as permitted under this chapter. ((~~First, second, third, and subsequent violations of this section shall be punished in the same way as violations of RCW 46.20.342(1).~~)) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

Sec. 7. Section 11, chapter 284, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 8, chapter 302, Laws of 1985 and RCW 46.65.090 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) It is unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle in this state while the order of revocation remains in effect. Any person found to be an habitual offender under the provisions of this chapter who is convicted of operating a motor vehicle in this state while the order of revocation prohibiting such operation is in effect is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. ((~~First, second, third, and subsequent violations of this subsection shall be punished in the same way as violations of RCW 46.20.342(1), except that~~)). Upon the first conviction for a violation of this section, a person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than ten days nor more than six months. Upon the second conviction, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than ninety days nor more than one year. Upon the third or subsequent conviction, the person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year. The minimum sentence of confinement required shall not be suspended or deferred.

(2) Any person convicted for a first violation of subsection (1) of this section who is also convicted of the offense defined in RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504, when both convictions arise from the same event, shall be punished in the same way as provided in ((~~RCW 46.20.342(1)~~)) subsection (1) of this section except that the minimum sentence of confinement shall be not less than ((~~thirty~~)) ninety days and shall not be suspended or deferred.