Title 46, MOTOR VEHICLES

(1) Whenever the involvement in a motor vehicle accident in this state results in the driving privilege of a person being suspended for failure to pay a judgment or deposit security, the department shall suspend the Washington registration of the motor vehicle if the person drivi…

(1) Any person whose license shall have been suspended under any provision of this chapter, or whose policy of insurance or bond, when required under this chapter, shall have been canceled or terminated, shall immediately return the license to the department. (2) Any person willf…

Any person who shall forge, or, without authority, sign any evidence of proof of financial responsibility for the future, or who files or offers for filing any such evidence of proof knowing or having reason to believe that it is forged or signed without authority, shall be guilt…

(1) Any person in whose name more than twenty-five vehicles are registered in this state may qualify as a self-insurer by obtaining a certificate of self-insurance issued by the department as provided in subsection (2) of this section. (2) The department may, in its discretion, u…

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as preventing the plaintiff in any action at law from relying for relief upon the other processes provided by law. [ 1963 c 169 s 64.]

RCW 46.29.010 through 46.29.640 shall be codified as a single chapter of the Revised Code of Washington. RCW 46.29.010 through 46.29.050 shall be captioned "ADMINISTRATION." RCW 46.29.060 through 46.29.240 shall be captioned "SECURITY FOLLOWING ACCIDENT." RCW 46.29.250 through 46…

Sections 46.24.010 through 46.24.910 and sections 46.28.010 through 46.28.200, chapter 12, Laws of 1961 and RCW 46.24.010 through 46.24.910 and RCW 46.28.010 through 46.28.200 are each repealed. Such repeals shall not be construed as affecting any existing right acquired under th…

It is a privilege granted by the state to operate a motor vehicle upon the highways of this state. The legislature recognizes the threat that uninsured drivers are to the people of the state. In order to alleviate the threat posed by uninsured drivers it is the intent of the legi…

(1)(a) No person may operate a motor vehicle subject to registration under chapter 46.16A RCW in this state unless the person is insured under a motor vehicle liability policy with liability limits of at least the amounts provided in RCW 46.29.090, is self-insured as provided in …

(1) Whenever an insurance company issues or renews a motor vehicle liability insurance policy, the company shall provide the policyholder with an identification card as specified by the department of licensing. At the policyholder's request, the insurer shall provide the policyho…

Any person who knowingly provides false evidence of financial responsibility to a law enforcement officer or to a court, including an expired or canceled insurance policy, bond, or certificate of deposit is guilty of a misdemeanor. [ 1991 sp.s. c 25 s 2; 1989 c 353 s 4.]

(1) No entity may test an autonomous motor vehicle on any public roadway under the department's autonomous vehicle self-certification testing pilot program unless: (a) The entity holds an umbrella liability insurance policy that covers the entity in an amount not less than five m…

This act shall take effect January 1, 1990. The director of the department of licensing may immediately take such steps as are necessary to ensure that this act is implemented on its effective date. [ 1989 c 353 s 13.]

For the purpose of this chapter "commercial motor vehicle" means a self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a highway in interstate or intrastate commerce to transport passengers or property, when the vehicle: (1) Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight ratin…

(1) The chief of the Washington state patrol may operate, maintain, or designate, throughout the state of Washington, stations for the inspection of commercial motor vehicles, school buses, and private carrier buses, with respect to vehicle equipment, drivers' qualifications, and…

(1)(a) The chief of the Washington state patrol may adopt reasonable rules regarding types of vehicles to be inspected, inspection criteria, times for the inspection of vehicle equipment, drivers' qualifications, hours of service, and all other matters with respect to the conduct…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, vehicle equipment inspection shall be at such intervals as required by the chief of the Washington state patrol and shall be made without charge. (2) When a motor carrier is identified as a high-risk carrier through a data…

It shall be unlawful for any person employed by the chief of the Washington state patrol at any vehicle equipment inspection station, to order, direct, recommend, or influence the correction of vehicle equipment defects by any person or persons whomsoever. It shall be unlawful fo…

It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or move, or for any owner to cause or permit to be operated or moved upon any public highway, any vehicle or combination of vehicles, which is not at all times equipped in the manner required by this title, or the equipment of which …

If a vehicle required to be inspected becomes damaged or deteriorated in such a manner that such vehicle has become unsafe for operation upon the public highways of this state, it is unlawful for the owner or operator thereof to cause such vehicle to be operated upon a public hig…

(1) The Washington state patrol is responsible for enforcement of safety requirements for commercial motor vehicles including, but not limited to, safety audits and compliance reviews. Those motor carriers that have operations in this state are subject to the patrol's safety audi…

(1) The Washington state patrol, in consultation with the department of licensing, shall adopt rules consistent with this chapter to regulate vehicle safety requirements for motor carriers who own, control, manage, or operate a commercial motor vehicle within this state. Except a…

(1)(a) In addition to all other penalties provided by law, and except as provided otherwise in (a)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this subsection, a commercial motor vehicle that is subject to compliance reviews under this chapter and an officer, agent, or employee of a company operating …

A person or employer operating as a motor carrier shall comply with the requirements of the United States department of transportation federal motor carrier safety regulations as contained in Title 49 C.F.R. Part 382, controlled substances and alcohol use and testing. A person or…

This chapter does not apply to vehicles exempted from registration by RCW 46.16A.170. [ 2011 c 171 s 78; 2009 c 46 s 7.] Notes: Intent—Effective date—2011 c 171: See notes following RCW 4.24.210.

For purposes of 49 C.F.R. Sec. 395.2 (2018) and 49 C.F.R. Sec. 395.1 (2018), relating to the exemption for agricultural transporters, the planting and harvesting seasons are January 1st through December 31st of each year. [ 2018 c 33 s 1.]

(1) During a motor vehicle inspection, an official inspection facility, or licensed private inspection facility, shall check information made available by the national highway traffic safety administration to determine whether the motor vehicle being inspected is subject to an op…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) "Owner" means: (a) A person having all the incidents of ownership, including legal title, of a motor vehicle, whether or not the person lends, rents, or creates a secu…

(1) A manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold or leased in this state, that is equipped with one or more recording devices, shall disclose in the owner's manual that the motor vehicle is equipped with one or more recording devices and, if so, the type of data recorded and whether th…

(1) Information recorded or transmitted by a recording device may not be retrieved, downloaded, scanned, read, or otherwise accessed by a person other than the owner of the motor vehicle in which the recording device is installed except: (a) Upon a court order or pursuant to disc…

A manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold or leased in this state that is equipped with a recording device shall ensure by licensing agreement or other means that a tool or tools are available that are capable of accessing and retrieving the information stored in a recording device.…

The legislature finds that the practices covered by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the public interest for the purpose of applying chapter 19.86 RCW. A violation of this chapter is not reasonable in relation to the development and preservation of business and is an un…

In addition to those powers and duties elsewhere granted, the chief of the Washington state patrol shall have the power and the duty to adopt, apply, and enforce such reasonable rules and regulations (1) relating to proper types of vehicles or combinations thereof for hauling pas…

(1) It is a traffic infraction for any person to drive or move, or for a vehicle owner to cause or knowingly permit to be driven or moved, on any highway any vehicle or combination of vehicles that: (a) Is in such unsafe condition as to endanger any person; (b) Is not at all time…

Every vehicle upon a highway within this state at any time from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise and at any other time when, due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a…

(1) Whenever requirement is hereinafter declared as to distance from which certain lamps and devices shall render objects visible or within which such lamps or devices shall be visible, said provisions shall apply during the times stated in RCW 46.37.020 in respect to a vehicle w…

(1) Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with at least two head lamps with at least one on each side of the front of the motor vehicle, which head lamps shall comply with the requirements and limitations set forth in this chapter. (2) Every head lamp upon every motor vehicle sha…

(1) After January 1, 1964, every motor vehicle, trailer, cargo extension, semitrailer, and pole trailer, and any other vehicle which is being drawn at the end of a combination of vehicles, shall be equipped with at least two tail lamps mounted on the rear, which, when lighted as …

(1) Every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer shall carry on the rear, either as a part of the tail lamps or separately, two or more red reflectors meeting the requirements of this section: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That vehicles of the types mentioned in RCW 46.37.090…

(1) After January 1, 1964, every motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer shall be equipped with two or more stop lamps meeting the requirements of RCW 46.37.200, except that passenger cars manufactured or assembled prior to January 1, 1964, shall be equipped with at…

Those sections of this chapter which follow immediately, including RCW 46.37.090, 46.37.100, 46.37.110, 46.37.120, and 46.37.130, relating to clearance lamps, marker lamps, and reflectors, shall apply as stated in said sections to vehicles of the type therein enumerated, namely b…

In addition to other equipment required in RCW 46.37.040, 46.37.050, 46.37.060, and 46.37.070, the following vehicles shall be equipped as herein stated under the conditions stated in RCW 46.37.080, and in addition, the reflectors elsewhere enumerated for such vehicles shall conf…

(1) Front clearance lamps and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the front or on the side near the front of a vehicle shall display or reflect an amber color. (2) Rear clearance lamps and those marker lamps and reflectors mounted on the rear or on the sides near the rea…

(1) Reflectors when required by RCW 46.37.090 shall be mounted at a height not less than twenty-four inches and not higher than sixty inches above the ground on which the vehicle stands, except that if the highest part of the permanent structure of the vehicle is less than twenty…

(1) Every reflector upon any vehicle referred to in RCW 46.37.090 shall be of such size and characteristics and so maintained as to be readily visible at nighttime from all distances within six hundred feet to one hundred feet from the vehicle when directly in front of lawful low…

Whenever motor and other vehicles are operated in combination during the time that lights are required, any lamp (except tail lamps) need not be lighted which, by reason of its location on a vehicle of the combination, would be obscured by another vehicle of the combination, but …