H. B. 3252
(By Delegate Sumner)
[Introduced March 20, 2009; referred to the
Committee on Roads and Transportation then the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §17C-15-19 of the Code of West
Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to additional lighting
and reflector equipment required on certain vehicles.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §17C-15-19 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 15. EQUIPMENT.
§17C-15-19. Additional lighting equipment.
(a) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two
side cowl or fender lamps which shall emit an amber or white light
without glare.
(b) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than one
running board courtesy lamp on each side thereof which shall emit
a white or amber light without glare.
(c) Except for school buses as provided in this subsection, any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two back-up
lamps either separately or in combination with other lamps, but any
such back-up lamp shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in
forward motion. School buses used for the transportation of school
children in this state, whether owned and operated by a county
board of education or privately owned and operated under contract
with a county board of education, shall be equipped with two back-
up lamps, one on each side of the rear door, with white lens or
reflectors, capable of lighting the roadway and objects to the rear
of the bus for safe backing during darkness, and which, at the
option of the county board of education, may each provide fifty
candlepower in illumination intensity instead of thirty-two
candlepower.
(d) Any vehicle may be equipped with lamps which may be used
for the purpose of warning the operators of other vehicles of the
presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring the exercise of
unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing, and when so
equipped may display such warning in addition to any other warning
signals required by this article. The lamps used to display such
warning to the front shall be mounted at the same level and as
widely spaced laterally as practicable and shall display
simultaneously flashing white or amber lights, or any shade of
color between white and amber. The lamps used to display such
warning to the rear shall be mounted at the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and shall show
simultaneously flashing amber or red lights, or any shade of color
between amber and red.
(e) Vehicles used by "rural mail carriers" in carrying or
delivering mail in rural areas
may shall be equipped with amber
flashing lights. Such lights shall be on the front and rear of the
vehicle and may be activated when the vehicle is stopped or
decreasing speed in order to stop in the course of carrying,
delivering or picking up mail along the route.
(f) Vehicles which are carrying out utility work or
construction projects on road sides, including all trucks engaged
in carrying or retrieving garbage, shall be equipped with amber
flashing lights. Such light, or the factory installed emergency
flashers, shall be activated when the vehicle is stopped or
decreasing speed in order to stop in the course of their usual work
activities.
(f) (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to
the contrary, any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than
one electroluminescent solid state ceramic front identification
plate without glare, mounted in conformance with the manufacturer's
specifications.
(g) (h) Vehicles used as the lead car in a funeral procession
are hereby authorized to be equipped with, but are not required to
use, purple lamps or purple flashing lights. Such lamps may be used for the purpose of warning the operators of other vehicles of the
presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring the exercise of
unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing a funeral
procession, and when so equipped may display such warning in
addition to any other warning signals required by this article.
The lamps or flashing lights used to display such warning to the
front shall be mounted at the same level and as widely spaced
laterally as practicable and shall display simultaneously either
illuminated or flashing purple lights. The lamps used to display
such warning to the rear shall be mounted at the same level and as
widely spaced laterally as practicable, and shall show
simultaneously flashing or illuminated purple lights.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to add language to West
Virginia Code §17C-15-19 to provide for additional lighting on
certain vehicles, so as to provide warning for oncoming traffic.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.
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