S-4491               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6801

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senators Sellar, Owen and Patrick

Read first time 1/25/90 and referred to Committee on  Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to the use of Washington state patrol approved audio headsets and earphones by motorcyclists; and amending RCW 46.37.480.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 46.37.480, chapter 12, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 6, chapter 227, Laws of 1988 and RCW 46.37.480 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle equipped with any television viewer, screen, or other means of visually receiving a television broadcast which is located in the motor vehicle at any point forward of the back of the driver's seat, or which is visible to the driver while operating the motor vehicle.

          (2) No person shall operate any motor vehicle on a public highway while wearing any headset or earphones connected to any electronic device capable of receiving a radio broadcast or playing a sound recording for the purpose of transmitting a sound to the human auditory senses and which headset or earphones muffle or exclude other sounds.   This subsection does not apply to students and instructors participating in a Washington state motorcycle safety program.

          (3) This section does not apply to authorized emergency vehicles or to motorcyclists wearing a helmet with built-in headsets or earphones as approved by the Washington state patrol.