In this week’s column I will be discussing what happens during a traffic stop and the actions citizens should take to ensure the safety of driver, officer and surrounding traffic. Usually what happens is an officer observes a violation or has a reason to stop a vehicle. The officer will get behind the vehicle and either activate the red lights and siren to initiate the traffic stop or wait for a place where the officer determines it is safe to conduct the traffic stop.
Once the driver of a vehicle has stopped, they should wait for the officer to approach, keep their hands in clear view, and refrain from reaching for documents in pockets, consoles, glove boxes or purses. The best place to have your hands is on the steering wheel.
Officers with the Woodland Police Department are trained to identify themselves by name, give the name of the agency they work for, and give the reason for the traffic stop. Once the officer has given you the preliminary information they will generally ask for the driver’s license, registration, and insurance. Please refrain from making any sudden movements while talking to the officer. Let the officer know where you keep the requested items prior to reaching for them. A traffic stop is one of the most dangerous situations for officers. If you keep your information under the seat or in a place the officer cannot see the officer may not want you to reach for the items. One of the things I recommend to motorists is that they keep the papers in their vehicle in order. An envelope works well to hold the current registration and insurance information for the vehicle. A traffic stop can take as little as a few minutes but can take much longer if the requested paperwork is not in order.
The officer will then determine if you will receive a warning or a citation. If you receive a citation the officer will ask you to sign the citation. By signing the citation you are not admitting guilt to violating the law but only promising to contact the traffic court. The officer will give you a copy of the citation and you will be allowed to leave.
This is an example of a standard traffic stop for a Vehicle Code violation. There are numerous reasons a traffic stop can be extended or cause the officer to conduct additional investigation. The law allows officers to extend the time of a traffic stop if the officer has reason to believe there is some other criminal activity occurring.
When trying to stop a vehicle, I often encounter traffic traveling in the same direction I am traveling failing to pull to the right hand shoulder of the road and stop. Often I will be traveling in the #1 lane (or fast lane), activate my lights and siren, and the traffic in the #2 lane (or slow lane) will slow to a lower speed but not pull to the right and stop. Failing to pull to the right and stop is a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 21806, the section states in summary that upon the approach of an emergency vehicle which is sounding a siren and has at least one lighted red light, the surrounding traffic shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to the right-hand edge or curb of the highway, clear of any intersection, stop, and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.
While it is important for motorists to yield to officers enforcing traffic laws it is equally important for emergency vehicles responding to serious crimes and medical emergencies. Driving with lights and siren, or CODE 3, becomes dangerous when the rules of the road are not followed by motorists.
Thank you for taking the time to read this column. If you have any questions or comments you can contact me at www.thetrafficstop.blogspot.com, you can also read past columns on the website. Please remember to drive safely, from 1994 to 2003, 57,142 teenagers were killed in motor vehicle crashes.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Parking and Seatbelts
This past week I received a request to write a column to clarify some issues related to parking within the City of Woodland. Since the California Vehicle Code and Woodland City Ordinances can be confusing, I will summarize and explain them in simpler terms.
One of the basic concepts involved in parking is to understand the definition of stopping, standing, and parking (CVC Section 22500). Per the Vehicle Code, stopping, standing and parking are one in the same. One of the common parking issues around schools is people stopping, standing, or parking in no parking zones to drop off or pick up students. While this action may only take 20 seconds it is still a violation of the law. Even though the driver of the vehicle may not exit the vehicle it is still considered parking. It is also unlawful to stop in a traffic lane while waiting for a parking space to become available.
HANDICAPPED PARKING (CVC Section 22511.7): To park in a handicapped parking stall you must have a properly displayed placard, suspended from the rearview mirror or on the dash if no mirror is available, or a special handicapped license plate. Handicapped parking stalls include the white painted hash marks between two handicapped parking stalls.
CUL-DE-SAC AND STREET PARKING (CVC Section 22500): Any time a vehicle is parked on a public street the vehicle is required to have the two right side (passenger side) tires within 18 inches of the curb. This also applies to cul-de-sacs. The only time a vehicle can be parked on the street at an angle is in a specially permitted area authorized by the City of Woodland. One of the reasons vehicles are not allowed to park “nose-in” in a cul-de-sac is because it is difficult if not impossible to turn around large delivery trucks when vehicles are not parked in accordance with the law.
A vehicle may not block any part of a driveway at any time even if the vehicle is parked in front of the owners’ residence. Along with not being allowed to park blocking a driveway, a vehicle may not block any portion of the sidewalk. A vehicle may not be parked facing the wrong way (against traffic) or have either passenger side tire on the sidewalk.
OVER WEIGHT VEHICLES AND LONG TERM PARKING: The City of Woodland, by city ordinance, bans the parking of commercial vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds on public streets and private property. This city ordinance does not apply to certain private property which is zoned as commercial property, or streets designated as truck routes.
