H. B. 2946
(By Delegates Butcher and Williams)
[Introduced March 4, 2009; referred to the
Committee on Roads and Transportation then the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §17C-15-23 of the Code of West
Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to motorcycle equipment;
and permitting running lamps on motorcycles, motor-driven
cycles and mopeds.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §17C-15-23 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 15. EQUIPMENT.
§17C-15-23. Lighting equipment on motorcycles, motor-driven
cycles and mopeds.
The head lamp or head lamps upon every motorcycle, motor-
driven cycle and moped may be of the single-beam or multiple-beam
type but in either event shall comply with the requirements and
limitations as follows:
(1) Every
said head lamp or head lamps shall be of sufficient intensity to reveal a person or a vehicle at a distance of not less
than one hundred feet when the motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or
moped is operated at any speed less than twenty-five miles per hour
and at a distance of not less than two hundred feet when it is
operated at a speed of twenty-five or more miles per hour.
(2)
In the event If the motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or
moped is equipped with a multiple-beam type head lamp or head lamps
the upper beam shall meet the minimum requirements set forth above
and
shall not exceed the limitations set forth in section twenty
(a) of this article and the lowermost beam shall meet the
requirements applicable to a lowermost distribution of light as set
forth in section twenty (b) of this article.
(3)
In the event If the motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or
moped is equipped with a single-beam lamp or lamps,
said the lamp
or lamps shall be so aimed that when the vehicle is loaded none of
the high-intensity portion of light, at a distance of twenty-five
feet ahead, shall project higher than the level of the center of
the lamp from which it comes.
(4) Motorcycles, motor-driven cycles and mopeds may have
lights that are underneath the body and turned on while the
motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or moped is being operated at night.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to permit running lamps on
motorcycles, motor-driven cycles and mopeds.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.