Auto Club: New Rules of the Road for 2004
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Dec. 30, 2003--Red light camera reform, changes to the
teen driver learner permit criteria and seat belt fine increases
are a few of the new laws going into effect beginning Jan. 1,
according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
"The new laws focus on driver and passenger safety and are
designed to strengthen existing regulations," said Alice
Bisno, the Auto Club's vice president for legislative and regulatory
affairs.
The following
are among the new laws taking effect Jan. 1, unless otherwise
noted:
Red
Light Cameras
AB 1022 reforms
California's current red light camera program by specifying that
certain functions of the program cannot be delegated to the red
light camera vendor. It also prohibits vendors from being paid
on a per-ticket basis. Cities and counties with red light camera
programs must establish citation-processing guidelines for the
vendor to follow, which include assurances that only citations
that have been reviewed and approved by law enforcement are mailed
to violators.
The legislation
also requires the local government entity to oversee the establishment
of any change to a traffic signal light timing and clarifies that
minimum yellow light intervals are maintained, unless a city or
county establishes a longer interval.
Learner
Permits
AB 1343 requires
California teen drivers to wait until they are 15 1/2 to receive
their learner permits. The Dept. of Motor Vehicles also will require
in-classroom driver training classes to be completed before students
are issued a permit to drive. The only exception is for those
who are at least 15 1/2 and are enrolled in an integrated training
course, where classroom driver education and behind-the-wheel
experience are taught at the same time.
Data
Recorder Equipment
AB 213, effective
July 1, 2004, provides that a manufacturer of a new motor vehicle
that is equipped with an "event data recorder" must
disclose the existence of this equipment in the owner's manual
for vehicles manufactured on or after July 1, 2004. These devices
record the speed of a vehicle, brake performance and other data.
The law also requires that the owner give permission before the
information is accessed, except under certain circumstances, such
as a court order or for purposes related to vehicle repair.
Child
Passenger Safety
AB 1697, effective
Jan. 1, 2005, requires a child or ward under the age of six years
who weigh less than 60 lbs. to be secured in a child passenger
restraint system in the rear seat of a motor vehicle. Educational
awareness campaigns for parents will get under way in 2004 before
enforcement occurs in 2005.
Seat
Belt Fines
AB 1627 increases
seat belt fines by making the $20 fine for a first seatbelt violation
and the $50 fine for a second violation the base fine, rather
than the maximum fine, and subjects these fines to penalty assessments
and court costs.
Video
Devices
AB 301 expands
existing law, which prohibits a person from watching a television
while driving, to include watching a video device. The law does
not apply to mobile, digital terminals installed in authorized
emergency vehicles or to a vehicle providing emergency road service.
The Automobile
Club of Southern California, the largest AAA affiliate, 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,
and buying and financing programs. Information about these products
and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
Contact:
Automobile Club of Southern California
Carol Thorp, Jeff Spring or Elaine Beno, 714-885-2333
Source:
Automobile Club of Southern California
