Heads up California drivers. New laws are pending in 2022.
Bills signed during the last legislature cover a number of rules in road traffic, including illegal siding, horse safety equipment requirements and a change that began this year but has to be repeated.
Here are some of the new laws on California’s roads for 2022. These laws will go into effect January 1, 2022, unless otherwise noted.
AB 3: Sideshow definition and penalties
This new law defines a “sideshow” in California and sets penalties for a related crime. The California Vehicle Code defines “sideshow” as “an event in which two or more people block or obstruct traffic on a freeway to perform motor vehicle stunts, motor vehicle speed competitions, motor vehicle speed demonstrations, or reckless driving for spectators.
Like that 50-car freeway takeover in November.
As for penalties, courts can suspend driving licenses for anywhere from 90 days to six months. This part of the law comes into force on July 1, 2025.
Assembly Bill 974: Safety equipment for horse, mule and donkey riders
This new law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September, requires anyone under the age of 18 who rides a mount – horses, mules, and donkeys – on a paved road to “wear a properly fitting and fastened helmet”. should enforce the same requirements for young people who ride bicycles, non-motorized scooters, skateboards, inline and roller skates.
The new law requires that a person of all ages wear reflective gear or a lamp when riding mountaineers on paved highways after dark.
The fines for first time violations are US $ 25 per violation. However, anyone who uses a mount at a parade or festival is exempt from helmet and equipment regulations by law.
AB 798: Tribal emergency vehicles
This law went into effect on September 24th and removes restrictions placed on nationally recognized Indian tribes operating rescue vehicles on their reservations. There are 109 designated tribes nationwide, including 11 in Riverside County.
In particular, the bill allows all tribes to acquire and use ambulances, as well as fire engines and other rescue vehicles, without the state requiring the vehicles to be inspected by the CHP and without the ministry having to go through the ministry for those who are legally allowed to operate them for special licenses.
Previously, the state treated indigenous emergency vehicles in the same way as privately operated ones and required stringent inspections and permits. However, the legislation recognized that the tribes are sovereign and self-governing and that imposing a lengthy approval process was unjustified. The problem came to the fore in 2019 when the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians acquired a “state-of-the-art ambulance” but couldn’t use it for a year due to the lengthy inspection process and licensing for all of the tribe’s 50 firefighters who may operate it have to.
Assembly Bill 47: License Points for Distracted Drivers
This law actually went into effect in the summer, but it is worth another mention. From July 1st, a driver who has made a second call within 36 months without a hands-free system will receive one point on his driving license.
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