The Californian rounds up all the new state traffic-related laws that'll go into effect next year. Some of the more interesting ones:
---Ride a funky bike. "Californians can ride seat-less bicycles, so long as the bike was designed that way, according to a bill sponsored by Senator Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego." Previously seat-less bikes were illegal in the state, but thanks to the lobbying efforts of the seat-less biking community, we'll all be tossing our bike seats. According to Kehoe's web site, the bill was sponsored by outdoor biking company Elliptigo Inc. That's one of their seat-less bikes. Next year's goal: How about everyone tries for passage of a handle-less bike bill?
---Be a hero. If you're a Good Samaritan who provides medical help at the scene of an accident, you won't be on the hook for any civil damages. The bill came about following a lawsuit in which a Los Angeles woman alleged that her friend "yanked her like a rag doll" out of a car wreck, paralyzing her. More about that lawsuit via the SacBee.
-----Perhaps if the women mentioned above hadn't been drinking, no one would be paralyzed. Speaking of: Numerous counties, including Los Angeles County, will launch a 66-month pilot project mandating interlock devices for DUI offenders. Via YubaNet: "The IID must be installed on every vehicle that the offender owns or is allowed to operate. For a first offense that did not involve bodily injury, the IID must be installed for a mandatory five months. If the offense did involve bodily injury, the mandatory installation period is one year. For subsequent offenses, the mandatory installation period is longer."
--You can now install a TV in your car. But you can't watch "American Idol" while driving. The television must be "configured in a manner that prevents the driver of the motor vehicle from viewing the television broadcast or video signal while operating the vehicle in a safe and reasonable manner."
· New Calif. laws for 2010 include highway worker protection, bike seat rules [Californian]
· New Laws for California Drivers in 2010 [Yuba Net]
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