Committee reviews bill widening unattended-vehicle rules, creates exception for remote starters

Engrossed Senate Bill 5081, heard March 13 before the Washington State House Transportation Committee, would require a person who leaves a motor vehicle unattended to turn it off, remove the key, and set the brake; it creates a limited exception for vehicles started by remote starter systems that remain locked and without ignition keys inside.

The proposal was presented to the committee by Jennifer Harris, committee staff, who summarized the bill’s operations and penalties. Under the bill, the last driver who left a vehicle unattended but later learns the vehicle set in motion and struck another vehicle, property or person must try to locate and notify the owner or leave a conspicuous written note with name and address, and then report the collision. If there is injury or death, the statute requires providing name, address, insurance information and showing a driver’s license, and it creates criminal penalties ranging from misdemeanors up to a class B felony for collisions resulting in death, and class C felony for collisions resulting in injury. Harris said the bill would take effect 90 days after the end of session and that no fiscal note had been requested.

The bill specifies that a motor vehicle started by a remote starter is not considered ‘‘unattended’’ if the vehicle is locked and the ignition keys are not inside the vehicle. But it keeps the post-collision duties the same: a person who remotely started a vehicle and later learns it moved and caused damage or injury must comply with the notification and reporting requirements that apply to any most recent driver who left a vehicle standing unattended.

Committee members asked staff how current law treats leaving a vehicle idling and locking it: Harris replied that current law already generally prohibits leaving a vehicle unattended without turning it off and removing the key. Representative Seabee questioned whether the bill’s remote-starter exception would permit a driver to start a car, lock it with a remote, and then re-enter their home; Harris confirmed the bill’s exception is limited to remote-started engines and does not broadly legalize locking and leaving the vehicle under other circumstances.

Senator Phil Fortunato, the bill’s prime sponsor in the Senate, described the bill in anecdotal terms and encouraged passage. At the public-comment phase Michael Sheard, a private citizen, testified in support, arguing that modern remote-start systems keep the vehicle locked and prevent theft and that many systems have automatic shutoff features that limit emissions and fuel use.

Why it matters: the bill updates traffic and motor-vehicle law language to reflect modern technology—remote starter systems—while preserving existing reporting and post-collision duties. The committee’s questions centered on whether the exception was narrowly tailored and how it interacts with current prohibitions against leaving vehicles unattended.

The committee did not record a formal vote during the hearing. The measure’s penalties and the revocation of driver’s licenses for certain convictions were discussed as statutory outcomes in the bill text.

Looking ahead: the bill’s effective-timing clause puts enactment 90 days after the end of session if passed; committee members indicated other technical questions may surface if the bill proceeds to floor or reconciliation. Public testimony emphasized safety and technological considerations rather than fiscal impacts.