House File 2523 - Introduced



                                HOUSE FILE       
                                BY  COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY

                                (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2207)


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to safe motor vehicle operation, including
  2    penalties for certain motor vehicle violations causing serious
  3    injury or death and classroom instruction for driver education
  4    courses.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  6 TLSB 5232HV 81
  7 jm/je/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 321.178, subsection 1, Code Supplement
  1  2 2005, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
  1  3    NEW PARAGRAPH.  d.  Instruction providing an awareness
  1  4 about sharing the road with bicycles and motorcycles.  The
  1  5 instruction course shall be first approved by the state
  1  6 department of transportation.  Instructional materials
  1  7 creating an awareness about sharing the road with bicycles and
  1  8 motorcycles shall also be distributed during the course of
  1  9 instruction.
  1 10    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  321.482A  VIOLATIONS RESULTING IN
  1 11 INJURY OR DEATH == ADDITIONAL PENALTIES.
  1 12    Notwithstanding section 321.482, a person who is convicted
  1 13 of operating a motor vehicle in violation of section 321.275,
  1 14 subsection 4, section 321.297, 321.298, 321.299, 321.302,
  1 15 321.303, 321.304, 321.305, 321.306, 321.307, 321.308, section
  1 16 321.309, subsection 2, or section 321.311, 321.319, 321.320,
  1 17 321.321, 321.322, 321.323, 321.323A, 321.324, 321.324A,
  1 18 321.327, 321.329, or 321.333 causing serious injury to or
  1 19 death of another person may be subject to the following
  1 20 penalties in addition to the penalty provided for a scheduled
  1 21 violation in section 805.8A or any other penalty provided by
  1 22 law:
  1 23    1.  For a violation causing serious injury, a fine of five
  1 24 hundred dollars or suspension of the violator's driver's
  1 25 license or operating privileges for not more than ninety days,
  1 26 or both.  For purposes of this subsection, "serious injury"
  1 27 means the same as defined in section 702.18.
  1 28    2.  For a violation causing death, a fine of one thousand
  1 29 dollars or suspension of the violator's driver's license or
  1 30 operating privileges for not more than one hundred eighty
  1 31 days, or both.
  1 32
  1 33                           EXPLANATION
  1 34    This bill requires a driver education course to include
  1 35 instruction about making students aware of sharing the road
  2  1 with bicycles and motorcycles.  Under the bill, the bicycle
  2  2 and motorcycle awareness course shall first be approved by the
  2  3 state department of transportation.
  2  4    The bill also provides that motor vehicle operators who are
  2  5 convicted of certain moving violations which are simple
  2  6 misdemeanors may be subject to additional fines and licensing
  2  7 sanctions if such a violation causes injury or death.  The
  2  8 bill applies to specified violations that involve failure to
  2  9 yield or interfering with the right=of=way of a vehicle or
  2 10 person.  For a violation causing serious injury to another
  2 11 person, the court may impose an additional fine of $500 or
  2 12 driver's license suspension for up to 90 days, or both.  Under
  2 13 the bill, "serious injury" means the same as defined in Code
  2 14 section 702.18.
  2 15    For a violation which causes the death of a person, the
  2 16 court may impose an additional fine of $1,000 or driver's
  2 17 license suspension for up to 180 days, or both.
  2 18 LSB 5232HV 81
  2 19 jm:nh/je/5