California DMV

New Auto Insurance Law in California Requires Uninsured Motorists ...

2007-01-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

New Auto Insurance Law in California Requires Uninsured Motorists ...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On October 1, 2006 the California Department of Motor Vehicles ("DMV") began enforcing the new insurance law, Senate Bill 1500 ("SB 1500"), that requires the DMV to suspend a vehicle's registration if the vehicle does not have a valid insurance policy or bond. This change closes a loophole that allowed some residents to provide invalid proof of insurance to the DMV when registering their vehicles and allowed some to cancel their insurance policy shortly after obtaining their registration.

Related to this legislation, starting July 1st of this year Assembly Bill 2709 ("AB 2709") has given law enforcement officers in the State the ability to electronically verify if a vehicle has auto insurance using the same database as the DMV.

These changes may have a particular impact on those Hispanic communities that have a high percentage of uninsured motorists.

If you drop insurance, DMV knows

2006-12-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

If you drop insurance, DMV knows

Motorists who thought they could pull a fast one by getting insurance to register their car and then canceling it better put the brakes on that strategy. A new law requires insurers to provide electronic notification to the state Department of Motor Vehicles when customers cancel their insurance.

The DMV is now sending notices to motorists who have let their insurance lapse. The notice will inform them that they have 45 days to reinstate their insurance or face having their car registration suspended.

The legislation was written by state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo. Speier also wrote a law that requires motorists to provide proof of insurance when registering their vehicles or when pulled over by police.

Since that law took effect in 1997, the percentage of vehicle accidents involving an uninsured vehicle in California dropped from 24 percent in 1996 to 14 percent in 2003.

MEDICAL NOTICES Medical Notices

2006-12-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

MEDICAL NOTICES Medical Notices

California: 10-12 November 2006, Portola Plaza Hotel, Monterey, CA. Information: Kathy Matikonis; telephone, 415-418-4549; e-mail, acpasimcal{at}aol.com .

Central America: 26-27 January 2007, Caesar Park Hotel, Panama City, Panama. Information: Viodelda Leudo; telephone, 011-507-263-7622; e-mail, vleudo{at}cwpanama.net .

Colorado: 1-3 February 2007, The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO. Information: Amy Budeau; telephone, 970-241-7204; e-mail, cochapteracp{at}msn.com .

Delaware: 24 February 2007, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. Information: Mansour Saberi; e-mail, msaberi{at}dmv.com .

Georgia: 9-11 March 2007, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Savannah, GA. Information: Nancy Brady; telephone, 770-252-1858; e-mail, nbrady{at}numail.org .

Idaho: 11-14 January 2007, Holiday Inn ExpressÂ–Hunt Lodge, McCall, ID.

Trunk driving

2006-11-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Trunk driving

Ever hear of "trunking?" Neither had we. Chances are your children or grandchildren know what it is. We hope they've never tried it.

Trunking is what it sounds like: A person gets into the trunk of a car and rides in it. Teens call those who do it "trunkers."

(For "Sopranos" fans out there, we should note that trunkers tend to do their trunking voluntarily.)

So why do teens ride in trunks when they can sit in seats? State lawmakers have said some teens engage in trunking to get around provisional driver's license requirements that don't let first-year drivers transport anyone under 20 for a year. They figure an officer won't notice if they have a body - a live one - in the trunk. The officers do notice; more on that in a moment.

Most of the kids in trunks are joyriding or part of an effort to get as many kids into a car as possible, police said.

ONLINE CALENDAR Balboa Park, gallery and museum listings, ongoing ...

2006-11-09T22:52:00.000-08:00

ONLINE CALENDAR Balboa Park, gallery and museum listings, ongoing ...

To submit your event listing, please e-mail event details and contact info to calendar@sdcitybeat.com. The deadline is Thursday, 5 p.m. the week prior to publication on Wednesday. Please include street address, neighborhood and phone number for events. No phone calls, please.

BALBOA PARK

CENTRO CULTURAL DE LA RAZA, 2125 Park Blvd., Balboa Park, 619-235-6135. Through Nov. 26: Dia de los Muertos Altares/Celebration de Ofrendas, an exhibition featuring Day of the Dead altars and murals. Ongoing: at 2 p.m. every second Sunday, experience Zapateado, a traditional Mexican dance performed by The Centros Ballet Folklorico; at 2 p.m. every third Sunday of each month, stop in for PalabraDAS, an open-mike and exhibit forum for local artists; and at noon every third Sunday of the month, check out Centro Mercado, a market featuring handicrafts by local artists.