A New Year and New Laws
29 December 2000
A New Year and New Laws; A Guide to State Laws in Effect Jan. 1
LOS ANGELES--Dec. 29, 2000--The New Year will ring in changes in state traffic regulations affecting motorists, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California."Many of the new laws target safety, traffic speed, congestion, gasoline prices and vehicle equipment, and we believe they will benefit California motorists, children, pedestrians and bicyclists," said Alice Bisno, the Auto Club's government relations manager.
The following are among the new laws taking effect Jan. 1, unless otherwise noted:
Aftermarket Car Parts
AB 1778 requires an auto body shop to note in writing whether parts used to repair a vehicle are made by the original automaker or by another manufacturer. The Auto Club supported the measure. The Auto Club's affiliated Interinsurance Exchange requires shops to use original parts when replacing safety-related body parts on policyholders' and claimants vehicles.
Child Passenger Safety Seats
Current law requires children up to age four and 40 pounds be restrained in approved safety seats. Effective Jan. 1, 2002, SB 567 requires children up to age six or 60 pounds traveling in a vehicle be restrained in a child safety seat.
Driver's Licenses
SB 335 requires that the Dept. of Motor Vehicles (DMV) take a closer look at potentially high-risk drivers. It sets higher standards for passing the vision test: corrected visual acuity of at least 20/200 in the worst eye and no use of a biotic telescope.
By June 1, 2001, the DMV must identify physical conditions and other factors that could impair the ability to drive safely. Also, the DMV must re-examine a driver if the agency receives a report from a family member (such as a spouse or close relative) stating that the driver cannot drive safely. Re-examinations include a driving test.
Gasoline Prices
AB 2076 calls for a feasibility study to create a strategic fuel reserve in California. AB 2098 requires the California Energy Commission to study the feasibility of constructing a new pipeline or expanding existing pipelines to transport petroleum from the Gulf Coast to California. The Auto Club supported both measures.
Lemon Law
SB 1718, which the Auto Club supported, provides that a vehicle may be presumed to be a "lemon" after two failed attempts at repairing life-threatening defects. The previous law required that four repair attempts be made before a vehicle was determined a lemon.
Parking Meters
AB 1481 authorizes the immediate shutting down of inaccurate parking meters. The previous law required a 30-day waiting period, resulting in undeserved citations to motorists. The Auto Club supported this measure.
Pedestrian Safety
Responding to concerns about the impact of traffic speeds on all road users, AB 2767, supported by the Auto Club, provides that a traffic and engineering survey conducted for setting speed limits may take into consideration residential density and pedestrian and bicycle safety.
AB 2522 prohibits a driver from unnecessarily blocking a marked or unmarked crosswalk. It also imposes a mandatory fine for overtaking and passing a vehicle that has stopped to let a pedestrian cross. The fine is $270 for the first offense and $540 for a second offense. The fine for other violations resulting in an injury of a pedestrian has been increased to $594 for a first offense and $864 for a second offense.
The bill also provides a grant program for local governments to help finance pedestrian and bicycle safety projects.
Smog-Impact Fee Refunds
AB 809 and SB 215, both supported by the Auto Club, together repeal the smog-impact fee (previously levied on vehicles brought into California from out of state and registered here) and require the state to issue refunds to motorists who paid it.
The DMV sent the first refunds last August and expects to make refunds to up to 1.7 million vehicle owners. Motorists who think they are owed a refund, but have not heard from the DMV, may contact their local DMV office or check the DMV's Web site at www.dmv.ca.gov.
Traffic Relief
To better address concerns about traffic congestion, the Auto Club supported ACR 133, which will create the California Traffic Relief Panel. Organized by the California Highway Patrol, the group will conduct town hall symposiums to identify and solve local congestion problems. The Auto Club will be participating as a panel member.
Vehicle Repair Facilities
SB 1146, supported by the Auto Club, requires that motor vehicle manufacturers make available to independent repair shops all the information necessary to diagnose, service and repair vehicles equipped with onboard diagnostic computers.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs and legislative advocacy.
Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
