(a) The department shall include within the California Driver‘s Handbook, as specified in Section 1656, information regarding each of the following:

(1) Rail transit safety.

Terms Used In California Vehicle Code 1656.3

  • Department: means the Department of Motor Vehicles except, when used in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 2100) of Division 2 and in Divisions 11 (commencing with Section 21000), 12 (commencing with Section 24000), 13 (commencing with Section 29000), 14 (commencing with Section 31600), 14. See California Vehicle Code 290
  • driver: is a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See California Vehicle Code 305
  • Highway: is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See California Vehicle Code 360
  • motorcycle: is a motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider, designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground. See California Vehicle Code 400
  • Pedestrian: includes a person who is operating a self-propelled wheelchair, motorized tricycle, or motorized quadricycle and, by reason of physical disability, is otherwise unable to move about as a pedestrian, as specified in subdivision (a). See California Vehicle Code 467
  • Person: includes a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Vehicle Code 470
  • traffic: includes pedestrians, ridden animals, vehicles, street cars, and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using any highway for purposes of travel. See California Vehicle Code 620

(2) Abandonment or dumping of any animal on a highway.

(3) The importance of respecting the right-of-way of others, particularly pedestrians, bicycle riders, and motorcycle riders.

(4) A person‘s civil rights during a traffic stop. The information shall address the extent and limitations of a peace officer’s authority during a traffic stop and the legal rights of drivers and passengers, including, but not limited to, the right to file complaints against a peace officer. The information to be included in the handbook shall be developed by the civil rights section of the Department of Justice in consultation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, and civil rights organizations, including community-based organizations.

(5) The requirement that a peace officer disclose the reason for a traffic or pedestrian stop before engaging in questioning related to a criminal investigation or traffic violation, unless the officer reasonably believes that withholding the reason for the stop is necessary to protect life or property from imminent threat, and the requirement for the officer to document the reason for the stop on any citation or police report resulting from the stop.

(b) In order to minimize costs, the information referred to in paragraphs (4) and (5) of subdivision (a) shall be initially included at the earliest opportunity when the handbook is otherwise revised or reprinted.

(c) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2024.

(Repealed (in Sec. 3) and added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 805, Sec. 4. (AB 2773) Effective January 1, 2023. Operative January 1, 2024, by its own provisions.)

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