Senate Bill No. 563
(By Senators Redd and Mitchell)
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[Introduced February 11, 2002; referred to the Committee
on Education.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section three, article six, chapter
eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to requiring driver
education courses to provide a motorcycle awareness component
approved by the motorcycle safety foundation.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section three, article six, chapter eighteen of the code
of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6. DRIVER EDUCATION.
§18-6-3. State board to establish minimum course standards;
students with mental or physical defects; minimum
standards specified.
(a) The state board of education shall establish minimum
standards for all driver education courses offered and made available to persons within the state, regardless of whether the
courses are offered by public, private, parochial, denominational
or commercial schools, but no person shall be permitted to enroll
in any driver education course who has a known mental or physical
defect that would prevent the person from qualifying for an
operator's license, unless the mental or physical defect is
controlled or corrected so the person could so qualify.
(b) The minimum standards shall provide at least that:
(1) All driver education courses offered within the state are
taught by instructors certified by the state board as qualified for
these purposes.
(2) Each person enrolled in a driver education course shall
receive practice driving and observation in a dual control
automobile and instruction in at least the following:
(A) Basic and advanced driving techniques, including
techniques for handling emergencies.
(B) Traffic regulations and laws of the road as provided in
chapter seventeen-c of this code, and other applicable state and
local laws and ordinances.
(C) Critical mechanical parts of vehicles requiring preventive
maintenance for safety.
(D) The vehicle, highway and community features that aid the
driver in avoiding crashes; protect him or her and his or her
passengers in crashes; and maximize the salvage of the injured.
(E) Signs, signals, highway markings and highway design features which require understanding for safe operation of motor
vehicles.
(F) Differences in characteristics of urban and rural driving,
including safe use of modern expressways.
(G) Pedestrian safety.
(H) Motorcycle safety awareness in a program approved by the
motorcycle safety foundation to ensure that the driver has
knowledge and awareness of motorcycles sharing the roads of this
state for the safety of motorcyclists.
(c) In addition, in driver education courses participating
students shall be encouraged to acquire first aid skills.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require
driver education
courses to provide a motorcycle awareness component approved by the
Motorcycle Safety Foundation to increase driver awareness of
motorcycles.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.