Drivers Beware New Traffic Laws Abound

With the arrival of the new year, we say goodbye to things that transpired in 2011 and hopefully gain a brighter outlook for 2012. But, changes do come with new years including several new laws that citizens might want to pay attention to.

Effective immediately, for example, new legislation regulating booster seats and drunk drivers go into effect.

The first law AB520, focuses on those convicted of alcohol-related reckless driving in that it allows offenders to apply for a restricted drive'rs license three months after the conviction as long as they meet certain criteria like adhearing to the guidelines of the suspension and installing an ignition interlock device in the vehicle.

If the guidelines are not met, then they will be back in court.

“That's actually driving outside of their provision and they are actually suspended at that point,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Adrian Quintero. “So if they're not going to and from treatments or if they are not going to their job- remember, each suspension is a little bit different. If they are violating any portions of that suspension or if they have alcohol in their system, all bets are off.”

He said at that point they become suspended and that's when the vehicle is towed and they will get sighted for driving outside their provision.

“They'll have to go before the judge again and at that point the judge can make it a full blown DUI,” he said.

Quintero also said that the in vehicle ignition interlock is being being tested in Sacramento, Alameda, Los Angeles and Tulare counties

Another law dealing with drunk drivers, AB353, prevents police at checkpoints from impounding a vehicle if its driver does not have a valid driver's license.

“We've been taking care of business like that for years,” he said. “So if somebody was driving without a license and they were near a residence and they had a passenger that had a valid license we weren’t supposed to take their vehicle. Nothing is going to change as far as the way we have been doing business. They are still going to get cited. They will still have to go through the entire process of the courts. The only difference is now we are not going to take the vehicle.”

Quintero added, officers also have to allow those people the opportunit--and give them adequate time--to have the registered owner or someone with the owner's permission show up to retrieve the vehicle. If they can't find anybody, the vehicle can then be towed.

For those with children, a new booster seat law has been put into effect. Law SB949 requires children under the age of eight to use a booster seat in the backseat of vehicles.

“I believe we are the 38th or 39th state to actually pass a booster seat law,” Quintero said. “The way seat belts are made, they are made to be worn by people who are 4'9" or taller if they are going to be worn properly. That's why the main law says basically anyone under the age of eight needs to be in a car seat or a booster seat.”

He added, the only exemption to that rule is if the child is 4'9". It is all about where the chlld receives most protection from where the seatbelt crosses his pelvic bones and receives most protection from an air bag.

“We understand that parents may have a hard time with it especially those who have children who have been out of car seats already,” Quintero said. “But there are a lot of options out there as well. There's the backless booster. Parents are just going to have to educate their children on the importance of it. In the end it's all about safety for the children.”

The original booster/car seat law required that children be up to six years old and weigh less than 60 pounds.

Later this year and on July 1, vehicle registration costs will rise from $31 to $43 per year. The higher fee will be used to fund Department of Motor Vehicles operations. Not only do drivers pay the registration fee but they also pay vehicle license fees which are based on the vehicle assessment value and contains other state and local charges.

Another new law just for Car Dealers, that will go into effect July 1, will make it mandatory to electronically register all new cars sold with DMV for up to $80. If a dealer manually processes the registrations, they could charge up to $65. The law also requires used car dealers to provide a history of the vehicle from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information Service before selling a car. The law does not apply to off-road vehicles, motorcycles or recreational vehicles.