Both a person operating a vehicle with the express or implied permission of the owner and the owner of the vehicle are responsible for any act or omission that is declared unlawful in this chapter. The primary responsibility is the owner's.

If the person operating the vehicle at the time of the unlawful act or omission is not the owner of the vehicle, the operator may accept the citation and execute the promise to appear on behalf of the owner.

Effective date—Intent—Legislation to reconcile chapter 161, Laws of 2010 and other amendments made during the 2010 legislative session—2010 c 161: See notes following RCW 46.04.013.