Several new California auto laws took effect in 2026, changing how drivers are expected to behave on the road and how fault, liability, and insurance claims may be evaluated. These updates are especially relevant for drivers in busy cities like Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, where traffic laws are frequently enforced.
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If you are involved in a car accident, receive a traffic citation, or have a personal injury claim, these laws can affect what happens next. Below is a breakdown of the main California driving laws that took effect in 2026 and why they matter.
Expanded Slow Down and Move Over Law in California
One of the biggest changes is California’s expansion of the “Slow Down, Move Over” law beyond emergency vehicles. Since January 1, 2026, Vehicle Code section 21809 requires drivers approaching any stopped vehicle that shows flashing hazard lights or another warning device, such as cones or flares, to change lanes if it is safe or to slow down. A violation is an infraction with a fine of up to $50.
Key changes include:
- Applies to all stopped vehicles using hazard lights
- Not limited to police, fire, or ambulance vehicles
- Enforced statewide on highways and surface streets
Why this matters: Failing to slow down and move over is not just dangerous, it can also be a factor in determining fault in an accident. In busy areas like Los Angeles freeways and Santa Monica arterials, stalled vehicles are common, and a driver who causes a crash by ignoring this law may face increased fault and liability. When someone is injured, a violation of the Slow Down and Move Over law can help establish negligence after a roadside collision and have serious consequences in a personal injury claim.
Tip for drivers: Always slow down and move over whenever you see a stationary vehicle. It’s not just the law, but it is also for your safety.
Increased Red Light Camera Enforcement
SB 720 lets cities and counties run a new kind of red light camera program under Vehicle Code section 21455.9. Tickets from that program are civil penalties only. They do not add a point to your driving record and cannot lead to a license suspension. Fines start at $100 and rise to $500 for repeat violations within three years. The older camera programs under section 21455.5 still exist, and a ticket from one of those is a Vehicle Code infraction that can carry a point.
What drivers should know:
- Red light violations may be issued through automated camera technology
- Tickets from SB 720 programs are civil penalties with no DMV point; standard red light camera tickets remain infractions
- Greater camera use means heightened enforcement at busy intersections
Why this matters: Intersection crashes often result in serious injuries, including head trauma, fractures, and spinal injuries. When a collision occurs at a signal-controlled intersection, automated red light enforcement footage may be used to help determine fault, particularly in California car accident claims where liability is disputed between drivers or challenged by insurance companies.
Tip for drivers: Approach intersections cautiously. A yellow light warns you that the signal is about to turn red (Vehicle Code section 21452). Entering on yellow is not itself a violation. The ticket comes from entering after the light turns red (section 21453), and more cameras mean more of those tickets.
Lower Speed Limits in School Zones
AB 382 lets cities and counties lower school zone speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph now, by ordinance or resolution. Starting January 1, 2031, a 20 mph limit applies statewide in school zones when flashing beacons, “children present” signs or posted school hours apply. Until then, the 20 mph limit applies only where a local government has adopted it and posted signs.
What this allows:
- Local governments may lower school zone limits to 20 mph now
- A statewide 20 mph school zone limit takes effect January 1, 2031
- Expect stricter enforcement in areas with heavy foot and bicycle traffic
Why this matters: Lower speed limits increase driver responsibility in school zones. In dense neighborhoods across Los Angeles County, speeding violations may carry greater legal consequences, especially in pedestrian accident and bicycle accident cases involving children.
Tip for drivers: Start adjusting your habits now. Slower speeds save lives and protect you from future costly tickets and accidents.
New Rules for Autonomous Vehicles and Electric Motorcycles
SB 480 (Archuleta) & SB 586 (Jones)
California continues to regulate emerging vehicle technology as autonomous and electric vehicles become more common.
2026 updates include:
- Autonomous vehicles may display marker lights when automated driving systems are active
- Electric off-highway motorcycles are now classified as off-highway vehicles and must comply with DMV registration requirements
Why this matters: Accidents involving autonomous vehicles or electric motorcycles often raise complex questions about responsibility. These laws help clarify how liability may be evaluated when new technology is involved in a collision.
Tip for drivers: Stay alert around autonomous vehicles and electric motorcycles (see our motorcycle accident page if you are hurt in a crash with one), especially in urban areas where traffic patterns change quickly. Understanding how these vehicles operate can help prevent collisions and confusion after an accident.
Ghost Plates: The New Fine
“Ghost plates” are license plates that cameras and toll readers cannot read, usually because of a cover, film, shade or tint. AB 1085 took effect January 1, 2026. It adds shades and tints to the list of banned plate devices under Vehicle Code section 5201 and bans making these products in California. Under section 5201.1, a driver who operates a vehicle with one, or who alters a plate to avoid cameras, faces a fine of $250 per violation. Selling or making the devices carries a fine of $1,000 per item.
