Bill Text: CA AB2918 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Bill 2918 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Vehicles: driver’s handbook.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-09-23 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 723, Statutes of 2018. [AB2918 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB2918-Chaptered.html

Assembly Bill No. 2918

CHAPTER 723

An act to amend Section 1656.3 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

[ Approved by Governor September 23, 2018. Filed with Secretary of State September 23, 2018. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2918, Holden. Vehicles: driver’s handbook.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to include within the California Driver’s Handbook information regarding rail transit safety, abandonment or dumping of an animal on a highway, and the importance of respecting the right-of-way of others.

This bill would require the department to also include within the handbook information regarding a person’s civil rights during a traffic stop, including the right to file a complaint against a peace officer, as specified, developed by the civil rights section of the Department of Justice in consultation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, and civil rights organizations. The bill would require that information to be initially included at the earliest opportunity when the handbook is otherwise revised or reprinted.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 1656.3 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

1656.3.

(a) The department shall include within the California Driver’s Handbook, as specified in subdivision (b) of Section 1656, information regarding each of the following:

(1) Rail transit safety.

(2) Abandonment or dumping of any animal on a highway.

(3) The importance of respecting the right-of-way of others, particularly pedestrians, bicycle riders, and motorcycle riders.

(4) Information regarding a person’s civil rights during a traffic stop. The information shall address the extent and limitations of a peace officer’s authority during a traffic stop and the legal rights of drivers and passengers, including, but not limited to, the right to file complaints against a peace officer. The information to be included in the handbook shall be developed by the civil rights section of the Department of Justice in consultation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, and civil rights organizations, including community-based organizations.

(b) In order to minimize costs, the information referred to in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) shall be initially included at the earliest opportunity when the handbook is otherwise revised or reprinted.