Pedestrians crossing the street while talking on a cell phone is legal in some cities, but not all
Q. Hello Honk: I was shocked to see a handicapped person in a motorized wheelchair crossing the street at Euclid Street and La Palma Avenue in Anaheim, chatting on her cell phone. Isn’t that against the law? Don’t motorized wheelchairs have the same rules as automobiles?
– Mario Luna, Anaheim
A. No, that isn’t illegal under state law.
“The short answer is that what your reader witnessed is not against the law,” said Duane Graham, an officer and spokesman for the California Highway Patrol in the agency’s Westminster office. “In that instance, the person utilizing the motorized wheelchair is not subject to the Vehicle Code, as a person within a vehicle.”
But cities can adopt their own laws, too.
Your town doesn’t have such a prohibition, Anaheim Sgt. Daron Wyatt told Honk. But up the road a bit from you, Montclair does have a law on the books that Honk suspects you would like, Mario.
Pedestrians, including those in electric wheelchairs or on skateboards or scooters, can get fined $100 for crossing a street “while engaged in a phone call” or staring at a cell phone. There are exceptions, such as for calling 911, or for a cop or a firefighter performing work duties. You can’t have both ears covered with earbuds or headphones, either.
Q. How is it that an individual can go online to turn in a Californian driving on out-of-state plates, but there is no website to turn in California drivers with expired vehicle registrations? I see at least one car or truck with an expired registration tag on my drive home on the 55 or 91 freeways every day. The interesting thing is, the majority of these cars and trucks are newer and apparently the owners can’t afford the registration.
– Brian Joyce, Corona
A. Over the years, this question is one of the most popular in these parts. After all, who wants to pay registration fees when others don’t?
The website Brian is referring to is for the California Highway Patrol’s 13-year-old CHEATERS program. That acronym stands for Californians Help Eliminate All The Evasive Registration Scofflaws.
Great program, because at first blush it can be difficult for an officer to tell if a Californian has out-of-state license plates to avoid forking over more cash and possibly to avoid a hassle.
(The URL for the CHEATERS web page is longer than Santa’s annual sleigh ride. The easiest way to get there is to go to www.chp.ca.gov and plug “cheaters” into the search bar.)
So, why doesn’t the CHP or the Department of Motor Vehicles have a way to report neighbors, co-workers or others who are driving about on expired registration tags?
Because such cheaters are easy to nab.
Every time owners with expired registration tags pull out onto a public roadway, they risk the chance of getting pulled over – and the older the tags, the higher the odds.
Further, the DMV is watching, and the state likes its money. Eventually, if the vehicle is driven in public, the registration will have to be made current.
“If a person has not renew their annual vehicle registration, the DMV would already have it on the books,” Jaime Garza, a DMV spokesman in Sacramento, told Honk. “Also, when the person decides to renew their vehicle registration, they will find themselves paying late fees.”
By the way, some or those without new tags might have actually paid, but still need to get their vehicle smogged or pay off their parking tickets to compete the registration.
Honkin’ happy: The great readers of Honkland overwhelmed Honk’s electronic mailbag with their pet peeves when he asked for them for a recent column. He thanks you. Honk hopes to come up with another dandy question to ask the flock to get equally swell answers, and he is currently in the pose of Auguste Rodin‘s “The Thinker” mulling over options.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk.