H. B. 3154
(By Delegates Wills, DeLong and G. White)
(All By Request)
[Introduced March 30, 2001;
Referred to the Committee on Roads and Transportation the the
Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend article seven, chapter seventeen-c of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section
fourteen, relating to traffic regulations and laws of the
road; prohibiting certain motor vehicles from operating upon,
driving in or using the left lane of the right-hand roadway of
any divided highway, any highway having four or more lanes or
any controlled access highway; creating a criminal offense;
setting forth criminal penalties; posting of signs and
prescribing penalties.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article seven, chapter seventeen-c of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section
fourteen, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7. DRIVING ON RIGHT SIDE OF ROADWAY, OVERTAKING AND
PASSING, ETC.
§17C-7-14. Restrictions on use of left lane of four or more lane
highway; penalties.
(a) No person may operate any truck tractor as defined in
section nine of article one of this chapter, road tractor as
defined in section eleven of article one of this chapter
, or tandem
axle vehicle as defined in section fifty-seven of article one of
this chapter
in the left lane or passing lane of any
highway of
full control of access of this state at any time or under any
circumstances, except when directed to do so by a police officer,
in an emergency or in obedience to posted signs.
(b) Any person violating the provisions of this section is
guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be
fined not less than five hundred dollars. In addition to the
preceding penalties, at the time a law enforcement officer issues
a citation for the violation of the provisions of this section, the
law enforcement officer shall order the offending truck tractor or
tandem axle vehicle impounded for a six hours.
(c) Any person found guilty of violating the provisions of
this section
shall, in addition to the criminal penalty set forth
above, is subject to the further administrative penalty of having
eight points assessed against his or her motor vehicle operators
license or commercial drivers license, as the case may be.
(d) The commissioner of highways is directed to post signs
informing the driving public of the provisions of subsection (a) of
this section. These signs shall be posted on those highways,
interstates and roadways set forth in subsection (a) of this
section.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prevent accidents and
traffic congestion by making it a crime to operate certain large
vehicles in the left lane (passing lane) of four lane highways.
This section is new; therefore strike-throughs and underlining
have been omitted.