New California Driving Laws: Cameras, Daylighting, and E-Bikes

If you drive in California, the newest set of driving laws touches how you park near crosswalks, how you pass a stopped car or a cyclist, how automated cameras can ticket you, and, starting in late 2026, whether you can cancel a car purchase within three days of signing. Some rules took effect in 2024 or 2025 and are already being enforced. Others arrive January 1, 2026, with one significant consumer protection following on October 1, 2026.

What Changes on January 1, 2026

Governor Newsom signed several vehicle-related bills that take effect at the start of 2026. A few of them change day-to-day driving.

The Move Over Rule Now Covers Any Stopped Car

Assembly Bill 390 expands the existing “slow down, move over” law to any stationary vehicle on the roadside, not just emergency and service vehicles. When you approach a stopped car displaying hazard lights, flashing warning devices, or highway maintenance markings, you must slow down and change lanes when it is safe to do so.¹ Before, the rule only applied to marked emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and Caltrans equipment.

License Plate Cover Ban Targets Manufacturers

Assembly Bill 1085 creates a $1,000 fine for manufacturing any product designed to obscure a license plate or interfere with electronic plate readers. It goes after the aftermarket covers and sprays used to dodge toll and camera enforcement.¹ The $1,000 penalty applies to manufacturers and sellers. Drivers who use obscured plates already face separate fines under the Vehicle Code.

Two DUI-Related Changes

AB 366 extends the statewide Ignition Interlock Device pilot program for DUI offenders through January 1, 2033. Repeat and high-BAC offenders continue to be required to install a breath-activated starter lock. AB 1087 increases the probation period for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated from two years to a range of three to five years.¹

Three-Day Right to Cancel a Car Purchase

The California Combating Auto Retail Scams (CARS) Act, enacted by SB 766, takes effect October 1, 2026. It prohibits dealers from misrepresenting a vehicle’s total cost or financing terms, and it gives buyers three days to cancel the purchase or lease of any vehicle priced under $50,000.¹ This is a real shift. Under prior law, signing the contract at the dealership generally locked you in regardless of buyer’s remorse.

Automated Cameras: Speed and Red-Light

Red-Light Cameras Now Available Statewide

Senate Bill 720, effective January 1, 2026, lets local governments statewide adopt automated red-light camera programs. Violations caught by the cameras carry civil penalties only, so they do not add points to your driving record.¹

Speed Cameras in Six Cities

Assembly Bill 645 authorized automated speed cameras in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach. The pilot runs through January 1, 2032. San Francisco was the first to activate cameras, in March 2025; other cities are rolling out on their own timelines.²

Cameras photograph the rear plate of any vehicle traveling 11 or more mph over the posted limit. The fine tiers:

11 to 15 mph over: warning for a first offense in that city; $50 for a second offense
16 to 25 mph over: $100
26 or more mph over: $200
100 mph or faster: $500

The first-offense warning at the lowest tier is easy to miss. Your first citation in a participating city for going 11 to 15 over is a warning notice only, not a fine. These are civil penalties, so no points hit your record. If you want to challenge a citation, the law provides an initial review, an administrative hearing, and an appeals process; a superior court appeal costs $25, and participating cities must offer a diversion program for low-income recipients.²

Parking Near Crosswalks (Daylighting)

Assembly Bill 413 prohibits parking, stopping, or standing a vehicle within 20 feet of the approach side of any crosswalk, whether marked or unmarked. Where a curb extension (bulb-out) is present, the buffer is 15 feet.³ The rule took effect January 1, 2025 and applies statewide even where there is no red curb paint or signage. The point is sightline: a car parked close to a crosswalk hides a pedestrian stepping off the curb. Enforcement is handled through local parking programs, and fines vary by city.

Passing Cyclists and Bike Signals

Under Assembly Bill 1909, when you overtake a bicycle traveling in the same direction you must change lanes into an adjacent lane when one is available, on top of the existing three-foot minimum clearance.⁴ The three-foot rule still applies. If road or traffic conditions make a lane change impossible, you must slow to a safe speed and pass only when it would not endanger the cyclist.

Violating the passing rules is an infraction with a base fine of $35. If a collision occurs and the cyclist suffers bodily injury, the fine rises to $220.⁴

The same law lets cyclists enter an intersection on a pedestrian “WALK” signal or walking-person symbol, unless a dedicated bicycle signal says otherwise.⁵ Cyclists can get moving before cars receive a green light, which makes them more visible to turning drivers.

