An Examination of Washington States Vehicle Impoundment Law for Motorcycle Endorsements
In July 2007, Washington State modified its vehicle code
to clarify that its existing impoundment law for unlicensed
drivers also applies to operators without specially
endorsed licenses, including motorcycle riders, and
expressly allows law enforcement officers to impound the
motorcycles of unendorsed operators. To understand the
effect of this law on motorcycle riders in Washington, the
goals of this project were to examine:
■■Any issues associated with the implementation of the
law;
■■Awareness of the law;
■■ Enforcement of the law, in terms of prevalence of
impoundment and citations issued under the law;
■■ Effects of the law on endorsements;
■■ Effects of the law on riders taking safety training; and
■■ Effects of the law on crashes.