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ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 83
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AS AMENDED BY CONFERENCE CMMITTEE
C 463 L 87
State of Washington 50th Legislature 1987 Regular Session
By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Baugher, Prince, Grant, Lewis, Scott, Ballard, J. Williams, Jacobsen, S. Wilson, Lux, Basich, Patrick, Walk, Gallagher, Zellinsky, Haugen, Schmidt, Betrozoff, Day, Braddock, McMullen, Spanel, Rayburn, Holm, Heavey, Jesernig, P. King, Fisch, Taylor, Fuhrman, Ferguson, Bumgarner, McLean, Walker, D. Sommers, Schoon, May, Miller, Rasmussen, Winsley, Nealey, Silver, C. Smith and Unsoeld)
!ae200Read first time 2/6/87 and passed to Committee on Rules.
AN ACT Relating to motor vehicle accident reports; amending RCW 46.29.060 and 46.52.030; adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW; and repealing RCW 46.20.011, 46.20.102, and 46.20.104.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. Section 6, chapter 169, Laws of 1963 as last amended by section 1, chapter 369, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 46.29.060 are each amended to read as follows:
The
provisions of this chapter, requiring deposit of security and suspensions for
failure to deposit security, subject to certain exemptions, shall apply to the
driver and owner of any vehicle of a type subject to registration under the
motor vehicle laws of this state which is in any manner involved in an accident
within this state, which accident has resulted in bodily injury or death of any
person or damage to the property of any one person ((of three hundred
dollars or more)) to an apparent extent equal to or greater than the
minimum amount established by rule adopted by the director. The director shall
adopt rules establishing the property damage threshold at which the provisions
of this chapter apply with respect to the deposit of security and suspensions
for failure to deposit security. Beginning October 1, 1987, the property
damage threshold shall be five hundred dollars. The thresholds shall be
revised when necessary, but not more frequently than every two years. The
revisions shall only be for the purpose of recognizing economic changes as
reflected by an inflationary index recommended by the office of financial
management. The revisions shall be guided by the change in the index for the
time period since the last revision and by the threshold established by the
chief of the Washington state patrol for the filing of accident reports as
provided in RCW 46.52.030.
Sec. 2. Section 2, chapter 11, Laws of 1979 as last amended by section 1, chapter 30, Laws of 1981 and RCW 46.52.030 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The
driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death
of any person or damage to the property of any one person to an apparent extent
((of three hundred dollars or more)) equal to or greater than the
minimum amount established by rule adopted by the chief of the Washington state
patrol in accordance with subsection (5) of this section, shall, within
twenty-four hours after such accident, make a written report of such accident to
the chief of police of the city or town if such accident occurred within an
incorporated city or town or the county sheriff or state patrol if such
accident occurred outside incorporated cities and towns. Nothing in this
subsection prohibits accident reports from being filed by drivers where damage
to property is less than the minimum amount.
(2) ((If
such accident was not investigated by a law enforcement officer,)) The
original of such report shall be immediately forwarded by the authority
receiving such report to the chief of the Washington state patrol at Olympia,
Washington, and the second copy of such report to be forwarded to the
department of licensing at Olympia, Washington.
(3) ((If
such accident was investigated by a law enforcement officer, the original of
each driver's report required by subsection (1) of this section shall be
retained by the local law enforcement agency where the accident occurred, and
the second copy shall be forwarded to the department of licensing at Olympia,
Washington.
(4))) Any law enforcement officer who investigates an
accident for which a driver's report is required under subsection (1) of this
section shall submit an investigator's report as required by RCW 46.52.070.
(((5)))
(4) The chief of the Washington state patrol may require any driver of
any vehicle involved in an accident, of which report must be made as provided
in this section, to file supplemental reports whenever the original report in
his opinion is insufficient, and may likewise require witnesses of any such
accident to render reports. For this purpose, the chief of the Washington
state patrol shall prepare and, upon request, supply to any police department,
coroner, sheriff, and any other suitable agency or individual, sample forms of
accident reports required hereunder, which reports shall be upon a form devised
by the chief of the Washington state patrol and shall call for sufficiently
detailed information to disclose all material facts with reference to the
accident to be reported thereon, including the location, the cause, the
conditions then existing, and the persons and vehicles involved, personal
injury or death, if any, the amounts of property damage claimed, the total
number of vehicles involved, whether the vehicles were legally parked, legally
standing, or moving, and whether such vehicles were occupied at the time of the
accident. Every required accident report shall be made on a form prescribed by
the chief of the Washington state patrol and each authority charged with the
duty of receiving such reports shall provide sufficient report forms in
compliance with the form devised. The report forms shall be designated so as
to provide that a copy may be retained by the reporting person.
(5) The chief of the Washington state patrol shall adopt rules establishing the accident-reporting threshold for property damage accidents. Beginning October 1, 1987, the accident-reporting threshold for property damage accidents shall be five hundred dollars. The accident-reporting threshold for property damage accidents shall be revised when necessary, but not more frequently than every two years. The revisions shall only be for the purpose of recognizing economic changes as reflected by an inflationary index recommended by the office of financial management. The revisions shall be guided by the change in the index for the time period since the last revision.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:
The department may provide a method to distinguish the driver's license of a person who is under the age of twenty-one from the driver's license of a person who is twenty-one years of age or older.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
(1) Section 8, chapter 167, Laws of 1967, section 42, chapter 292, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. and RCW 46.20.011;
(2) Section 46.20.102, chapter 12, Laws of 1961, section 12, chapter 121, Laws of 1965 ex. sess., section 2, chapter 167, Laws of 1967, section 5, chapter 61, Laws of 1979 and RCW 46.20.102; and
(3) Section 46.20.104, chapter 12, Laws of 1961, section 13, chapter 121, Laws of 1965 ex. sess., section 3, chapter 167, Laws of 1967, section 44, chapter 292, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. and RCW 46.20.104.