New year, new traffic laws

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - New year, new laws which mean first interactions with an officer will be a little different and not having an updated registration sticker will no longer be a reason for a traffic stop. 

More than a dozen traffic safety laws are now in place.

As of January 1, a police officer can no longer pull over a driver due to not having an updated registration sticker.

“The new assembly bill has made it where officers can not use an expired registration as a basis for a stop unless that registration expires after two months.," said Deputy Chief Kelly Brown, El Centro Police Department.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean an officer can’t give you a citation. 

“If an officer was to stop somebody for speeding and it was determined that the violator's registration vehicle registration expired for only a month. They can still take that enforcement action and write that citation," said Deputy Chief Brown.

Another law added to this year's list involves the first interaction between a driver and an officer during a traffic stop.

An officer in California can no longer start with the question “Do you know why we pulled you over?” 

"We like to train our officers to introduce themselves as they approach a violator… Introduce themselves by stating their name and who they work for and then they can follow up for the reason of the stop," said Deputy Chief Brown.

One local says these two laws help drivers.

“It will be good for both sides... It will clear up questions on both sides so you don’t have someone saying, 'Oh the officer tried to do this to me,' and then the citizens will also know why they are pulling you over and it’s not something like 'Oh there are drugs in your car," said Ron Plunkett, an Imperial resident.

For more information on the traffic laws, go to chp.ca.gov.