(A) Every motor vehicle when operated upon a street or highway shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet, but no horn or other warning device shall emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle. The driver of a motor vehicle shall when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation give audible warning with his or her horn, but shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a street or highway.
(B) No vehicle shall be equipped with, nor shall any person use upon a vehicle, any siren, whistle or bell, except as otherwise permitted in this section.
(C) It is permissible, but not required, that any commercial vehicle be equipped with a theft alarm signal device which is so arranged that it cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal. Any authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle or bell, capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 500 feet and of a type approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles, but such siren shall not be used, except when such vehicle is operated in response to an emergency or in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law; in which such latter events, the driver of such vehicle shall sound such siren when reasonably necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of the approach thereof.
(Prior Code, § 345.21) Penalty, see § 73.99
Statutory reference:
Related provisions, see W.Va. Code § 17C-15-33