New California traffic laws and fines

Traffic Tickets Fines (January 2011) thanks to Patricia Cummings, Manager III
Court Liaison Officer CPD – Justice and Government Liaison Branch
Failure to notify DMV of address change within 10 days................. $154
Failure to provide evidence of financial responsibility (insurance) ....$800
Failure to stop at a red signal. .......................................$400
Failure to stop at a stop sign. ........................................$154
Unsafe Speed, 1 to 15 miles over the limit..............................$154
Unsafe Speed, 16 to 25 miles over the limit.............................$280
Passing a school bus with flashing red signals..........................$600
Drive using wireless phone not hands free, First offense ...............$80
Drive using wireless phone not hands free, For each subsequent offense. ....$110
Drive while wireless device to send, read or write text.................$80
Minor drive using wireless phone........................................$80
Parking in a bus loading area .........................................$1000
Violation of disabled parking provisions, first offense................$1000
Violation of disabled parking provisions, second offense..(there is nothing in the statute to indicate increased sanctions for subsequent offenses)
Unlawful material on vehicle windows...................................$114
Adequate muffler required .............................................$114
Mandatory use of seat belts............................................$80
Mandatory use of child passenger restraints............................$400
Headsets/Earplugs over both ears.......................................$114
Motorcycle safety helmet requirements..................................$114
No evidence of current registration....................................$200

2011 Bail and Penalty Schedule, direct from the State of California:
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/reference/documents/2011_jcbail.pdf
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Motorcyclist training. Anyone under 21 wanting to drive a motorcycle will be required to complete an approved motorcycle safety course. Upon completion, the driver will receive a motorcycle instruction permit that must be held for six months before receiving a motorcycle driver license.

Local traffic citations. Local law enforcement officials will no longer be authorized to ticket drivers for moving violations under municipal law or local ordinances. Under the new law, all moving violations must be cited under an appropriate section of the state vehicle code, which specifies penalties. This law takes effect July 1, 2011 and will provide uniform punishment for moving violations throughout the state.

Carpool lanes. Solo drivers in certain "green" (fuel-efficient, low-emission) vehicles with a DMV-issued carpool lane sticker will be able to continue using the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes until July 1, 2011. In addition, a new class of plug-in hybrid vehicles will also be able to use HOV lanes starting in January 2012.

Drunk drivers. If a person is convicted of three or more DUIs in a 10-year period, judges will be authorized to revoke the drunk driver's license for 10 years. This law does not take effect until January 1, 2012. The purpose behind the new law is to reduce repeat offenses by drunk drivers and decrease the number of drunk driving fatalities.

Higher traffic citation fines. All moving violation ticket fines will increase by $4. This law will remain in effect until 2016. Every vehicle-related or traffic infraction will cost $4 more than they did in 2010, raising an extra $34 million for Medi-Cal.

Street-sweeper cameras. Local agencies are now permitted to install cameras on street sweepers in order to digitally photograph illegally parked vehicles parked on streets during posted street sweeper times.

Other safety changes require all motorcycle drivers to complete a fifteen hour training course before earning a learner’s permit and laws increasing reckless driving penalties for paparazzi chasing celebrities.

A new law makes adults liable if an underage guest gets drunk and causes a car crash.

cities to install and operate cameras on street sweepers to digitally photograph vehicles that are parked on streets when street sweeping is posted to occur. Critics of the law are already comparing the plan to an Orwellian Big Brother plot, but this program literally would only photograph cars that are parked illegally.

Thanks to cuts to the state’s Medi-Cal program, motorists caught breaking the law will be charged $4 for the next six years to pay for emergency air-lifts.

a last new law wasn’t about change but about preserving the status-quo for “clean cars” and the state’s HOV Lanes. Hybrid vehicles adorned with the “yellow sticker” advertising its clean air status will be allowed to use HOV lanes as though they had multiple passengers until July 1 of this year. Cars with “white stickers” showing that they are electric or “compressed natural gas” will have HOV privileges until January of 2015. The new law creates a third sticker, for plug-in hybrid vehicles, to be issued and to allow access to HOV lanes also until 2015.

Mobile Billboard Advertising Displays (AB 2756, Blumenfield) This bill created Section 395.5 of the Vehicle Code, which defines “mobile billboard advertising display” as an advertising display that is attached to a wheeled, mobile, non-motorized vehicle that carries, pulls or transports a sign or billboard and is for the primary purpose of advertising. This bill also amended Section 21100 of the Vehicle Code to give local authorities the ability to adopt rules/regulations by ordinance/resolution to regulate mobile billboard advertising; this includes establishing penalties that could authorize removal of the mobile billboard advertising display. In addition, VC Section 22651 was amended to say that the mobile billboard advertising display may be towed when left parked or standing in violation of a local ordinance. Warning citations advising of the consequences, including towing of the mobile billboard display, are sufficient enough warning to the public.

registered in California, which does not bear the required applicable federal Environmental Protection Agency exhaust system label consistent with federal regulations. This law only applies to motorcycles manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2013, or a motorcycle with after market exhaust system equipment that is manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2013.