Bill Text: CA AB1898 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Driver's licenses: applicant requirements examination.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2016-11-30 - From committee without further action. [AB1898 Detail]
Download: California-2015-AB1898-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 1898 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Harper
FEBRUARY 11, 2016
An act to amend Section 12804.9 of the Vehicle Code, relating to
driver's licenses.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1898, as introduced, Harper. Driver's licenses: applicant
requirements examination.
Under existing law, upon application for an original driver's
license, except student licenses, the Department of Motor Vehicles
shall require an examination of the applicant. Existing law requires
that the examination test the applicant's knowledge and understanding
of, among other things, the provisions of the Vehicle Code governing
the operation of vehicles upon the highways.
This bill would require the test of the applicant's knowledge and
understanding of the operation of vehicles on the highway to include
provisions that cover safe overtaking and passing, as specified.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 12804.9 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:
12804.9. (a) (1) The examination shall include all of the
following:
(A) A test of the applicant's knowledge and understanding of the
provisions of this code governing the operation of vehicles upon the
highways. highways, including, but not
limited to, provisions relating to safe
overtaking and pa ssing, including, but not limited to,
Section 21753.
(B) A test of the applicant's ability to read and understand
simple English used in highway traffic and directional signs.
(C) A test of the applicant's understanding of traffic signs and
signals, including the bikeway signs, markers, and traffic control
devices established by the Department of Transportation.
(D) An actual demonstration of the applicant's ability to exercise
ordinary and reasonable control in operating a motor vehicle by
driving it under the supervision of an examining officer. The
applicant shall submit to an examination appropriate to the type of
motor vehicle or combination of vehicles he or she desires a license
to drive, except that the department may waive the driving test part
of the examination for any applicant who submits a license issued by
another state, territory, or possession of the United States, the
District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico if the
department verifies through any acknowledged national driver record
data source that there are no stops, holds, or other impediments to
its issuance. The examining officer may request to see evidence of
financial responsibility for the vehicle prior to supervising the
demonstration of the applicant's ability to operate the vehicle. The
examining officer may refuse to examine an applicant who is unable to
provide proof of financial responsibility for the vehicle, unless
proof of financial responsibility is not required by this code.
(E) A test of the hearing and eyesight of the applicant, and of
other matters that may be necessary to determine the applicant's
mental and physical fitness to operate a motor vehicle upon the
highways, and whether any grounds exist for refusal of a license
under this code.
(2) (A) Before a class A or class B driver's license, or class C
driver's license with a commercial endorsement, may be issued or
renewed, the applicant shall have in his or her driver record a valid
report of a medical examination of the applicant given not more than
two years prior to the date of the application by a health care
professional. As used in this paragraph, "health care professional"
means a person who is licensed, certified, or registered in
accordance with applicable state laws and regulations to practice
medicine and perform physical examinations in the United States.
Health care professionals are doctors of medicine, doctors of
osteopathy, physician assistants, and registered advanced practice
nurses, or doctors of chiropractic who are clinically competent to
perform the medical examination presently required of motor carrier
drivers by the United States Department of Transportation. The report
shall be on a form approved by the department. In establishing the
requirements, consideration may be given to the standards presently
required of motor carrier drivers by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration.
(B) The department may accept a federal waiver of one or more
physical qualification standards if the waiver is accompanied by a
report of a nonqualifying medical examination for a class A or class
B driver's license, or class C driver's license with a commercial
endorsement, pursuant to Section 391.41(a)(3)(ii) of Subpart E of
Part 391 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(3) A physical defect of the applicant that, in the opinion of the
department, is compensated for to ensure safe driving ability, shall
not prevent the issuance of a license to the applicant.
(b) In accordance with the following classifications, an applicant
for a driver's license shall be required to submit to an examination
appropriate to the type of motor vehicle or combination of vehicles
the applicant desires a license to drive:
(1) Class A includes the following:
(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (H) of paragraph (3), a
combination of vehicles, if a vehicle being towed has a gross vehicle
weight rating or gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds.
(B) A vehicle towing more than one vehicle.
(C) A trailer bus.
(D) The operation of all vehicles under class B and class C.
(2) Class B includes the following:
(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (H) of paragraph (3), a
single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle
weight of more than 26,000 pounds.
(B) A single vehicle with three or more axles, except any
three-axle vehicle weighing less than 6,000 pounds.
(C) A bus with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle
weight of more than 26,000 pounds, except a trailer bus.
(D) A farm labor vehicle.
(E) A single vehicle with three or more axles or a gross vehicle
weight rating or gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 pounds
towing another vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross
vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less.
(F) A house car over 40 feet in length, excluding safety devices
and safety bumpers.
(G) The operation of all vehicles covered under class C.
(3) Class C includes the following:
(A) A two-axle vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross
vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or less, including when the vehicle
is towing a trailer or semitrailer with a gross vehicle weight rating
or gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a two-axle vehicle weighing
4,000 pounds or more unladen when towing a trailer coach not
exceeding 9,000 pounds gross.
(C) A house car of 40 feet in length or less.
(D) A three-axle vehicle weighing 6,000 pounds gross or less.
(E) A house car of 40 feet in length or less or a vehicle towing
another vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds
or less, including when a tow dolly is used. A person driving a
vehicle may not tow another vehicle in violation of Section 21715.
