New Laws for California Drivers Start Jan. 1

The new year will bring new laws to all California drivers. Just as the CHP is reporting that many Californians are ignoring the 6-month-old ban on using cell phones without a hands-free device – 42,000 citations have been issued – a few new laws will begin tomorrow.

• No text messaging while driving. This one seems like a no-brainer, but one-handed text messaging has become an epidemic on California roads, and now we have a law that bans it.

• GPS devises that are affixed to the windshield must be placed at the lower left hand corner of the window.

• Calling 911 for non-emergency purposes may now result in a fine.

• Drivers 18 and under may not use a cell phone at all while driving. (This law actually went into effect last July but it’s worth mentioning.)

For more on these new driving laws and others click here (.pdf).