It is also unlawful to park a horse trailer, camp trailer, or boat trailer on any public street for a period of more than 24 hours or park any other motor vehicle on a public street for more than 72 hours. The 72 hour regulation also includes inoperative vehicles. Owners of inoperative vehicles are allowed to have one inoperative vehicle visible from the street but it may not be parked in the street, and it is unlawful to park a vehicle on an unimproved surface (grass, dirt, or gravel).
I often her people comment on the limited parking in the downtown district. A majority of the street parking in the downtown district is time restricted with either 30 minute or two hour parking. The City of Woodland has provided a parking lot at the northwest corner of Court Street and College Street which does not have any daily time restrictions.
While it may appear that there are multiple laws associated to parking, the laws are intended to ensure safe and orderly traffic flow. To see the entire list of the City of Woodland Ordinances associated to parking you can go to www.thetrafficstop.blogspot.com where you can link to the page. The blog is also set up to accept comments and questions. I will be able to answer your questions directly and your questions may help someone else understand how the laws are applied.
Please remember that May 18th-May 31st is the national Click It or Ticket campaign. Seatbelt usage is clearly one of the best options for protecting yourself in a collision. Even though seatbelt usage has been mandatory for many years the national average is still shows only 83% of drivers and passengers regularly use their seatbelts. The Woodland Police Department would like to thank the community of Woodland for being well above the national average for seatbelt usage, nearly 98%, during the last usage survey. Please remember to drive safely, during the month of April there were 37 reported traffic collisions in the City of Woodland.
One of the basic concepts involved in parking is to understand the definition of stopping, standing, and parking (CVC Section 22500). Per the Vehicle Code, stopping, standing and parking are one in the same. One of the common parking issues around schools is people stopping, standing, or parking in no parking zones to drop off or pick up students. While this action may only take 20 seconds it is still a violation of the law. Even though the driver of the vehicle may not exit the vehicle it is still considered parking. It is also unlawful to stop in a traffic lane while waiting for a parking space to become available.
HANDICAPPED PARKING (CVC Section 22511.7): To park in a handicapped parking stall you must have a properly displayed placard, suspended from the rearview mirror or on the dash if no mirror is available, or a special handicapped license plate. Handicapped parking stalls include the white painted hash marks between two handicapped parking stalls.
CUL-DE-SAC AND STREET PARKING (CVC Section 22500): Any time a vehicle is parked on a public street the vehicle is required to have the two right side (passenger side) tires within 18 inches of the curb. This also applies to cul-de-sacs. The only time a vehicle can be parked on the street at an angle is in a specially permitted area authorized by the City of Woodland. One of the reasons vehicles are not allowed to park “nose-in” in a cul-de-sac is because it is difficult if not impossible to turn around large delivery trucks when vehicles are not parked in accordance with the law.
A vehicle may not block any part of a driveway at any time even if the vehicle is parked in front of the owners’ residence. Along with not being allowed to park blocking a driveway, a vehicle may not block any portion of the sidewalk. A vehicle may not be parked facing the wrong way (against traffic) or have either passenger side tire on the sidewalk.
OVER WEIGHT VEHICLES AND LONG TERM PARKING: The City of Woodland, by city ordinance, bans the parking of commercial vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds on public streets and private property. This city ordinance does not apply to certain private property which is zoned as commercial property, or streets designated as truck routes.
It is also unlawful to park a horse trailer, camp trailer, or boat trailer on any public street for a period of more than 24 hours or park any other motor vehicle on a public street for more than 72 hours. The 72 hour regulation also includes inoperative vehicles. Owners of inoperative vehicles are allowed to have one inoperative vehicle visible from the street but it may not be parked in the street, and it is unlawful to park a vehicle on an unimproved surface (grass, dirt, or gravel).
I often her people comment on the limited parking in the downtown district. A majority of the street parking in the downtown district is time restricted with either 30 minute or two hour parking. The City of Woodland has provided a parking lot at the northwest corner of Court Street and College Street which does not have any daily time restrictions.
While it may appear that there are multiple laws associated to parking, the laws are intended to ensure safe and orderly traffic flow. To see the entire list of the City of Woodland Ordinances associated to parking you can go to www.thetrafficstop.blogspot.com where you can link to the page. The blog is also set up to accept comments and questions. I will be able to answer your questions directly and your questions may help someone else understand how the laws are applied.
Please remember that May 18th-May 31st is the national Click It or Ticket campaign. Seatbelt usage is clearly one of the best options for protecting yourself in a collision. Even though seatbelt usage has been mandatory for many years the national average is still shows only 83% of drivers and passengers regularly use their seatbelts. The Woodland Police Department would like to thank the community of Woodland for being well above the national average for seatbelt usage, nearly 98%, during the last usage survey. Please remember to drive safely, during the month of April there were 37 reported traffic collisions in the City of Woodland.
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