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Spring Cleaning

by Sergeant Jay A. Froboese
Murrieta Police Department Traffic Division

During the course of the year I get many calls from citizens wanting me to cover some particular traffic related topic in an article. All the suggestions are excellent ideas, but many only require a few lines, and therefore I cannot make an entire article out of them. So I would like to use this month’s column to clean house and cover several topics that have been suggested.

Parking Violations: When you receive a parking violation citation, it is usually for some simple vehicle code violation you know you violated. You pay the nominal fine and get on with life. But did you know there are also city and county ordinances that if violated could get you a parking ticket? The most common city ordinance violated in Murrieta is the ordinance prohibiting a citizen from advertising their vehicle for sale on public or private property, unless of course the private property is their own. The ordinance is in place to keep our cities clean and free of the “used car lot” look. The fine is steep at $80.00, and we tend to write a lot of these tickets on the weekends. Check with your city code enforcement for a complete list of city ordinances related to parking violations.

Turn Signals: Yes it is the law that a turn signal must be used before any lane change or turning movement if another vehicle is close enough to be affected by the turning movement. This is covered in section 22107 of the California Vehicle Code, not to mention it is the courteous and safe thing to do when driving. The signal should be given at least 100 feet before the vehicle begins turning or changing a lane.

Bicycle Helmets, Scooters: Yes there is a law in the Vehicle Code that requires children under the age of 18 years riding the non-motorized scooters and bicycles to wear bicycle helmets. Our officers do cite for this violation and take this very seriously. We have had several very serious and fatal traffic collisions involving children on bicycles not wearing helmets. We also have had at least one accident where a child was cited for no helmet, and then had a severe fall the following day that would have resulted in a serious injury or fatality if that same child had not been wearing their new helmet. So we know they work and encourage children to wear them every time.

Cell Phones: The Vehicle Code requires motorists not use their handheld cell phones while driving. This law has been on the books for some time now, yet we still see and cite for many violations involving cell phones every month.

Airbags and Children: Although not a law, please remember when you travel with small children or infants to always follow your vehicles and car seat manufacturer’s recommendations and place those kids in the rear seats away from front seat airbags. I am surprised at the number of parents I see with infants and small children in the front seats exposed to the explosive nature of airbags should an accident occur. Many of these airbags can kill your child on a very simple low speed front-end collision. If you ever have question about how to properly restrain your children, do not hesitate to call or stop by Temecula CHP Office and they are always more than happy to help you with your car seat or offer advice regarding the restraint of your children in your vehicle.

Limit Lines and Crosswalks: Limit lines are solid white lines twelve to twenty four inches in width that extend across the roadway to indicate the point where traffic must stop at intersections. I get a many calls during the year that motorists ignore these lines and crosswalks and protrude across the lines or into crosswalks when they stop at intersections. Remember, when you stop at an intersection, your entire vehicle should be behind the limit line or first line of the crosswalk. Blocking a crosswalk is an infraction, not to mention it exposes pedestrians to traffic if they must walk out of the crosswalk and around your vehicle to cross the street.

The Murrieta Police Department appreciates all the support our community gives us throughout the year. This is an awesome community. We enjoy living here and consider it an honor to serve the citizens of Murrieta in our chosen profession of Law Enforcement. I welcome your questions and suggestions for future articles and can be contacted directly at the Murrieta Police Department at 951-461-6302 or jfroboese@murrieta.org

Written by Sergeant Jay Froboese

I welcome your questions and suggestions for future articles and can be contacted directly at the Murrieta Police Department at 951-461-6302 or jfroboese@murrieta.org.

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