Senate Bill No. 52

(By Senators Guills and Foster)

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[Introduced January 13, 2010; referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; and then to the Committee on the Judiciary.]

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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §17C-14-3, relating to prohibiting use of a handheld cell phone while driving; providing exceptions; providing a penalty for violations; and providing that points may not be assessed against driver's license for a violation.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §17C-14-3, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 14. MISCELLANEOUS RULES.
§17C-14-3. Use of cellular telephone while driving prohibited; penalty; no points may be assessed.

(a) A person may not operate a motor vehicle while using a handheld cellular telephone or similar device requiring the motor vehicle operator to hold the cellular telephone in one of his or her hands while driving. This section does not apply to a driver of a motor vehicle who uses a cellular telephone with a headset or a cellular telephone with a speaker system which does not require the driver to hold the cellular telephone in his or her hands while driving.
(b) Any person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100; upon a second conviction within one year thereafter, shall be fined not more than $200; and upon a third or subsequent conviction, shall be fined not more than $500.
(c) Notwithstanding any other contrary provision of this code, no points may be entered on any driver's record maintained by the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles as a result of a violation of this section.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the use of handheld cellular telephones while driving and to provide a penalty for violations. Under the bill, a person may be fined for a violation, but no points may be assessed against his or her driver's license.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.