This bill amends RCW 46.61.500 to redefine and address reckless driving. It specifies that reckless driving includes driving in willful or wanton disregard for safety or driving more than 30 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Reckless driving is treated as a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine up to $5,000, and the driver’s license, permit, or nonresident driving privilege must be suspended by the department for not less than 30 days with day-for-day credit for any related administrative suspension under RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504. The amendment adds device and post-suspension requirements. Installation of an ignition interlock device (per RCW 46.20.720) is required on all vehicles a person convicted of reckless driving operates in specified situations: where the conviction arose from an original charge under RCW 46.61.502, 46.61.504, or equivalent local ordinances with one or more prior offenses within seven years, or where the conviction arose from certain offenses (RCW 46.61.520 or 46.61.522) committed while under the influence. Persons holding an ignition interlock driver’s license under RCW 46.20.385 may continue to drive under that license during related suspensions without obtaining a separate temporary restricted license under RCW 46.20.391. A second version of the amendment becomes effective January 1, 2029: after the suspension period the department must establish a 150-day probation period during which the person may not operate a vehicle unless it has a properly functioning intelligent speed assistance device; operating without such a device during probation is a traffic infraction. Any moving violation infraction during probation results in an additional 30-day suspension or revocation to run consecutively with any suspension already being served, and requiring or using the device is not a defense to other traffic violations. Section 1 takes effect September 1, 2026, and expires January 1, 2029; Section 2 takes effect January 1, 2029. These changes modify existing law (RCW 46.61.500) by redefining the offense, prescribing criminal penalties, adding administrative suspension and device-installation requirements, and creating a probationary regime with device and penalty rules. The text does not name which agency is “the department,” does not provide a technical definition of “intelligent speed assistance device,” and does not include the full text or procedural details of the referenced statutes, so those details remain unclear from the extracted material.

If enacted, more drivers who exceed the speed limit by over 30 mph or drive in a willful or wanton way will face criminal prosecution as a gross misdemeanor with possible jail, fines, and at least a 30‑day license suspension, and some convictions will also trigger mandatory ignition interlock installation on their vehicles. That means affected drivers will likely face higher out‑of‑pocket costs for device installation and monitoring, loss of driving time, and greater legal risk; drivers already on an ignition interlock license can keep driving during suspension without getting a temporary restricted license. The department that handles license suspensions will need to grant day‑for‑day credit for certain prior administrative actions, manage suspensions and a new 150‑day probation period starting in 2029 that requires a functioning intelligent speed assistance device, and impose additional suspensions for violations during probation—adding administrative workload and enforcement responsibilities. It is unclear which agency is meant by "the department," how an "intelligent speed assistance device" will be defined and verified, and how the referenced DUI and interlock rules will be applied in every case, so some implementation details and costs remain uncertain.