There are several new traffic laws that residents in San Francisco or generally in the state of California should be informed of. The laws are enforced to improve the San Francisco road conditions and learning about them is important. It will help to prevent future violations which could end up costing you a ticket, jail time, or even worse, your or someone’s else life. That’s why we researched and gathered all relevant San Francisco traffic laws which we think you must know. So, let’s dive in!
Assembly Bill 43
Effective as of January 2022, this new law (AB 43 in short) mandates to lower the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph. This applies to the busiest areas where most of the business activity districts are located to minimize traffic fatalities. The San Francisco Transportation Agency has already set up the new signages in specific areas where the new speed limit shows 20 mph. The defined areas are as follows:
- Ocean Ave, from Geneva Ave to Victoria St and from Junipero Serra Blvd to 19th Ave
- Polk St, from Filbert to Sutter streets
- Fillmore St, from Chestnut to Union streets and from Jackson to McAllister
- Valencia St, from Cesar Chavez to Market streets
- 24th St, from Diamond to Chattanooga streets and from Valencia St to San Bruno Ave
- Haight St, from Stanyan St to Central Ave and from Webster to Steiner streets
- San Bruno Ave, from Silver to Paul avenues
This law corresponds to the Vision Zero strategy which aims to eliminate all fatal road accidents in San Francisco by 2024.
Assembly Bill 47
This law has been effective since July 1, 2021 and is aimed at solving the issue of distracted driving. Under the AB47, individuals who have been cited twice within 36 months, will result in points added to their driving record. The law allows reducing distracted driving cases such as texting and talking with smartphones while driving. There are many reported casualties due to distracted driving so hopefully, the new law will minimize such instances.
Assembly Bill 3
This bill will apply to motorists who frequently engage in road races or sideshows. These types of irresponsible driving dangers the safety of the public so now the law will hopefully prevent such cases. Under the law, if the motorist engages in road races or sideshows, he/she will be subject to serious penalties such as 3 months up to 6 months license suspension. The bill will be effective on July 1st, 2025.
To sum up, new laws are paramount to be informed and keep yourself away from situations that will result in incidents and points on your driving record. If you still, couldn’t avoid getting a one-point violation in San Francisco, California, it’s still fixable. You just need to ensure that you qualify for traffic school attendance, and then you are good to go. Take a tour to Rapid School which helped numerous California residents to hide their one-point violations from public record.
