Auto Club: New Rules of the Road for 2003; Fines Doubled in Certain Alameda, Ventura, Santa Barbara County School Zones.

Business/News Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 30, 2002

Riders of skateboards and non-motorized scooters will have to wear helmets in the New Year, while motorists in some counties may find themselves doubly fined for school zone traffic violations, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

"Many of the new laws focus on children," said Alice Bisno, the Auto Club's vice president for legislative and regulatory affairs. "Legislators want to ensure that motorists watch out for children."

The following are among the new laws taking effect Jan. 1, unless otherwise noted:

-- Helmet Requirements. SB1924 requires anyone under 18 years of age to wear a bicycle helmet when riding on a non-motorized scooter or using a skateboard, roller skates or in-line skates.

-- Double Fines in School Zones. AB1886, effective from Jan. 1, 2003, to Jan. 1, 2007, establishes a pilot project in Alameda, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties to double the fines for traffic violations committed in certain types of school zones. The additional revenue will be used to pay for school and pedestrian safety programs.

-- Child-Restraint Systems. AB1902 makes it a crime for an individual to sell or offer for sale a child passenger-restraint system that was in use during a crash involving a motor vehicle.

-- Speed Contests/Reckless Driving. SB1489, effective Sept. 6, 2002, authorizes law enforcement to seize for 30 days the cars of drivers who participate in speed contests, reckless driving or an exhibition of speed, including burning rubber or making turns at a high speed. The Auto Club supported the legislation, which sought to address the recent increase in illegal street racing.

-- Low-Cost Automobile Insurance. SB1427 reduces the price of low-cost auto policies sold in Los Angeles County to $347 and those sold in San Francisco County to $314 and mandates that medical payments coverage and uninsured motorist coverage be offered for additional cost. It also expands eligibility to those whose incomes do not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

-- Outdoor Advertising. Through fees, penalties, permits and regulation, SB1480 enhances provisions of the Outdoor Advertising Act to discourage the proliferation of illegal billboards along highways. The Auto Club supported this legislation in an effort to rid highways of unsightly, and sometimes dangerous, distractions.

-- Motor Vehicle Accidents. SB1590 requires the driver of every motor vehicle involved in a collision that results in damage to the property of any one person in excess of $750 or in bodily injury or in the death of any person to report the incident to the DMV within 10 days. The previous property damage threshold for reporting was $500.

-- Electric Personal Assistance Mobility Devices. SB1918, effective from March 1, 2003, through Jan. 1, 2008, gives an "electric personal assistive mobility device" (a type of motorized scooter) the same rights and privileges as a pedestrian, authorizing the device's use on sidewalks and other places a pedestrian may travel. An EPAMD is a self-balancing, two-wheeled device designed to transport one person at a maximum speed of 12.5 miles per hour. It must be equipped with front, rear and side reflectors; a sound-emitting mechanism; and a brake. A city or county may regulate the time, place and manner of operation of these devices -- or may ban them entirely. A number of safety advocates, including the Auto Club, expressed concern about allowing these devices to share sidewalks with much slower-moving pedestrians and pushed for the limits in the bill.

The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest AAA affiliate, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, and buying and financing programs.

Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.