Senate Bill No. 8
(By Senator Bailey)
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[Introduced January 11, 1995; referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section two, article fifteen, chapter
seventeen-c of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to motor vehicles;
traffic regulations, laws of the road; equipment; requiring
head lamps to be in use at certain times; and providing for
a misdemeanor offense for use of only parking lamps.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section two, article fifteen, chapter seventeen-c of
the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one,
as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 15. EQUIPMENT.
§17C-15-2. When lighted lamps are required.
(a) Every vehicle other than a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle
or moped operated upon a highway within this state at any time from
sunset to sunrise, or during fog, smoke, rain or other unfavorable
atmospheric conditions, or at any other time when there is not
sufficient light to render clearly discernible persons and vehicles
on the highway at a distance of five hundred feet ahead, shall
display lighted lamps and illuminating devices as hereinafter
respectively required for different classes of vehicles, subject to
exceptions with respect to parked vehicles as hereinafter stated.
Every motorcycle, motor-driven cycle and moped shall display
lighted head lamps at all times when upon the highway.
(b) Any person operating a motor vehicle at the times set out
in subsection (a) of this section without the required display
lighted lamps and illuminating devices, or with only parking lamps
lighted, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make it a misdemeanor
for drivers to operate a motor vehicle from sunset to sunrise or
during fog, smoke, rain or other unfavorable atmospheric
conditions, etc. with only parking lamps lighted.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.