Go Ahead, Break These ‘Laws’

My copy of the 1997 California Vehicle Code already is in pretty sad shape, marked up and dogeared from a year of tireless service. A paper clip has left deep creases in Chapter 4, the section with riveting passages such as “Entry Onto Highway” and “Equestrian Crossings.”

And, tragically, Page 625 is just a loose-leaf insert these days, which puts me in danger of losing my trusty reference on state codes regarding “Pedestrian on Bridge.”

The book has 1,098 pages of road law (not including another 500 or so pages of spellbinding appendixes and an index) and weighs in at a shelf-bending 2 pounds, 13 ounces.

And with all that, there are still blind spots and gaps you could drive a truck through.

“The gray areas in the Vehicle Code are pathetic” is how Santa Ana Police Cpl. Richard Bouchard delicately puts it.

Gray areas lead to speculation, and with speculation comes error. In other words, when a lot of people don’t know quite what the law is, you get myths. And, because we always want you to be up to speed, we bring you today five popular myths that you can safely ditch at the roadside.

MYTH No. 1: YOU CAN’T CHANGE LANES IN AN INTERSECTION: Sgt. Steve Despenas, the department spokesman for the Santa Ana police, knows about this myth--he’s even paid for it. Years ago, Despenas was driving in Long Beach when he got ticketed for changing lanes in a Naples area intersection. The motor officer gave the future cop a lecture and a citation. Turns out Despenas didn’t deserve either.

“He was wrong, but I didn’t know and I sure didn’t want to argue, so I paid up,” Despenas told us last week. “Even if I knew, I probably would have just paid up.”

In some states, changing lanes in the intersection is indeed illegal, but not here. It can be dangerous, though, because drivers entering the roadway or turning in front of you might lose track of your car.

MYTH No. 2: YOU CAN’T CUT A CORNER: We love this one. The light is red and you want to make a right turn, but there are two cars ahead of you (they aren’t turning) and time is tick-tick-ticking away. You are not a patient person, so you do the only logical thing: You veer sharply out of your lane and through a corner gas station and come out the other side, effectively cutting the corner.

“Perfectly legal, believe it or not,” says Costa Mesa Police Det. Rich Allum, a former traffic cop and longtime traffic school teacher. The only way you might violate the vehicle code is if you fail to stop (or yield to traffic or pedestrians) as you reenter the road.

Allum says he loves watching corner-cutters pose as fickle customers as they execute this pushy maneuver, a ruse they think will cover their supposed crime.

“They look very guilty,” Allum said. “They pull up, pause at the gas pumps, and say, ‘Oh, I don’t want any of this,’ and then drive off. I don’t know who they’re talking to. Nobody is listening, nobody cares.”

MYTH No. 3: YOU CAN’T DRIVE IN THE BIKE LANE: Well, usually you can’t and you really shouldn’t make a habit of it, but there are times when it is OK.

Let’s say you’re approaching an intersection and you intend to turn right. The line marking the bike lane is broken for the final 50 feet before the intersection, but you pull into the bike path with, oh, let’s say 160 feet remaining before the crosswalk. By law, you are doing nothing wrong.

The Vehicle Code section regarding bicycle lanes says nothing at all about broken lines, and instead simply tells us that drivers preparing to turn can enter the lane 200 feet before the intersection.

“The broken lines should start 200 feet before the intersection, but often they don’t; they’ll start at 60 feet or whatever,” Bouchard says. “It’s marked as a safety thing, but the Vehicle Code says different. There are a lot of officers that will give you a ticket for crossing if it’s not a broken line, but if it’s 200 feet or less, they’re doing the wrong thing.”

You can also cross a bike lane to leave the highway or park in a legal parking space, but in all of these instances you have to be aware of bike riders and recognize their right to share the road with you.

MYTH No. 4: YOU MUST TURN INTO THE CLOSEST LANE: You don’t have to, but it would probably be safer if you did. Let’s say you’re making a left-hand turn onto a three-lane roadway and you have a green arrow. You can legally enter any one of the three lanes. But the danger of pulling into the farthest lane is that you’ll be increasing the risk of getting hit by any opposing traffic turning right on red.

And, of course, the big exception here is if you are in one of multiple turn lanes. For example, if there are two left-turn lanes, you have to “maintain your lane” as you turn, which prevents you from crashing into the car turning next to you.

MYTH No. 5: YOU CAN’T DRIVE BAREFOOT: This one just won’t go away. Our old Street Smart column devoted a lot of ink to this apocryphal statute last year, but we still get questions about it. So, for the last time: Take off your shoes, sit back, relax and grab the wheel. You can drive in sandals, socks or bare feet. This is the land of beaches, after all.

“It’s one of those urban myths that just keep going,” says Steve Kohler, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. “I can remember as a kid hearing people say it was the law. I guess it has a certain sense of logic, so people believe it. Maybe it should be the law.”

Well, if that ever happens, we would suggest Caltrans add a footnote to their freeway entrance signs: “No Shoes, No Service.”

THIS WEEK’S TIP: If all this talk of the Vehicle Code has you jazzed to get your own copy (OK, stop laughing) or you have a date coming up in traffic court, we have a great bargain for you: You can buy a copy of the hulking tome for a mere $3 at any DMV office, which is less than 7 cents an ounce.

Or, if you want to browse or search the code online, you can check out a great Web site indexing all California codes by pointing your browser to https://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html and looking for the listing called “Vehicle Code.”

The Roads Scholar wants to hear your insights, stories and questions about traffic, the commuting experience and Orange County transportation issues.

Call Geoff Boucher at (714) 966-5724, send e-mail to him at [email protected] or mail letters to Geoff Boucher, c/o The Roads Scholar, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Please include your full name, hometown and phone number.