State Laws & Funding | News | Meetings | Issues | Publications | Projects | Links | About Us | Members Only
State Laws & Funding
West Virginia
Below is a list of the key highway safety laws in West Virginia. For more information, contact the West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program.
| No state law |
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Handheld Ban | All Cell Phone Ban | Text Messaging Ban | Crash Data |
||||||
| School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | All Drivers | School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | |||||
| Learner or Intermediate Stage (Primary) |
Learner or Intermediate Stage (Primary) |
||||||||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Child Restraint Required unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Adult Safety Belt Permissible unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| <7 (and <4'9") | <7 (and >4'9) | $20 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| No state law |
Source: State Highway Safety Offices.
| Admin. License Suspen- sion on 1st Offense |
Limited Driving Privileges During Suspension | Inc. Penalty for High BAC | Open Container Laws | Repeat Offender Laws | Vehicle and License Plate Sanctions | Ignition Interlocks | Alcohol Exclusion Laws Limiting Treatment Opportunity | |
| 6 months | After 30 days | .15 | Yes | Mandatory for high BAC (>.15) convictions | Yes | |||
Sources: Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Learner Stage | Intermediate Stage | Full Privilege Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Required Supervised Driving Hours (Night Hours) |
||||
| Min. Age (Yrs./ Mos.) |
Min. Dura- tion (Mos.) |
Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Night- time Driving Restriction |
Passenger Restriction* (* family members exempt) |
|||
| 15 | 6 | 16 | 10 p.m. - 5 a.m. | First 6 mos.–no pass. <20*;second 6 mos.–no more than 1 pass. <20* | 17 | 50 (10) (0 w/ driver's ed.) |
|
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) an
| Motorcyclists | Bicyclists | ||
| Universal Helmet Law (Year Enacted) | Partial Law | Universal Helmet Law Repealed | |
| 1971 | <15 | ||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Length of Regular Renewal Cycle (Yrs.) | Provisions for Mature Drivers |
| 5 | |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Type of Law | Who is Covered (Yrs.) | In What Seat | Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| Secondary | 8-17 | All | $25 |
| >18 | Front | ||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Permitted on Sidewalks/Bicycle Paths | Permitted on Roads | Helmets Required | Minimum Age | Pedestrian Laws Apply |
| Sidewalks | Yes | Yes | ||
Sources: Segway LLC and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Checkpoints Conducted? | Comments |
| Yes | Conducted weekly |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Rural Interstates | Urban Interstates | Other Limited Access Roads | |||
| Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
| 70 | 70 | 55 | 55 | 65 | 65 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| State Law | Violations | Location | Citation Issued To / Liability |
Image / Privacy | Penalties (Traditional Penalties) | Defenses |
| Prohibited | ||||||
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Multiple of Original Fine | Violations Affected | Workers Must Be Present | |
| Not more than $200 or 20 days in jail or both | Speeding | Yes | |
Sources: National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and State Highway Safety Offices.