Penalties for involvement in either crime are getting steeper
by Stephen Rivers
December 29, 2022 at 11:31
by Stephen Rivers
The state of California has a slew of new laws that go into effect in 2023. Many of them are specifically tied to driving and aim to reduce crime and accidents. Here’s a quick look at the new laws that those driving in California need to be aware of beginning on January 1, 2023.
It’s no secret that the Golden State has struggled to curtail a number of automotive adjacent crimes. Officials there have tried a number of different tactics to varying degrees of success. These new laws might help to put a permanent dent in a few common practices though.
Sideshows, for example, are a huge problem in the Golden state. Now, a new law, AB 2000, includes off-street parking facilities and parking lots as locations where it’s illegal to engage in speed contests, exhibitions of speed, or sideshow activity. SB 1472 expands the criteria for “gross negligence” when related to vehicular manslaughter.
More: Drifting Ford Mustang Literally Takes The Pants Off From Sideshow Spectator
More specifically, “drivers involved in sideshow activity, exhibition of speed, or speeding over 100 miles per hour which results in a fatality could now be charged with Vehicular Manslaughter with Gross Negligence.” Those two laws alone might be enough to put off some involved in the sideshow scene.
Another law, SB 1087 aims to cut down on the practice of catalytic converter theft. Not only does it list who can sell catalytic converters to recyclers but it requires the latter to record the year make and model of the car that the cats came from.
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Another bill, AB 1909, adds protections for bicyclists by “requiring vehicles passing or overtaking a bicycle in the same direction, to move over to an adjacent lane of traffic, if one is available, or slow down and only pass the bicyclist when safe to do so.”
Somewhat surprisingly, there are no harsher penalties for those who break into cars. That’s a major issue, especially around the San Franciscan area where some drivers leave their car doors or trunks open when they leave their vehicle just to prove to criminals that there’s nothing in the vehicle worth stealing.
Local news affiliate ABC 10 News San Diego has a full list of each law including those that have nothing to do with automobiles or drivers.