With the new year came a host of new laws motorists must add to
the ever-growing list of things to remember when cruising down the
road.
Hollister – With the new year came a host of new laws motorists must add to the ever-growing list of things to remember when cruising down the road.
Most of the new laws are in regards to safety issues, and one that has garnered many questions from motorists requires drivers to have their headlights on when the windshield wipers are in constant use, according to the California Highway Patrol.
“If it’s raining or the fog’s bad and you have to use the windshield wipers, we want the headlights on,” said CHP Officer Matt Ramirez. “It’s just for safety and visibility reasons.”
If it’s spitting rain and the wipers are being used intermittently, Ramirez said most people wouldn’t be cited if their lights aren’t on.
“If it’s a downpour and visibility is reduced to a few hundred feet ahead of you, I can see motorists being stopped for that” he said.
San Benito County Superior Court Executive Officer Alex Calvo said he’s also fielded numerous questions about this new law, but doesn’t know what a possible fine could be because it won’t go into effect in the court until July.
Also pertinent to vehicle safety is a law requiring all children under 6 years old to be restrained in the back seat, Ramirez said. Because children could be injured by an airbag in the front seat if the car was involved in an accident, requiring they sit in the back is just another way to keep them safe, he said. There are several exceptions to the law, such as a car without a rear seat like a pick-up truck. But if there are no conditions preventing a child from sitting in the back a driver could be cited, Ramirez said.
Lawmakers are also considering passing a law that would require all children under the age of 12 sit in the back seat, “but that hasn’t happened yet,” Ramirez said.
In an effort to keep California’s highways safer by keeping motorists’ pedals clear of the metal, lawmakers passed two new laws that increase the punishment for speed violations.
Anyone cited or arrested for participation in a speed contest, such as illegal street racing where two or more cars are racing each other, can count on donating 40 hours of community service as a part of their punishment, according to a CHP-issued statement.
Speed racing is a burgeoning problem in the rural areas of San Benito County, where long, straight stretches of roadway running past unpopulated farmlands lure hundreds of people with fast cars and a need for speed, according to law enforcement.
“It’s not a new problem. Racers have been around since the 1950s,” Ramirez said. “But hopefully it will curb the problem. We still have young teenagers with these cars and they still go out and do it.”
Also passed was a law that increases fines of $750 to $1,000 for anyone convicted of driving more than 100 mph within a three year time period.
“It’s just safety,” Ramirez said. “That’s all it is.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
