s
s
Sections
Sections
Sections
Sections
Subscribe

Snoopy license plates available for preorder

A commemorative license plate featuring Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts character Snoopy can now be ordered online, the state announced Thursday.

By | February 7th, 2014|0 Comments

Unlicensed drivers more deadly than others

Unlicensed drivers and those whose licenses have been suspended or revoked are nearly three times more likely to cause a fatal crash than licensed drivers, a DMV study found. The study used crash data over a 23-year period and reviewed two-vehicle fatal crashes in which only one driver was at [...]

By | January 15th, 2013|17 Comments

Mailbag: What’s a STAR smog test? Bicyclists must follow rules of the road

We've had several readers write in asking what the new STAR smog test program is. Here's an answer: The state Bureau of Automotive Repair on Jan. 1 changed its smog test program by eliminating Gold Shield smog-check stations, which generally handled potentially high polluting vehicles, and creating STAR test stations, [...]

By | January 11th, 2013|7 Comments

Now you again may get a vintage license plate

There's something nostalgic about California's license plates from the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Now, you may be able to have them again or for the first time. The DMV this year started taking $50 pre-orders for what it's calling legacy license plates. That's the yellow one with black [...]

By | January 6th, 2013|9 Comments

Governor OKs bill allowing driverless cars

Here's an interesting story from the Associated Press about driverless cars: MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday that will pave the way for driverless cars in California. The bill by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla will establish safety and performance regulations to test and operate autonomous vehicles [...]

By | September 25th, 2012|4 Comments

Mailbag: Alerting DMV to problem elderly drivers; carpool lanes; Barnes Road

Here's a question from a reader: Is there a place to anonymously alert someone about an elderly driver who should no longer be driving? The answer comes from DMV spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez, who pointed us to the DMV website where there's a form you can fill out and send in [...]

By | September 7th, 2012|7 Comments

What drivers have forgotten in the DMV handbook

We all carefully studied for our DMV driving test and intently tried to follow all of the rules and laws in the DMV handbook. So why is it that so many of us have forgotten so many of the basic rules? Here are my top three: --Turn signals. "Always signal [...]

By | June 21st, 2012|1 Comment

Mailbag: Do bicyclists have to stay in bikes lanes? Can you use disabled placards/license plates out of state?

Here's a question from a reader: Over a week ago I saw a group of about 20 cyclist heading north on Old Redwood in Windsor. This was a two-lane stretch near Hembree Lane with a clearly marked bicycle lane. About half of the cyclist rode in the designated bike lane, [...]

By | March 23rd, 2012|15 Comments

Mailbag: Legal to drive barefoot?

Here's a question from a reader: Is it legal to drive barefoot? No one seems to know. Jonathan The answer comes from DMV spokeswoman Jan Mendoza: "It is not illegal." I think the myth that it was illegal was something high school driving instructors and parents told over the years [...]

By | March 16th, 2012|17 Comments

Mailbag: Can you use businesses other than DMV?

A couple of Road Warrior readers have asked about websites offering to handle your DMV registration renewals for a fee. Are they legit? Should I use them? For example, when you google "California DMV," the first website listed is cartagz.com, probably because it's paid a fee to Google for the [...]

By | November 22nd, 2011|7 Comments