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H. 4175
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Daning, Owens and Crosby
Document Path: l:\council\bills\swb\6107cm11.docx
Introduced in the House on May 4, 2011
Currently residing in the House Committee on Education and Public Works
Summary: Share the Road Driver Training
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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5/4/2011 House Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 8)
5/4/2011 House Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
(House Journal-page 8)
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING CHAPTER 22 TO TITLE 56 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT SHARE THE ROAD DRIVER TRAINING MUST BE INCLUDED IN ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DRIVING EDUCATION/TRAINING COURSES, TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES SHALL INCORPORATE ADDITIONAL COMPREHENSIVE SAFETY EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL RELATIVE TO SHARING THE ROAD WITH COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES IN THE DRIVER SAFETY MANUAL AND OTHER MEDIUM, TO PROVIDE THAT A HOLDER OF A COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE WHO HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF CERTAIN MOVING VIOLATIONS MUST COMPLETE AN ONLINE REMEDIAL TRAINING COURSE, TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-FIVE WHO HAS BEEN CONVICTED OF CERTAIN MOVING VIOLATIONS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO A COLLISION INVOLVING CERTAIN COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES MUST COMPLETE AN ONLINE REMEDIAL TRAINING COURSE, TO PROVIDE THAT MOTOR CARRIERS THAT ARE COVERED BY THE FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ACT NEW ENTRANT PROGRAM MUST COMPLETE A DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES APPROVED TRAINING COURSE, AND TO PROVIDE THAT THESE COURSES MUST BE OFFERED THROUGH A SOUTH CAROLINA-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WHICH HAS EXPERTISE IN COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY.
Whereas, three different studies, including those conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the United States Department of Transportation, have found that truck-involved fatalities are, more often than not, unintentionally initiated by automobile drivers. Approximately seventy-five percent were initiated by passenger car drivers, while twenty-five percent were initiated by commercial motor vehicle drivers; and
Whereas, Share the Road Driver Training has the potential to save lives and reduce crashes that are caused because people do not know the limitation of large trucks and how to drive safely near or around them; and
Whereas, Share the Road Driver Training provides specific information on how crashes happen and how to avoid them; and
Whereas, Share the Road Driver Training provides essential education to all drivers on truck braking capabilities and blind spots and explains how to avoid driving in a truck's blind spot; and
Whereas, Share the Road Driver Training reaches new drivers at a young age ensuring that they develop safe driving habits early; and
Whereas, Share the Road Driver Training teaches new drivers techniques to safely interact with large trucks including: safe following distances; proper merging, defensive driving; and avoiding blind spots; and
Whereas, Share the Road education changes and improves driving habits and in turn saves lives; and
Whereas, safety information is available, free of charge, from the American Trucking Associations. This includes, but is not limited to, guidelines for motorists, safe driving tips, a quiz, as well as a downloadable brochure and instructional DVD. Now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 56-22-10. Share the Road With Trucks Driver Training is to be included in all public and private driver education/training courses offered in this State, provided that all necessary educational content is provided free of charge to the training schools by a nonprofit organization with expertise in commercial motor vehicle safety. Behind-the-wheel training, as well as classroom instruction shall include, but is not limited to, truck stopping distances, proper distances for following trucks, identification of truck blind spots, and avoidance of driving in truck blind spots.
Section 56-22-20. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall incorporate, as soon as practical, more comprehensive safety educational material relative to sharing the road with, and the operational nature of, commercial motor vehicles in its driver safety manual and any other medium, provided all necessary educational content is provided free of charge to the department by a nonprofit organization with expertise in commercial motor vehicle safety.
Section 56-22-30. Completion of a Department of Public Safety approved online remedial training course is required for all holders of a Department of Motor Vehicle issued commercial driver's license who are convicted of a moving violation which contributed to a United States Department of Transportation reportable collision, within ninety days of the conviction.
Section 56-22-40. Completion of a Department of Public Safety approved online remedial training course is required for all South Carolina drivers under twenty-five years of age who are convicted of a moving violation which contributed to a collision involving a commercial motor vehicle registered in excess of 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, within one hundred twenty days of conviction.
Section 56-22-50. Completion of a Department of Public Safety and the Department of Motor Vehicles approved training course is required for any South Carolina-based motor carriers who falls under the requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act New Entrant program prior to being granted operating authority or a South Carolina or United States Department of Transportation motor carrier number. This course must include training on subject matter relative to compliance with vehicle and driver safety, registration and tax laws, rules, and regulations.
Section 56-22-60. The Department of Public Safety and the Department of Motor Vehicles approved courses must be offered through a South Carolina-based nonprofit organization which has specific expertise in commercial motor vehicle safety, and which was chartered in South Carolina prior to enactment of this act. Publicly supported educational institutions are encouraged to assist citizens with access to a computer with online capabilities in order to facilitate compliance with the remedial training required in Section 56-22-40. To assist a person who may not have access to online remedial training, the Department of Public Safety may require the entity offering the training to conduct periodic instructor-led courses at locations around the State."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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