(F) (i) A two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen
when towing either a trailer coach or a fifth-wheel travel trailer
not exceeding 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, when the
towing of the trailer is not for compensation.
(ii) A two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen when
towing a fifth-wheel travel trailer exceeding 10,000 pounds, but not
exceeding 15,000 pounds, gross vehicle weight rating, when the
towing of the trailer is not for compensation, and if the person has
passed a specialized written examination provided by the department
relating to the knowledge of this code and other safety aspects
governing the towing of recreational vehicles upon the highway.
The authority to operate combinations of vehicles under this
subparagraph may be granted by endorsement on a class C license upon
completion of that written examination.
(G) A vehicle or combination of vehicles with a gross combination
weight rating or a gross vehicle weight rating, as those terms are
defined in subdivisions (j) and (k), respectively, of Section 15210,
of 26,000 pounds or less, if all of the following conditions are met:
(i) Is operated by a farmer, an employee of a farmer, or an
instructor credentialed in agriculture as part of an instructional
program in agriculture at the high school, community college, or
university level.
(ii) Is used exclusively in the conduct of agricultural
operations.
(iii) Is not used in the capacity of a for-hire carrier or for
compensation.
(H) Firefighting equipment, provided that the equipment is
operated by a person who holds a firefighter endorsement pursuant to
Section 12804.11.
(I) A motorized scooter.
(J) A bus with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle
weight of 26,000 pounds or less, except a trailer bus.
(K) Class C does not include a two-wheel motorcycle or a
two-wheel motor-driven cycle.
(4) Class M1. A two-wheel motorcycle or a motor-driven cycle.
Authority to operate a vehicle included in a class M1 license may be
granted by endorsement on a class A, B, or C license upon completion
of an appropriate examination.
(5) (A) Class M2 includes the following:
(i) A motorized bicycle or moped, or a bicycle with an attached
motor, except a motorized bicycle described in subdivision (b) of
Section 406.
(ii) A motorized scooter.
(B) Authority to operate vehicles included in class M2 may be
granted by endorsement on a class A, B, or C license upon completion
of an appropriate examination, except that no endorsement is required
for a motorized scooter. Persons holding a class M1 license or
endorsement may operate vehicles included in class M2 without further
examination.
(c) A driver's license or driver certificate is not valid for
operating a commercial motor vehicle, as defined in subdivision (b)
of Section 15210, any other motor vehicle defined in paragraph (1) or
(2) of subdivision (b), or any other vehicle requiring a driver to
hold any driver certificate or any driver's license endorsement under
Section 15275, unless a medical certificate approved by the
department that has been issued within two years of the date of the
operation of that vehicle and a copy of the medical examination
report from which the certificate was issued is on file with the
department. Otherwise, the license is valid only for operating class
C vehicles that are not commercial vehicles, as defined in
subdivision (b) of Section 15210, and for operating class M1 or M2
vehicles, if so endorsed, that are not commercial vehicles, as
defined in subdivision (b) of Section 15210.
(d) A license or driver certificate issued prior to the enactment
of Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 15200) is valid to operate the
class or type of vehicles specified under the law in existence prior
to that enactment until the license or certificate expires or is
otherwise suspended, revoked, or canceled. Upon application for
renewal or replacement of a driver's license, endorsement, or
certificate required to operate a commercial motor vehicle, a valid
medical certificate on a form approved by the department shall be
submitted to the department.
(e) The department may accept a certificate of driving skill that
is issued by an employer, authorized by the department to issue a
certificate under Section 15250, of the applicant, in lieu of a
driving test, on class A or B applications, if the applicant has
first qualified for a class C license and has met the other
examination requirements for the license for which he or she is
applying. The certificate may be submitted as evidence of the
applicant's skill in the operation of the types of equipment covered
by the license for which he or she is applying.
(f) The department may accept a certificate of competence in lieu
of a driving test on class M1 or M2 applications, when the
certificate is issued by a law enforcement agency for its officers
who operate class M1 or M2 vehicles in their duties, if the applicant
has met the other examination requirements for the license for which
he or she is applying.
(g) The department may accept a certificate of satisfactory
completion of a novice motorcyclist training program approved by the
commissioner pursuant to Section 2932 in lieu of a driving test on
class M1 or M2 applications, if the applicant has met the other
examination requirements for the license for which he or she is
applying. The department shall review and approve the written and
driving test used by a program to determine whether the program may
issue a certificate of completion.
(h) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), a person holding a valid
California driver's license of any class may operate a short-term
rental motorized bicycle without taking any special examination for
the operation of a motorized bicycle, and without having a class M2
endorsement on that license. As used in this subdivision, "short-term"
means 48 hours or less.
(i) A person under the age of 21 years shall not be issued a class
M1 or M2 license or endorsement unless he or she provides evidence
satisfactory to the department of completion of a motorcycle safety
training program that is operated pursuant to Article 2 (commencing
with Section 2930) of Chapter 5 of Division 2.
(j) A driver of a vanpool vehicle may operate with a class C
license but shall possess evidence of a medical examination required
for a class B license when operating vanpool vehicles. In order to be
eligible to drive the vanpool vehicle, the driver shall keep in the
vanpool vehicle a statement, signed under penalty of perjury, that he
or she has not been convicted of reckless driving, drunk driving, or
a hit-and-run offense in the last five years.
