ENROLLED
Senate Bill No. 682
(By Senators Schoonover, Ross and Helmick)
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[Passed March 13, 1998; in effect ninety days from passage.]
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AN ACT to amend and reenact section nineteen, article fifteen,
chapter seventeen-c of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to
approved additional lighting equipment for motor vehicles;
authorizing additional lighting equipment to be used by
funeral hearses; and authorizing the use of
electroluminescent solid state ceramic front identification
plates.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section nineteen, 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-15-19. Additional lighting equipment.
(a) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two
side cowl or fender lamps which shall emit an amber or white light without glare.
(b) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than one
running board courtesy lamp on each side thereof which shall emit
a white or amber light without glare.
(c) Except for school buses as provided in this subsection,
any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two back-up
lamps either separately or in combination with other lamps, but
any such back-up lamp shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle
is in forward motion. School buses used for the transportation
of school children in this state, whether owned and operated by
a county board of education or privately owned and operated under
contract with a county board of education, shall be equipped with
two back-up lamps, one on each side of the rear door, with white
lens or reflectors, capable of lighting the roadway and objects
to the rear of the bus for safe backing during darkness, and
which, at the option of the county board of education, may each
provide fifty candlepower in illumination intensity instead of
thirty-two candlepower.
(d) Any vehicle may be equipped with lamps which may be used
for the purpose of warning the operators of other vehicles of the
presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring the exercise of
unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing, and when so
equipped may display such warning in addition to any other warning signals required by this article. The lamps used to
display such warning to the front shall be mounted at the same
level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable and shall
display simultaneously flashing white or amber lights, or any
shade of color between white and amber. The lamps used to
display such warning to the rear shall be mounted at the same
level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and shall
show simultaneously flashing amber or red lights, or any shade of
color between amber and red.
(e) Vehicles used by "rural mail carriers" in carrying or
delivering mail in rural areas may be equipped with amber
flashing lights. Such lights shall be on the front and rear of
the vehicle and may be activated when the vehicle is stopped or
decreasing speed in order to stop in the course of carrying,
delivering or picking up mail along the route.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the
contrary, any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than
one electroluminescent solid state ceramic front identification
plate without glare, mounted in conformance with the
manufacturer's specifications.
(g) Vehicles used as the lead car in a funeral procession
are hereby authorized to be equipped with, but are not required
to use, purple lamps or purple flashing lights. Such lamps may be used for the purpose of warning the operators of other
vehicles of the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring
the exercise of unusual care in approaching, overtaking or
passing a funeral procession, and when so equipped may display
such warning in addition to any other warning signals required by
this article. The lamps or flashing lights used to display such
warning to the front shall be mounted at the same level and as
widely spaced laterally as practicable and shall display
simultaneously either illuminated or flashing purple lights. The
lamps used to display such warning to the rear shall be mounted
at the same level and as widely spaced laterally as practicable,
and shall show simultaneously flashing or illuminated purple
lights.