VEHICLE LAWS
Starting January 1, 2006 new vehicle laws will go into effect. Here is the info about the new laws that will strengthen street racing and drunk driving laws, toughen provisional driving laws for teens, expand the number of counties where state low cost insurance can be purchased and make it illegal to drive pocket bikes on public streets.
New speed contest Laws:
Under existing law it is a misdemeanor to engage in a motor vehicle speed contest and will result in imprisonment in a county jail for not less than 24 hours nor more than 90 days.
The new law will extend the penalty to not less than 30 days nor more than 6 months, or by a fine, or by both fine and imprisonment, if a person is convicted of engaging in a motor vehicle speed contest and that violation proximately causes bodily injury to a person other than the driver.
New DUI Laws:
Individuals that have been convicted of a DUI will not be eligible for a good driver discount for ten years. This has been extended from seven years. -SB 597
Impounding of Vehicle:
A peace officer may impound a vehicle if a driver has been convicted of a DUI in the last ten years and has a blood alcohol level of at least 0.10 or more OR refuses to take a chemical test. The vehicle will be impounded for five days if there was one prior conviction or fifteen days if there were two or more prior convictions in the last ten years. -SB 207
A peace officer may impound a vehicle if a driver is failing to comply with the restriction that the driver only drives a vehicle equipped with a functioning, certified ignition interlock device. -AB 979
Tougher Progressive Driving Laws for Teens:
As of January 1, 2006 teen drivers are required to have their license for one year before being allowed to drive between 11PM. and 5AM. Teen drivers will also need to have their license for one year before being permitted to have passengers under the age of 20 years unless accompanied and supervised by a licensed parent, guardian, instructor, or person 25 years of age or older. This law applies to all teens, even those who received their drivers license before Jan. 1, 2006. - AB 1474
A study conducted by the Traffic injury Research Foundation in 2000, concluded that crash rates amongst provisional licensees do not begin to stabilize until about 15 months after licensure.
Pocket Bikes are Illegal:
According to a press release by Assemblyman John J. Benoit (R-Palm Desert), Assembly Bill 1051 will prohibit non-highway vehicles, including pocket bikes, from being operated on public highways and roadways. AB 1051 will also require a sticker disclosure be affixed to every pocket bike sold stating that it is illegal to operate on the highway.
Mini motorcycles, or pocket bikes as they are commonly known, are about 2 feet high, have engines under 50cc and often sell for less than $200. They do not meet the Federal Motor Vehicle or California Vehicle Code safety requirements for legal operation on a highway and, therefore, cannot be registered, making them illegal to ride on public streets. Because pocket bikes are low to the ground, difficult to see, and able to travel at speeds in excess of 30 miles per hour, they are a hazard to motorists and pedestrians alike. -AB 1051