Why this matters: An unreadable plate makes a hit-and-run driver harder to find. In a crash claim, toll records and traffic cameras are often how an unknown driver is identified.
The CARS Act: New Car-Buying Protections
The California Combating Auto Retail Scams Act applies to dealer sales starting October 1, 2026. Its main protections are:
- A three-day right to cancel the purchase or lease of a used vehicle priced at $50,000 or less. The right ends if the car has been driven more than 400 miles, and the dealer may charge a restocking fee.
- Dealers must show the full price in ads and in their first written reply to a buyer, and must say when an add-on is not required.
- Dealers cannot charge for add-ons that give the buyer no benefit.
Why this matters: The CARS Act does not change fault rules. But if a dealer sold you a car with a problem it hid, you may have a separate claim, and the paperwork from the sale becomes evidence.
Key-Programming Devices
Thieves use key-programming tools and signal extenders to copy a key fob and drive off in modern cars. AB 486 added key-programming devices, key-duplicating devices and signal extenders to Penal Code section 466. Possessing one with the intent to break into a vehicle is now a misdemeanor.
Why this matters: Stolen cars are often driven recklessly and are involved in hit-and-run crashes. If a stolen car hits you, the claim may run through your own uninsured motorist coverage.
What Changes on January 1, 2027
California’s 2026 legislative session has ended, and some new driving laws are expected to take effect on January 1, 2027. We will add them here once each bill and its start date are confirmed against the official bill text. Until then, the laws above are the ones in force.
When Violations of California Law Lead to Personal Injury Claims
Violations of these new California auto laws can directly impact fault, insurance disputes, and the strength of personal injury. If you or a loved one has been harmed due to another party’s failure to follow California law, please contact Etehad Law at (310) 550-1220 or etehadlaw.com/contact for a free consultation. Our goal is simple: make sure you get the justice and support you need.
Key Takeaways
- New traffic laws generally do not move filing deadlines: most California injury claims still run two years (CCP § 335.1); public-entity claims six months (Gov. Code § 911.2).
- Breaking a safety law can support negligence per se (Evid. Code § 669), turning another driver’s citation into evidence of fault.
- California’s broader red light camera enforcement (SB 720) and expanded Slow Down, Move Over law (AB 390) create new duties and records that can matter in a crash claim.
- Pure comparative fault means you can still recover even if partly at fault; your share reduces, but does not eliminate, the claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do new California traffic laws change how long I have to file an injury claim?
No. Whatever new rules of the road take effect, the deadline for most California car accident injury claims stays at two years from the crash under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and six months for a claim against a public entity under Government Code section 911.2. New traffic laws change what counts as a violation, not the filing clock. Etehad Law still tells Los Angeles drivers to call early, because evidence fades long before the deadline runs.
Can a ticket under a new traffic law be used against the other driver in my case?
Often, yes. Under California’s negligence per se rule (Evidence Code section 669), breaking a safety law meant to prevent the kind of harm you suffered can create a presumption that the other driver was at fault. A citation for a new violation, such as running a red light caught on camera or failing to slow down for a stopped vehicle, can become useful evidence. Etehad Law gathers the citation, any camera footage, and the police report to build that argument for a Los Angeles client.
How does California’s expanded red light camera enforcement affect a crash claim?
Senate Bill 720 broadened automated red light camera enforcement in California, letting cities and counties use a new camera program that photographs vehicles entering an intersection against the light and mails a civil penalty, with no DMV point, to the owner. For an injury claim, that footage can help show which driver ran the red light when a crash happened. Etehad Law can request the record and use it to prove fault in a disputed Los Angeles intersection collision.
Does the expanded Slow Down, Move Over law affect who is at fault in a crash?
It can. California’s expanded Slow Down, Move Over law, Assembly Bill 390, now requires drivers to slow down or change lanes for any stopped vehicle showing hazard lights or another warning device, not just police, fire, or ambulance vehicles. A driver who ignores that duty and causes a roadside crash can share the blame, and California’s pure comparative fault rule then splits responsibility by percentage. Etehad Law looks at how each driver behaved near the stopped vehicle when it evaluates a Beverly Hills or Los Angeles collision.
If I was partly at fault under a new law, can I still recover?
Yes. California follows pure comparative fault, so you can recover even if you were partly to blame; your compensation drops by your share of responsibility but is not erased. Insurers often lean on a new violation to shift blame onto the injured person and pay less. Etehad Law pushes back with the physical evidence and the full context of the crash.
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