Back-Seat Driver Q&A
Category: News
Expert: Tony BizjakBee transportation writer Tony Bizjak answers questions about roads, laws, driving and other transportation issues.
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Questions 1 - 12 of 277 (Page 1 of 24)Q: When I was growing up and learning to drive, we were taught to pull over for red lights and sirens, also to stop for school bus red lights. That's been awhile, My question is: Has this been changed? I do not see people stopping like I was taught, I almost feel like I might get hit when I stop, and this makes it very uneasy. Have the laws changed?
A: No, the laws haven't changed. From my experience, most people know these laws and obey them.
Q: On the subject of running a red light, I've always heard that as long as your wheels were past the white line entering the intersection that you were legal. Now I'm hearing that your wheels have to be past the white line leaving the intersection. Which is correct? Thanks Gramps
A: As long as a part of your car is over the "limit line" entering the intersection before the light turns red, you are legal. The intersection then belongs to you. Cars that get the green light must wait for you. But you can't enter a crowded intersection on yellow and then stop in it blocking cars with the green. That's gridlock.
Q: During school school hours are parents wattling for to pickup their child are exempt from parking at a no parking zone. I reside in Elk Grove and in the middle of the afternoon parents picking up their kid are parking at no parking area and blocking the bike lane are they exempt?
A: Local police departments sometimes send officers to school sites to ticket parents engaged in illegal driving and parking when picking up and dropping off their kids. There is no vehicle code "parent exemption" that I've heard of.
Q: Is there a number to call if your windshield is cracked due to caltrans mowing next to the freeway, or sweeping on the shoulder?
A: Check out this Caltrans link:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/damageclaims.htm
Q: What is the law regarding headphones. With so many people listening to i pods and mp3 players I see people with both earplugs in.
A: Vehicle Code section 27400 prohibits using headphones or earplugs in both ears, but not one ear. That goes for cyclists, too.
Q: For teen drivers with DL permits....while teaching/training them to drive and during practice times, example is driving home, can another licensed driver be in the car? How about an unlicensed passenger, a minor, can he/she ride in the car also?
A: Check out the 2012 California Driver Handbook, online at http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl600.pdf Look on pages 8 and 9. If that doesn't give you what you need, go online to http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/new_driver.htm
Q: I have a follow up question to the tragic death of Michelle Murigi. I have noticed when I have stopped for pedestrians (in crosswalks) ocasionally cars will go so far as to change lanes to not stop for the pedestrian. Sometimes they are in the correct lane to avoid the inconvenience of yielding to the pedestrian. Is it legal to pass a car stopped for pedestrains, or is it just rude?
A: It's illegal. You are supposed to stop.
Q: on a one way street that has bike lanes on both sides of the street, is it a two way street for bicyclists?
A: Hi. No, it's a one-way street for them, just like for cars. Bikes generally must follow the same rules of the road that cars do.
Q: My son got a ticket for failing to make a complete stop at a stop sign when he was 14. He was on his bicycle. If I had not paid the fine, how would the fine be enforced since there is no DL to suspend and no DL associated with the ticket? Would they match his name when he turned 16 and got a DL? Would the state have eventually had filed a civil action against me to force me to pay it?
A: Hi. DMV say the citation would be noted on their computers and your son would have been required to pay the ticket when he applied for a drivers license. It won't count as "points" on his future drivers license, though, because he wasn't driving a motor vehicle. Doesn't sound like they would come after you for failure to pay. I called Folsom police and they say they don't generally give under-age cyclists tickets. Instead, they give lectures. I'm interested in what happened. Could you email me at tbizjak@sacbee.com ?
Q: I saw an Elk Grove Police "Commercial Vehicle Enforcement" officer do a traffic stop on Roseville Rd. in North Highlands. Isn't that out of his jurisdiction?
A: I'll try to call Elk Grove and ask them about that, but I've been told in the past that law enforcement officers can stop anyone anywhere.
Q: If you get a ticket for using a cell phone while driving can it go on your record if its not a moving violation?
A: I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, sorry to say. It's basically considered a moving violation if, for instance, you are stopped at a red light and talking on the phone, but I'll check to make sure. Can you email me at tbizjak@sacbee.com to tell me more about your situation? Thanks
- Tony
Q: Tony,
Regarding your answer on why Caltrans does not pave the ground surface right away to save money. Do they think about the poor drivers who may not have the money to pay for the suspension on their tiny Camry when it gets damage while driving over the vertical edge at 65 MPH? Caltrans has a budget of multiple millions or maybe billions dollars and my budget is barely in the thousands! Do you know how hard it is to get reimburse for the cracked windshield?
How about when someone looses control of the car and kill someone? Please ask Caltrans does public safety mean anything to them? The move over law is just for themselves only, not the public.
Thanks for your time.
Daniel
A: Hi. Caltrans clearly is concerned about their budget. Less so about yours and mine. They say they take what they consider appropriate steps for driver safety. But I've hit some construction-related elevation changes in freeway lanes that simply shouldn't happen on a high-speed road. I heard a complaint from another driver this week about lane striping that is so faded he had a hard time seeing it. Part of the problem, I think, is Caltrans doesn't have the resources to keep up.
