Q: Riverside resident Charles Kolb said he believes that if a driver is stopped by police in California and cannot show proof of car insurance, the driver gets a ticket -- but the vehicle won't be towed.
"The state and police departments will say California is a compulsory insurance state," Kolb wrote in an e-mail. "Not true. Compulsory means two things: mandated and enforced ... No other state that I know of says they are 'compulsory,' yet allows (uninsured people) to continue to drive."
A: California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez replied that an officer can "issue a citation to a driver who fails to provide evidence of financial responsibility in accordance with California vehicle code section 16028(a)."
In effect, that section requires drivers to provide proof of insurance on the spot if an officer asks for it.
Section 16029 explains the penalties (fines) for not being able to show proof of financial responsibility, but it also allows courts to impound a car in addition to levying a fine, Lopez said.
Q: Mike Novak-Smith, a Moreno Valley real estate broker, e-mailed to ask, "How much driving experience does a 16-year-old driver need to have before the newly licensed driver can drive non-family members under the age of 18?" He said he has heard varying opinions on the issue.
A: Like other states, California has a graduated licensing program. The idea is to grant teenage drivers -- who get into more traffic collisions than any other age group -- privileges that increase over time.
Youths can obtain a learner's permit at age 15½. It allows practice driving, driving only with a parent or guardian, an instructor or another adult at least 25 years old who has a valid California license. The teen must get 50 hours of this practice driving, at least 10 of them at night, and must take at least six hours of a driver-training class.
Teens should be aware that the state has a zero-tolerance policy on teen drinking and driving, and also bans drivers younger than 18 from using any electronic device while driving. That means cell phones, laptops, pagers, texting devices, etc.
At 16, a youth who has passed the state's driving test can get a provisional license. For the first 12 months of that license, or until the driver turns 18, they cannot carry passengers younger than 20 unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 25. For the same time period, the new driver must be accompanied by a driver at least 25 years old if driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
There are exceptions to this nighttime-driving ban. The Department of Motor Vehicles' website has details on this rule and provisional licenses in general:http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#PERMINOR .
After the 12-month provisional license, the teen gets a full-privilege license, one that is free of time or passenger restrictions, assuming he or she hasn't earned any DMV- or court-ordered restrictions or suspensions.
Of course, this is what state law allows. Ultimately parents must decide for themselves, after their teen has satisfied the state's legal requirements, whether that youth is a mature and safe enough driver to ferry young passengers.
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