California’s 3 Most Common Driving Infractions
Every single day, hundreds of drivers throughout the state of California receive traffic violations. While obtaining a ticket for many things is possible, some traffic violations are more common than others.
Speeding
While there aren’t any hard stats showing how many speeding tickets are written by California patrol officers daily, it’s fair to say that speeding tickets make up the bulk of California’s traffic violations.
The exciting thing about speeding tickets is that many drivers, especially younger drivers, don’t think they are a big deal. Drivers don’t understand a speeding ticket’s long-term financial impact on their lives.
The first thing to consider is the cost. The base fee of a California speeding ticket is $35-$200, but that isn’t all you’ll have to pay. There are also fines, fees, and costs connected to the ticket. That $35 ticket will cost you about $150 or more when all is said and done. The faster you are going, the more the speeding ticket will cost. In addition to the traffic ticket fees, you will also see an increase in your car insurance, which could be years before your premiums decrease.
Reckless Driving
California drivers have a severe problem with reckless driving. Reckless driving tickets are issued when a driver is driving in a manner that displays a disregard for your safety as well as the safety as others. In California, many reckless driving incidents involve road rage.
Reckless driving in California isn’t a laughing matter. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the incident, it’s possible that the issue won’t be treated as an infraction, but rather a misdemeanor. If someone is killed in a reckless driving incident, the situation could be handled as a felony.
Using a Cell Phone While Driving
Despite all the warnings, people continue to use their cell phones while driving. Since this has led to several traffic accidents throughout the years, California has adopted strict cell phone driving violations. While you can use a hands-free setup while driving, you’re not allowed to use the phone traditionally. You’re also not allowed to text while you’re driving. In addition, if you are caught driving and using your cell phone, you will receive a negligent operator point on your driving record for each violation in 36 months.
The Most Common Crimes That Occur During the Holidays
Most of us associate the holidays with happiness, family, and love. While many of us focus on the good things during the holiday season, police departments throughout the United States will quickly tell you that crime doesn’t stop during the holidays.
What members of law enforcement have noticed is that certain types of crimes seem to take place during the Christmas season.
DUI
Police expect that most of the arrests they make during the holidays will be related to DUIs. More people make the bad decision to drive after they have been drinking during the holidays than most other times of the year. There are several reasons this happens including:
- People drink more than they realize during holiday parties
- Some people realize how lonely they are during the holidays and drink to make themselves feel a little better
- Teens have more time on their hands after school lets out for the holidays, giving them more time to party and drink
Before you go out to a holiday party or to a bar to meet up with friends, take time to figure out how you’ll get home. If there is even a chance that you’ll have a few drinks, it’s in your best interest to arrange things so that you’re not even tempted to drive.
Shoplifting
Shoplifting crimes happen all year long, but they seem to be especially common during the holidays. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that there are more shoppers in the store. It could be that because employees are so busy during the holiday season, people who wouldn’t normally shoplift spot an opportunity and decide to take advantage of it. Or it could be that some people would like to purchase a nice gift for their loved ones but don’t have the money and are unable to resist the impulse to take the items that have caught their eye.
Fraud and Scams
The sad reality is that the holidays bring about more fraud and scam crimes than other times of the year. One of the reasons fraud and scam crimes are so prevalent during the holiday season could stem from the fact that people are busy, so they don’t pay as much attention to what is being said as they normally would. Loneliness, which is often felt more during the holidays, could be another reason so many people fall victim to fraud and other types of scams during the holidays.
While you want to enjoy the current holiday season, you also have to be vigilant and take steps to protect yourself against crime this holiday season.
What is the difference Between Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol?
In California, driving under the influence means driving while under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. Many people often wonder if there is a difference between driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
In terms of the charges connected strictly to your driving, there’s not much of a difference if you’re under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You will face some serious fines, probably be ordered to get some counseling, lose your driving privileges, and possibly spend some time in jail.
What is different is that if you’re caught driving under the influence of drugs, you’ll not only face the same charges connected to driving under the influence, but you’ll also face any charges that are connected to the use of the drugs you have in your system. A perfect example of this is a person who is caught driving while under the influence of prescription drugs that they don’t have a legal prescription for. They will also face charges for not having a prescription, illicit drug use, and possibly additional charges.
The other issue to consider is that some prescription medications interact badly with alcohol. If you mix the two, you could be charged with a DUI if they react strongly with one another.
5 Things You Can Do to Save Gas While Driving
Gas prices have hit historical highs and it doesn’t seem like we’re going to get much relief this summer. While there isn’t anything you can do that will lower the cost per gallon, you can alter your driving habits so that you get the maximum amount of mileage from each gallon you put into your vehicle.
Slow Down
Driving slow isn’t as much fun as zipping along, but it will significantly improve your vehicle’s fuel economy. The slower you go, the less drag your vehicle encounters, and the more miles you get per gallon.
Brake Smoothly
There are times when you can’t avoid slamming on your brakes, but whenever you have the chance, try to brake as smoothly as possible. Also, try letting the weight of your vehicle aid with its slowing down rather than riding your brakes. In addition to improving your fuel economy, the smoother braking style will also lengthen the lifespan of your brakes.
Let Your Cruise Control Handle your Acceleration
We’ve gotten into the habit of mashing the accelerator all the way to the floorboards when we accelerate. Now is a good time to stop this practice. The first thing you need to do is carefully chose the times you pull into traffic and wait for a break that allows you to gradually accelerate. You should also allow your cruise control to handle the acceleration since it will handle it far more smoothly, which ultimately reduces your gas usage.
Stop Idling
Instead of letting your car idle while you wait for your kids to get out of school or as you run back into your home for some forgotten item, shut your engine off. The longer your car idles, the more fuel it burns while doing absolutely nothing.
Pre-plan Your Stops
Before leaving home for the day, stop and think about the various errands you’re going to run. Rather than driving to every single location, look for ways you can park your car and leave it. You won’t believe how much fuel you save when you stop driving to every single store. If the distance between two stops is further than you want to walk, consider using public transportation, a bike, or renting an electric scooter. Leaving your car parked in one location while you run errands in multiple places may take longer, but it will also save you a significant amount of money.
What methods are you using to reduce your overall fuel usage?
Distracted Walking in California
Everyone is familiar with distracted driving, but few of us have ever heard of distracted walking laws. If you’re wondering if that’s even a real thing you’re not alone.
Rest assured, not only is distracted walking a viable concern, but one California city, Montclair, has already passed a distracted walking law. In April 2018, the city’s distracted walking law officially went into effect. Once that happened, anyone caught using their cell phone while walking across the street was subjected to a $100.
It seems like a silly rule, but if you take a few minutes watching people walking on the sidewalk and you can see why distracted walking is a concern. These days, people are completely glued to their phones and often unaware of what is happening around them. Some don’t even look up when they start crossing the street. This type of behavior has prompted more cities to explore the concept of distracted walking laws.
A team of researchers at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark revealed that the number of medical emergencies that included head and neck injuries has substantially increased in the past 20 years.
Legally, drivers are supposed to be aware of pedestrians and do everything in their power to avoid hitting them with their vehicle. The problem that arises is how are drivers supposed to predict when a pedestrian who is texting will suddenly step into the path of oncoming traffic. What makes the issue even more challenging is that many of these pedestrians don’t even realize that they are now in the middle of the road and don’t behave rationally.
Do you think more cities should have distracted walking laws? If distracted laws became common and patrol cops started issuing tickets and fines, would you be more inclined to leave your phone in your pocket, or would you continue to talk and text?