As the new year rolls in today so have new laws that go into effect.
Starting today the major new law the state’s Office of Traffic Safety, as well as the California Highway Patrol, wants all residents to keep in mind is the change to the Child Passenger Safety Seat Law.
This change now requires children to ride in either a car seat or booster seat until the age of 8, or until they reach a height of 4 feet, 9 inches.
Kids under 8 must be properly buckled into a car seat or booster seat, in the back seat of a vehicle, according to a statement of the Office of Traffic Safety.
In the past, the law required children to remain in a booster seat until the age of 6 or if they weighed 60 pounds.
Laws pertaining to traffic safety were passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this year.
“This is an important new law that will impact more than 1.1 million children in California,” Christopher J. Murphy, director of the state Office of Traffic Safety, said in the statement.
“Keeping them in booster seats increases their chance of surviving a crash by 45 percent,” Murphy said
Other traffic laws that go into effect today include the one related to those convicted of reckless driving.
Motorists who have such a conviction on their record can apply for a restricted driver’s license prior to the completion of their one-year suspension if they meet certain conditions, the Office of Traffic Safety reported.
One of those conditions includes the installation of an Ignition Interlock Device in their vehicle.
Another law that goes into effect today prohibits police officers from impounding a vehicle for more 30 days following a sobriety checkpoint if the motorist’s only offense is not having a valid driver license.
This new law requires a police officer “to make a reasonable attempt to identify the registered owner in order to release the vehicle,” the statement read.
Motorists convicted of more than three impaired driving offenses will now have their licenses revoked for 10 years under a law that was enacted in 2010 but went into effect today.
The repeat offender can apply for reinstatement of a driver’s license after five years, if an Ignition Interlock Device is installed in a vehicle.
More information about traffic laws can be found at www.ots.ca.gov
Other laws outside the parameters of traffic safety apply to employers too.
A new law now forbids employers as well as prospective employers —and not including certain financial institutions —from obtaining and using credit information about applicants or employees, according to the California Chamber of Commerce.
However, the prohibition against getting or using credit reports does not apply to positions in law enforcement or positions for which the information is required by law.
Positions that involve the regular access to bank or credit card information, Social Security numbers and birthdates are not covered by the law, the chamber reported.
More information on laws affecting California employers can be found online at www.calchamber.com
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
Starting today the major new law the state’s Office of Traffic Safety, as well as the California Highway Patrol, wants all residents to keep in mind is the change to the Child Passenger Safety Seat Law.
This change now requires children to ride in either a car seat or booster seat until the age of 8, or until they reach a height of 4 feet, 9 inches.
Kids under 8 must be properly buckled into a car seat or booster seat, in the back seat of a vehicle, according to a statement of the Office of Traffic Safety.
In the past, the law required children to remain in a booster seat until the age of 6 or if they weighed 60 pounds.
Laws pertaining to traffic safety were passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this year.
“This is an important new law that will impact more than 1.1 million children in California,” Christopher J. Murphy, director of the state Office of Traffic Safety, said in the statement.
“Keeping them in booster seats increases their chance of surviving a crash by 45 percent,” Murphy said
Other traffic laws that go into effect today include the one related to those convicted of reckless driving.
Motorists who have such a conviction on their record can apply for a restricted driver’s license prior to the completion of their one-year suspension if they meet certain conditions, the Office of Traffic Safety reported.
One of those conditions includes the installation of an Ignition Interlock Device in their vehicle.
Another law that goes into effect today prohibits police officers from impounding a vehicle for more 30 days following a sobriety checkpoint if the motorist’s only offense is not having a valid driver license.
This new law requires a police officer “to make a reasonable attempt to identify the registered owner in order to release the vehicle,” the statement read.
Motorists convicted of more than three impaired driving offenses will now have their licenses revoked for 10 years under a law that was enacted in 2010 but went into effect today.
The repeat offender can apply for reinstatement of a driver’s license after five years, if an Ignition Interlock Device is installed in a vehicle.
More information about traffic laws can be found at www.ots.ca.gov
Other laws outside the parameters of traffic safety apply to employers too.
A new law now forbids employers as well as prospective employers —and not including certain financial institutions —from obtaining and using credit information about applicants or employees, according to the California Chamber of Commerce.
However, the prohibition against getting or using credit reports does not apply to positions in law enforcement or positions for which the information is required by law.
Positions that involve the regular access to bank or credit card information, Social Security numbers and birthdates are not covered by the law, the chamber reported.
More information on laws affecting California employers can be found online at www.calchamber.com
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at spanta@ivpressonline.com