E-Bike Age and Helmet Rules

California splits electric bicycles into three classes, and the rules differ. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes (pedal-assist and throttle-assist, with a top speed of 20 mph) have no minimum age. Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach 28 mph, require the rider to be at least 16.⁶

Helmets follow the same split. Anyone under 18 must wear a helmet on any bicycle, motorized or not. On a Class 3 e-bike, every rider and every passenger must wear a helmet regardless of age.⁶ Passengers on a Class 3 e-bike are prohibited unless the manufacturer designed the bike to carry them. Most single-rider models sold in California do not.

Jaywalking Enforcement Is Narrower

The Freedom to Walk Act (AB 2147), signed in September 2022, changed how officers handle pedestrian crossings outside a marked crosswalk. Police cannot stop or cite a pedestrian for jaywalking unless a reasonably careful person would recognize an immediate danger of colliding with a moving vehicle.⁷ The law does not legalize walking into traffic. It shifts enforcement toward genuinely dangerous behavior rather than technical violations on an empty street.

Street Racing and Sideshow Penalties

Two 2022 bills broadened legal exposure for people who participate in street racing and sideshows. SB 1472 amended Penal Code Section 192 so that vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence can include participation in speed contests and reckless driving exhibitions. If someone dies during a sideshow or illegal race, participants face felony prosecution, and prosecutors do not need to prove intent to harm.⁸ AB 2000 extended the Vehicle Code’s speed-contest prohibitions to off-street parking facilities and other areas open to the public, closing a loophole that used to exempt shopping center lots and similar spaces.⁹

Under Vehicle Code Section 23109, a first street-racing conviction carries 24 hours to 90 days in county jail, a fine of $355 to $1,000, and 40 hours of community service. If someone other than the driver is injured, the jail range becomes 30 days to six months. A second offense within five years brings a minimum of four days in jail. A vehicle used in a speed contest can be impounded for up to 30 days at the owner’s expense.¹⁰

Catalytic Converter Rules

Two recent laws target catalytic converter theft. SB 55 prohibits a dealer from selling any new or used vehicle equipped with a catalytic converter unless the converter is permanently marked with the vehicle’s VIN.¹¹ Buyers can decline the marking, but the dealer then has to disclose the engraving service as a “body part marking product” in the sale contract.¹² If you install an aftermarket anti-theft device that damages or covers required identifying marks, the vehicle can fail its smog check.¹³

AB 641 goes at the buyers. Under the revised definition of “automobile dismantler,” anyone found with nine or more catalytic converters that have been cut from a vehicle faces enforcement unless they hold a proper license, such as a junk dealer, recycler, or core recycler. A first offense is an infraction; subsequent violations are misdemeanors, with a commonly cited fine range of $250 to $1,000 per offense.

REAL ID at the Airport

REAL ID is a federal rule rather than a Vehicle Code change, but it affects every California driver who flies. As of May 7, 2025, TSA requires a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a U.S. passport, or another approved federal document to board a domestic flight or enter secured federal facilities. Travelers who arrive without an acceptable ID face a $45 fee and may not be allowed through security.¹⁴

Your California license is REAL ID-compliant if it has a gold bear and star in the upper right corner. A standard license without that marking will not get you through airport security for a domestic flight unless you bring a passport or military ID.¹⁴

Lowrider Cruising Bans Repealed

For about 40 years, the Vehicle Code let cities and counties pass local ordinances banning cruising. Assembly Bill 436, signed in October 2023, repealed that authorization. As of January 1, 2024, no local government in California can enforce a cruising ban, and cities that previously posted “no cruising” signs no longer have legal backing for them.

1
California Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Highlights New Laws in 2026
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California Legislative Information. California Code AB-645 Vehicles: Speed Safety System Pilot Program
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California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code AB-413 Vehicles: Stopping, Standing, and Parking
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California Legislative Information. AB-1909 Vehicles: Bicycle Omnibus Bill – Compare Versions
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California Legislative Information. California Code AB-1909 Vehicles: Bicycle Omnibus Bill
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California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 21213
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California Legislative Information. AB-2147 Pedestrians
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California Legislative Information. SB-1472 Vehicular Manslaughter: Speeding and Reckless Driving
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California Legislative Information. AB-2000 Motor Vehicle Speed Contests and Exhibitions of Speed: Offstreet Parking Facilities
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California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 23109
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California Legislative Information. SB-55 Vehicles: Catalytic Converters
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California State Assembly. SB 55 Vehicles: Catalytic Converters
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Bureau of Automotive Repair. Catalytic Converter Theft and the Smog Check Program
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Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID