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Requirements to Obtain a Provisional (Teenager) License

Thirty-hour Driver's Education (prepares student for permit test, teaches rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, discusses administrative laws including drunk driving penalties).

Six-hour Driver's Training (Private lessons, free pick-up and drop-off, dual control cars, manual available, taught completely behind-the-wheel).

Fifty hours practice with licensed driver over 25 years old, ten hours in darkness.

Six months with permit required.

Additional Restrictions

For the first twelve months of a teen driver's license, no passenger under 20 is allowed in the car unless an adult over 25 is also present in the car.  AND, no driving is allowed after 11PM (until 5AM) unless the adult over 25 is present in the car.  

Exemptions:

(1) For transporting immediate family members

(2) If vehicle use is for medical, family, school or employment.
(Contact us if you need a permission slip for this; the exemption can not be used for unnecessary excursions.)  

More Teenage Laws

Cancellation: Parent (or legal guardian) has the right to cancel license at any time during provisional license.

Truancy: Students will receive a fine ($150-500 per offense), administered through the traffic courts, if convicted of truancy and/or loitering (unexcused absences); on third conviction, provisional license is suspended for one year. (One-year delay in obtaining license any time after thirteenth birthday).

Destruction of private/public property: Conviction for tagging or destroying any property carries a one-year suspension on any license. (One -year delay in obtaining license any time after thirteenth birthday).

Driving under the influence of .01% BAC: One year suspension 1/10,000 alcohol / blood = less than one drink of alcohol).

Driving Laws for All Drivers

School Buses: Motorists on both sides of the street must stop (unless motorist is on the side of median) whenever the red lights of a school bus are flashing, even if the bus driver isn't escorting children across the street (public or private). Violators can be fined up to $1,000. Drivers who have three convictions in seven years will lose their licenses.

Red Light Violations: Increased the base fine for running a red light to $100, bringing the total cost of the violation to $270. Subsequent offenses would be subject to the same fine.

Controlled Substances: DMV will suspend or delay the driver's license of any person for six months upon conviction of any controlled substance offense. Each successive offense is to be followed by an additional six-month suspension.

Child Safety: Effective January 2002, children 60 pounds, or less, or 6 years, or under, must be restrained in a child passenger restraint system while traveling in a vehicle. The bill increases the fines for child safety seat violations. The bill also authorizes a police officer to stop a vehicle transporting a child who is under the age of 16 and not properly restrained. Infraction will result in a point violation.

Disabled Parking: Authorizes the DMV to conduct an annual random audit of applications submitted and processed by the department to verify the authenticity of the certificates and information. Fines of up to $2500 for each case of forged, counterfeit or falsified disabled person placards.

Road Rage: The court may order the suspension of the driving privilege of any operator of a motor vehicle who commits an assault, commonly referred to as 'road rage'. The court may, in lieu of or in addition to the suspension, order a person convicted under this section to complete a court-approved anger-management course.

HOV Lanes on San Bernardino Freeway: Increases the minimum occupancy requirement to three persons during commute hours and two persons at all other times.

Blocking a Crosswalk: Provides that no person may stop a vehicle unnecessarily in a manner that causes the vehicle to block a marked or unmarked crosswalk or sidewalk. Imposes a fine of $100 ($271 fine/penalty) for violating a specified provision that prohibits a driver from overtaking and passing a vehicle that has stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway.

Parking Meters: A county sealer shall immediately close an inaccurate meter and notify its owner. Until the meter is either fixed or replaced, a motorist may park there free of charge.

New DUI Penalty: Court may require a person who is convicted of a first DUI offence to install an ignition interlock (a tube connected to the engine, that measures blood alcohol content) device to any vehicle that the person owns or operates. Also requires the device when a person refuses to take the blood/breath test.

Red Light Cameras

As many have noticed, Los Angeles is increasing the number of red-light cameras in our area. Most of the cities in this region are putting in these cameras, as they have been extremely effective in reducing fatalities (and making a considerable amount of revenue for the city involved.) We have listed the cameras we know of (we have not listed all of the Culver City or Orange County intersections, and LA is adding more cameras monthly. If you have knowledge of additional cameras, feel free to let us know!)  

If you have received one of these tickets, and feel you did not run the red light, feel free to give us a call, and we would be happy to take a look at your photos and interpret them for you. But before you do that, look at the first photo, are you poised at the outside of the crosswalk, about to enter the intersection? If so, look at the first chart - it will indicate how long the light had been red at this instant. It will display a large number (that is the number of seconds that have passed since the light turned RED) and a small number (that is in tenths of seconds). If you are already in the crosswalk in the first photo - call us. The cameras do NOT take pictures while the light is still yellow, (though we are sure you think it probably did) they ONLY take a photo .2 of a second after the light turns red. The cameras do not usually err. (Though the interpretation of the photo can be incorrect.)

What are your rights?:

You have a right to go to the court and view the pictures (a much better resolution) at the court.

You have a right to get additional information - most especially concerning the maintenance of the cameras themselves.

You have a right to say, "This is not me driving my car." (As long as you tell them who it is. The ticket should go to the driver, not simply the owner of the car.)

Some information about these tickets:

It did not take your picture while the light was yellow.

Putting glass or plastic over your license plate (or removing either of your plates) to keep from being identified at these intersections is illegal. (And the glass or plastic only helps at night, anyway.)

Covering your face as you are photographed is extremely dangerous!

Ignoring the ticket can lead to a suspension of your license.

These photo-enforced tickets are constitutional. (Courts have been there)

Driver should be the only adult identified in the ticket. (Adult passengers are 'blocked' out)

You may defend yourself via mail. Read the directions on the back of the ticket. You will still be required to pay the fine first.

Red Light Camera Locations - Los Angeles

South Bay Driving School, 3614 Pacific Coast Hwy. Torrance, CA 90505 • 310.791.5777
Located one block east of Hawthorne, across from Best Buy.

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