DRIVER'S LICENSE - A standard class "A" driver's license for motorcycles or automobiles is $34.00. There are seven Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) locations in the San Diego area. The DMV maintains that lawful family members are entitled to the same non-resident status as their active duty sponsors. Therefore, the DMV has determined that a California driver's license is not required of a family member as long as the following criteria are met:
*The family member's home state driver's license remains valid.
*The family member is age 18 or older.
*The family member does not establish permanent residency in California.
*The family member is not employed for compensation for the purpose of driving a motor vehicle.
To operate a motorcycle, a special license endorsement is required. Contact the DMV for more information. Call (800) 777-0133 for the DMV nearest to you.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A PROVISIONAL PERMIT IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 - If you are under 18 you will need the following:
*Be at least 15 , but under 18 years of age
*Visit a DMV office (make an appointment for faster service)
*Complete the application form DL 44 (An original DL 44 form must be submitted. Copies obtained by xeroxing, faxing, or other methods will not be accepted.)
*Have your parents' or guardians' signatures on the application form DL 44
*Give a thumb print
*Have your picture taken
*Provide your social security number. It will be verified with the Social Security Administration while you are in the office.
*Verify your birth date and legal presence
*Provide your true full name
*Submit the proper form(s) for driver education and/or driver training classes (See below for details.)
*Pay the $24 application fee (This fee entitles you to three exams of any type within the 12-month period and pays for both the instruction permit and the driver license. If all requirements are not met within the 12-month period, the application becomes void and all steps must be completed again.)
*Pass a vision exam
*Pass a traffic laws and sign test. There are 46 questions on the test. A passing score is at least 39 correct answers. You have three chances to pass the test. If you fail, you must wait 7 days before taking it again.
Note: To allow you sufficient time for testing DMV will not be administering written or audio exams after 4:30 p.m.
If you are 15 to 17 years of age, you will need to provide proof that you:
*Completed driver education (Form DL 387 or OL 237) and are taking driver training (DL 392 or OL 392)
OR
*Completed driver education and driver training (DL 387, DL 388, DL 388A, OL 237, or OL 238).
OR
*Are enrolled and participating in an approved integrated driver education/driver training program (DL 400).
If you are over 17 but under 18 years of age, you may get your permit without the driver education and driver training certificates however, you will not be able to take the driving test until you turn 18.
Once you pass your written test, you will be issued a provisional permit.
A parent, guardian, spouse or adult 25 years of age or older, who has a valid driver's license, must be with you when you drive. He or she must sit in a position close enough to take control of the vehicle, if necessary. It is illegal for you to drive alone at any time.
Before being eligible to take your driving test you must:
*Be 16 years old
AND
*Have held your permit for a minimum of six months
AND
*Have completed driver education
AND
*Have completed 6 hours of professional driver training
AND
*Have completed 50 hours of practice with an adult 25 years or older. The adult must have a valid driver's license and certify to the 50 hours of practice. At least 10 of the 50 hours must have been done at night.
You will be asked to show that you are properly insured before the driving test begins or the driving test will be postponed.
After you pass your driving test you will be issued an interim license valid for 60 days until you receive your new photo license in the mail. Check your address before you leave DMV and tell the DMV representative if you have moved or if your address is incorrect. If you have not received your license after 60 days, call 1-800-777-0133 to check on the status. Have your interim license with you to provide information when requested.
If you fail your driving test, you must wait two weeks before you can take the test again. You have three chances to pass.
If driver education and driver training were taken in a state other than California, DMV will accept either a To Secondary Schools Other Than California Schools form DL 33 completed by the out-of state school, or a letter on the out-of state school's stationery signed by a school official stating that the courses are equivalent to California's requirements. Instructional permits issued by another state are not acceptable proof
INSURANCE - Insurance is a legal requirement for both motorcycles and automobiles in the state of California and on military installations. California requires that drivers and vehicle owners carry the following minimum monetary limits:
*$15,000 for injury or death of 1 person per accident
*$30,000 for injury or death of 2 or more persons per accident
*$5,000 for property damage per accident
Evidence of financial responsibility must be carried at all times in the vehicle. Most Californians maintain financial responsibility through insurance companies, which provide the policy holder with an identification card as evidence of coverage. The card must state the insurance company's name and address, the period of coverage and policy number. Persons operating a vehicle in this state who are unlicensed or have an invalid California or out-of-state driver license are subject to the same financial responsibility laws as valid California licensed drivers.
LICENSE PLATES - Out of state license plates will generally be valid until their expiration date. The California DMV has a special form to be filled out by the service member to receive a military rate on the basic annual registration and vehicle fee. The three-state rule applies in California - a person can not be a resident in one state, have a drivers license in another, and have his/her car registered in another. IF YOU ARE GOING TO REGISTER YOUR CAR IN CALIFORNIA, YOU MAY HAVE TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL TRANSPORTATION FEE OF $300 AND SOME VEHICLES MUST BE FITTED WITH EMISSION CONTROL DEVICES.
MOTORCYCLE HELMETS
(CVC 27803)
All motorcycle riders must wear properly fitted safety helmets which conform to federal safety standards and are so labeled. Driver and passenger may be cited.
SAFETY BELTS
(CVC 27315)
Drivers of private passenger vehicles (including house cars) and light trucks are required to wear and to have their passengers restrained by safety belts.
Passengers 16 and over, as well as the driver, will be cited if they are not wearing safety belts. Owners of private passenger vehicles must maintain safety belts in good working order.
The fine for the first offense is $20 and $50 for subsequent offenses.
Vehicles designed for more than 10 occupants, including school buses; taxi drivers on city streets; rear seats of taxis, limousines, and emergency vehicles; newspaper delivery persons; and rural postal carriers are all exceptions to the safety belt vehicle code.
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
(CVC 27360-27365)
Drivers transporting children in a motor vehicle are required to provide and properly use a child restraint system (a crash-tested safety seat, harness, or bed) which meets federal safety standards. Children must ride in these restraints until they are either six years of age or older OR weighs 60 pounds or more.
The fine for the first offense is $100 unless the defendant proves economic disadvantage; the court then refers the defendant to a community education program that includes, but is not limited to, education on the proper installation and use of a child passenger restraint system for children of all ages, and provides certification to the court of completion of that program. No part of the fine, which is $250, may be waived for the second offense.
Physical unfitness, medical condition, or size may be cause for exception, as determined by the court. Another exception is in an emergency vehicle in a case of an emergency, if there is no safety belt available, the child is to be secured with a vehicle safety belt.
A Police Officer may stop the car to cite the driver or parent if the officer does not see the shoulder harness extended, or, if a child appears to be seated too low in a vehicle. The fine for this violation can be as high as $270.
Car rental agencies are required to provide safety seats for rent by customers on request. The seats must be in good, safe conditions, with no missing parts, and less than five years old. Retailers and distributors may not sell car seats that do not conform to federal standards. Hospitals must provide and discuss information on the law, at the time of discharge or before, for patients less than six years old or weighing less than 60 pounds.
BICYCLE HELMETS
(CVC 21212, 21204)
A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard, nor shall they wear in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or standards subsequently established by those entities. This requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat that is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer towed by the bicycle.
The maximum fine for violation of this vehicle code is $25.