A HOST of new laws have come into effect in California already – with many affecting drivers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed several new bills in the last 12 months, WITH many becoming law at the beginning of 2025.
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That includes the rule that now makes it illegal to park a vehicle within 20 feet of any unmarked or marked crosswalk or 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present.
It’s also now illegal for a job posting to require applicants to have a valid driver’s license, while the “locked door loophole” has been eliminated – which required prosecutors to prove car doors were locked when a burglary took place.
But there’s another that will come into effect on March 1, 2025, that will force certain drivers to take extra steps before hitting the road.
The bill known as AB 375 will require food delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats to provide customers with the first name and photo of their delivery driver.
Not only does this improve safety, but generally offers a greater peace of mind to customers of the popular food delivery services.
This comes as we recently reported on how California is stepping up its fight against illegal sideshows in 2025.
However, a new law could see drivers have their cars impounded even if they’ve done nothing illegal.
Last year, Governor Newsom agreed to a series of new laws designed to give law enforcement more power to deter these dangerous events.
Sideshows, which often involve hundreds of people gathering to watch drivers perform reckless stunts like donuts and burnouts, have plagued Californian cities for decades.
But now, police have more authority to impound vehicles found to be involved in such events.
Assembly Bill 2186, for example, now extends impoundment powers to vehicles participating in “exhibitions of speed” in parking lots, closing a loophole that previously limited this to roadways.
What’s more, Assembly Bill 1978 will give police the power to impound vehicles suspected of aiding or abetting sideshows or street races, even without an arrest.
This targets individuals providing support to the events without direct involvement, and aims to deter individuals from helping organise and run these gatherings.
Those involved don’t just run the risk vehicle impoundment either, as penalties for taking part in a sideshow are set to be increased.
As of 1 July 2025, those convicted of exhibition of speed at a sideshow may have their driver’s license suspended for 90 days and up to six months – although courts have been urged to consider personal hardship.
Additionally, Assembly Bill 2807 clarifies the legal definition of a “sideshow” to include “street takeover,” giving prosecutors more leeway in court.
Elsewhere, drivers have been warned they risk being slapped with a $1,000 fine – and could even lose their license – if they snub a lifesaving rule.
The alert comes after a perilous wintry blast blanketed parts of the United States with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain.
A law in New Hampshire requires motorists to remove snow and ice from the top of their vehicles prior to driving them.
This negligent driving rule is also known as “Jessica’s Law” – in honor of Jessica Smith.
She was a 20-year-old woman who was tragically killed in 1999 when a nine-foot piece of ice from a tractor-trailer hit a box truck, that ended up hitting her car.
Her grief-stricken parents, Linda and Donald Smith, successfully campaigned to toughen up the law as they were angry that the tractor-trailer driver was not penalized for failing to clear the snow and ice off his vehicle.
