There are new traffic laws in California. 2025 will see many of these laws go into effect. The new laws, many of which are designed to improve safety for road users, include “daylighting” laws, new autonomous vehicle requirements and e-bike safety measures.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one was injured or killed in an automobile accident which was at least partially someone else’s fault. Our lawyers can help you recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, property damage, wrongful death, and more. We won’t charge a fee until and unless we recover money in your accident case. Call us today.
‘Daylighting’ Laws
AB-413 went into effect on January 1, 2025. This law prohibits the parking, standing or stopping of motor vehicles within 20 feet of marked or unmarked crosswalks’ vehicle approach sides. It also prohibits the parking, standing or stopping of motor vehicles within 15 feet of all crosswalks where curb extensions are present.
This road safety law applies to every intersection in the state, whether or not no parking signs or red curbs are present.
The purpose of this law is to address safety concerns by improving range of vision for drivers on California roads. This will make it easier for drivers to see users of the road at intersections, such as skateboarders and pedestrians.
Warnings will be issued until March 1, 2025, after which violations will lead to $65 fines and $12.50 administrative fees.
The average United States vehicle is around 14 feet long. This means drivers must provide about one and a half vehicle lengths of clearance when parking near intersections.
New Autonomous Vehicle Requirements
AB-1777 leads to the creation of new authority for law enforcement officers to issue notices of autonomous vehicle noncompliance to manufacturers of autonomous vehicles for alleged traffic violations committed by their vehicles.
Starting on July 1, 2026, the law will establish more requirements regarding how autonomous vehicles which operate without in-vehicle human operators have interactions with first responders. This includes a mandate that manufacturers provide two-way devices in vehicles to aid first responders with communication.
E-Bike Safety Measures
AB-1778 provides authorization to Marin County and the cities in that county to prohibit those under 16 years old from riding class 2 electric bicycles, and to mandate that everyone wear helmets when riding them until January 1, 2029.
AB-2234 provides authorization to San Diego County and the cities in that county to prohibit those under 12 years old from riding class 1 or 2 e-bikes until January 1, 2029. Both pilot programs share a goal of reducing bodily injury among youths.
License Plate Obstructions
AB-2111 prohibits car owners and operators from altering the reflective coatings of license plates in order to prevent the electronic capture of license plates for any reason. This law’s aim is to curb toll evasion as well as the evasion of traffic violations which are able to be detected by traffic cameras.
Driver’s License Requirements
SB-1100 will make it illegal for job postings to require that applicants possess a valid driver’s license.
Employers will still be able to require this for two reasons:
- If the job involves driving as one of its primary functions
- If utilizing a different transportation form wouldn’t compare in terms of cost or travel time to the employer
Cracking Down on Sideshows
AB-1978 provides authorization to law enforcement regarding the impoundment of vehicles without taking drivers into custody for placing barricades upon or obstructing highways or off-street parking facilities in order to aid or facilitate exhibitions of speed or speed contests.
AB-2186 provides authorization to law enforcement regarding removal of motor vehicles used in exhibitions of speed in off-street parking facilities for up to 30 days.
AB-2807 defines vehicle sideshows as street takeovers.
AB-3085 expands how many offenses allow for law enforcement to impound vehicles pursuant to warrants or court orders, including participating in exhibitions of speed or motor vehicle speed contests upon highways or off-street parking facilities.
Ban on Driver Monitoring Interference
SB-1313 prohibits vehicles from getting equipped with, or people from using, devices designed to interfere with or neutralize driver monitoring systems on vehicles with autonomous technology or advanced driver-assist system features. The intent of this law is to address drivers overriding driver monitoring systems while vehicles are in motion, like by placing weights on steering wheels to mimic hands on wheels. These devices can bypass safety features which make sure drivers stay alert.
License Plate Alternatives
AB-3138 authorizes all vehicles, starting January 1, 2027, to utilize alternative devices to traditional license plates or vehicle registration cards which include vehicle location technology. This law specifies requirements regarding how this technology is enabled or disabled, prohibiting alternative devices from transmitting or recording personally identifiable information. The law expands kinds of specialized license plates which can get replicated on alternative devices.
Protecting Privacy with Vehicle Remote Access Controls
SB-1394 mandates that manufacturers of vehicles let drivers terminate remote access to vehicles and their locations in certain situations. Certain vehicles can now be controlled and tracked remotely. This law will allow domestic violence survivors to have additional control over privacy, preventing abusive partners from taking advantage of vehicle technology.
Starting January 1, 2025, vehicle manufacturers need to provide on their websites options for drivers to submit requests to terminate remote access. Starting January 1, 2028, regarding vehicles made after or on that date which have remote access, as well as on July 1, 2026, for vehicles made before January 1, 2028, which have remote access as well as the ability to receive a software update which provides needed functionality, manufacturers need to provide mechanisms for drivers inside vehicles to immediately disable this access.
This law also mandates that vehicles with remote access, starting on January 1, 2028, indicate to those inside the vehicles when those outside the vehicles have accessed their locations or features.
Locked Door Loophole
SB-905 makes it so owners of vehicles in California don’t need to prove their vehicles were locked when they are broken into. Rather, signs that forcible entry occurred, such as broken windows, will be enough to prove that auto burglary happened.
Staying Safe in 2025
Some of these laws, like the daylighting laws and the cracking down on sideshows, aim to help California’s drivers stay safe in 2025.
However, unfortunately, no matter how careful one drivers, sometimes accidents do still occur.
If you’ve been injured in an automobile accident and are facing huge medical bills you can’t afford to pay because you’re hurt and can’t work, we can help.
We can help you recover compensation for your injuries and lost wages without charging you any fee until and unless we recover money for you, our only fee being a percentage of whatever we recover for you.
We can help you get treatment, even if you can’t afford treatment, since the doctors we work with don’t charge until our clients’ cases are over.
We have offices from Palm Desert and Los Angeles in the south, to Fresno and Modesto in the Central Valley, to San Francisco and Hayward in the Bay Area, to Susanville and Yreka in the north.
We’ve been representing injured accident victims since 1990 and have recovered in excess of $750 million for clients.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident which you believe was at least partially somebody else’s fault.
