New traffic laws bringing changes for California drivers in 2024

SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — For California legislators, the start of the new year means a slew of new bills signed into law will go into effect, including more than a dozen new traffic safety laws impacting the state’s some 27 million drivers.

Some of the laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this year change how officers can interact with motorists in traffic stops, while others look to implement new safety programs as a way of addressing the problem of pedestrian deaths.

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Here are a few of the new laws set to go into effect in 2024 that motorists should know about:

Assembly Bill 256 – Vehicles: Registration

Under this new law, a violation relating to the registration sticker displayed on a vehicle’s rear license plate can no longer be the sole basis for an officer to pull over a driver for enforcement action before the second month after the expiration of a vehicle’s registration.

AB 256, authored by Assemblymember Diane Dixon, aims to reign in officers’ ability to make “pretextual stops,” or stops that are used as an investigative tool for something completely unrelated to the actual reason for a driver was pulled over.

According to lawmakers, this kind of enforcement, which is disproportionately used against black and Hispanic motorists, has been found to lead to excessive costs for the driver or in some instances, unnecessary escalation to use of force.

The law will go into effect on July 1, 2024 and will remain in place until Jan. 1, 2030, barring any changes that move back the date it sunsets. Late registration fees from the Department of Motor Vehicles and enforcement action following the second month after the tag’s expiration will still apply.

Assembly Bill 925 – Vehicle Removal: Expired Registration

Similarly to AB 256, AB 925 changes guidelines for officers or traffic enforcement officials when dealing with expired registration violations. Starting Jan. 1, the new law will require authorities to verify with the DMV if a vehicle does not have up-to-date registration before towing for tags that expired six or more months prior.

Introduced by Assemblymember Tri Ta, the law seeks to raise the standard of service for law enforcement officers in taking action for this type of technical traffic offense.

In a report, Ta said this specifically aims to prevent penalization of drivers that may have had their stickers stolen. It would also “prevent extreme hardship” for those that may not have the funds to retrieve their vehicle from an impound lot after an unnecessary tow.

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Assembly Bill 645 – Vehicles: Speed Safety System Pilot Program

AB 645 would allow the cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose, Glendale, Long Beach and the county of San Francisco to deploy a limited number of cameras for a five-year pilot program starting in January 2024 to monitor and enforce speeding.

According to the bill, the program would focus on areas such as school zones, high-injury roadways and known street racing corridors in geographically diverse areas.

Drivers that are found to be speeding through these areas will be subject to a civil penalty relative to how many miles per hour they went over the speed limit.

Assembly Bill 413 – Vehicles: Stopping, Standing and Parking

Starting Jan. 1, AB 413 prohibits parking or stopping a vehicle along a curb at least 20 feet from a marked crosswalk or 15 feet from a curb where an extension is present. The regulation only applies to the side of the vehicle’s approach to the crosswalk.

According to the bill’s author, Assemblymember Alex Lee, the requirement will help increase visibility at intersections through a strategy to reduce pedestrian fatalities called “daylighting.”

Before 2025, law enforcement is allowed to only issue a warning for a violation of this law and would prohibit them from issuing a citation, unless the breach of the law occurs in an area marked using paint or a sign.

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Assembly Bill 436 – Cruising

AB 436 ended a decades-long ban on lowrider cruising across California with the repeal of regulations in the state’s vehicle code that allowed local governments to implement restrictions that directly target those types of cars.

This includes the regulation of cruising, which is when a vehicle is driven “low and slow,” on streets and the operation of vehicles that have been modified from their original design to make the body of the car closer to the ground than the bottom of its rims.

Lowrider communities fought for a long time to repeal bans on this type of driving, which emerged in Southern California’s Chicano communities post-World War II.

The new law is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, particularly impacting municipalities — like Los Angeles, Fresno and Santa Ana — where restrictions remain on the books.

Assembly Bill 2773 – Stops: Notification by Peace Officers

Under AB 2773, law enforcement officers will no longer be able to start a traffic stop by asking the question: “Do you know why I pulled you over?” Instead, the officer must state the purpose of the stop before asking any other questions. Same goes for interactions with a pedestrian.

According to the text of the law, the only time that officers can skip stating the reason for the stop is if the officer deems it necessary “to protect life or property from imminent threat.”

According to the bill’s author, Assemblymember Chris Holden, the new guidelines were created to reduce pretextual stops, and de-escalate interactions between police and civilians. The requirement will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Assembly Bill 641 – Automobile Dismantlers: Catalytic Converters

Responding to a recent rise in catalytic converter theft, AB 641 makes it a misdemeanor for unlicensed “automobile dismantlers” — or individuals who are engaged in the business of buying or selling vehicles with the purpose of dismantling them — to possess nine or more catalytic converters that have been cut from a vehicle.

The new crime will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. According to the law, individuals and businesses who have a legitimate purpose for having catalytic convertors, such as repair shops, will be excluded from penalty.

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Senate Bill 55 – Catalytic Converters

Another law aimed at addressing catalytic converter theft, SB 55 will make it illegal to remove, alter or obfuscate a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) from a catalytic converter. People will also be barred from knowingly possessing three or more catalytic converters with altered VINs.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, argues the new crimes would provide law enforcement an additional tool to help prosecute catalytic converter thieves and encourage drivers to ensure this car part in their vehicle has proper markings.

“… drivers need to know that the cost of getting their catalytic converter marked is worth it and
will effectively deter theft,” Bains wrote in a report on the measure.

Starting Jan. 1, a violation of these provisions could be punished as a misdemeanor. According to the law, those who are altering the catalytic converter to lawfully apply a new VIN or disassemble a vehicle rightfully in their possession will be exempt from the new law.

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