New traffic laws are going into effect this year. That includes the legalization of cruising, permission for cameras to monitor speeding, and the requirement that police officers must immediately tell drivers why they’ve been pulled over. KCRW talks to Miriam Pinski, research analyst at the Shared-Use Mobility Center, about how these laws will be implemented and their origins.
New speed camera pilot program comes with fines
Six cities in California — including Los Angeles, Glendale, and Long Beach — are implementing a five-year pilot program that involves installing speed cameras where people are likely to drive too fast, such as school zones. During the law’s 60-day introductory period, drivers going 11 mph or more over the speed limit will receive a warning. Afterwards, they will be fined a minimum of $50.
“We don't enforce our traffic laws well enough. People are constantly breaking them and that has serious safety ramifications. So speeding is the main contributor to how severe an auto crash will be,” Pinksi explains. “By not having automated traffic enforcement, we rely a lot on just hoping that there will be a law enforcement officer there to catch, and then prevent, future speeding. A speed camera removes that unpredictability out of the equation.”
Critics of the law, however, say it infringes upon drivers’ privacy and collects personal information. Pinksi says the cameras will only take a photo of a car’s license plate.
Police officers must tell drivers why they’ve been pulled over
Reducing the number of pretextual traffic stops — where police officers use minor violations to pull over a driver and escalate the situation — is the focus of this new law. Officers are now required to disclose the reason for a traffic stop, except for cases where “withholding the reason for the stop is necessary to protect life or property from imminent threat.”
Pinski says the law attempts to rebalance the priorities of police during these interactions.
“Sometimes, something like an expired license plate could be used to go after other things. On the other hand, having valid license plates are really important to enforce all sorts of traffic policies — making sure people are paying for the meter, making sure that people are paying for tolls. It's a pretty key part of traffic enforcement. And I do think that our law enforcement and traffic policing needs to do a better job of actually making sure that people aren't using fake plates and missing plates because it weakens cities’ abilities to enforce traffic laws.”
A separate law states that expired registration tags can no longer be the only reason a police officer pulls drivers over starting July 1, 2024.
Legalizing “low and slow” cruising
A decades-long ban on cruising, or slowly driving through neighborhoods for leisure, has been lifted. Sometimes described as going “low and slow,” the practice is largely associated with Chicano culture and even showcases classic cars such as lowriders with hydraulics.
Opponents say the act can contribute to dangerous traffic activity such as street takeovers, however, proponents say past cruising restrictions discriminated against Latino communities.
Cracking down on catalytic converter theft
Two laws specifically target catalytic converter theft and make it harder to sell the stolen car part. The removal or altering of a vehicle identification number from catalytic converters is now illegal, while unlicensed car dismantlers are prohibited from possessing nine or more of the parts.
More: Explainer: Catalytic converter thefts, and what to do about them