Drivers in Kansas will be affected by a series of laws that will take effect, or grow sharper teeth, on June 30 and July 1.
The laws range from texting to seat-belt use to moving vehicles after non-injury accidents. Ignorance of the law will be no excuse when law enforcement officers start writing tickets.
Legislators during the last session enacted a law to require safety restraint usage by drivers and front-seat passengers. The law has eased into effect since June 10, with law-enforcement officers issuing warnings. Beginning June 30 — Wednesday — officers may issue tickets for what is now a primary offense. This means officers may conduct a traffic stop if they see a driver or front-seat passenger unrestrained.
Officers also will be able to issue citations, as secondary violations, for back-seat passengers not wearing safety restraints. That means a ticket cannot be issued unless an officer has issued a ticket for a primary violation.
It remains a primary offense for people under 18 not wearing safety restraints anywhere in the vehicle.
Fines and associated court costs will be imposed on drivers caught violating the laws.
Text-messaging
Texting while driving becomes illegal on Thursday, although no ticket, fine and court costs will be associated with violations until Jan. 1, 2011.
Some research has shown that texting impairs the ability to focus on the task of driving, with some studies showing the degree of impairment as equal to driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08, which is legally drunk in Kansas. Other studies claim that texting impairment is even greater than the drunk-driving benchmark.
Officers who see drivers texting will issue warning tickets from July 1 through the end of the year, when tickets will carry fines of $60, plus court costs.
License plate
visibility
Officers will be able to issue citations beginning Thursday to drivers whose license plates are not easily visible or reflective.
“This law prohibits a license plate from being covered in whole, or in part, by any clear or opaque material, or any other plastic-like material that affects the plate’s visibility or reflectivity,” according to Capt. Art Wilburn of the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Move It ... to the right
Wilburn said in a news release that two laws effective last July now will become enforceable with citations.
The “Move It Law” mandates that drivers involved in certain non-injury crashes must move their vehicles out of the lane of traffic, if it is safe to do so.
The law applies to non-injury crashes on interstate, U.S. highways or any divided or multiple-lane roadways in the state — as long as the vehicles are not transporting hazardous materials.
“This law is intended to keep drivers and passengers safe by getting them out of the lane of traffic and away from oncoming vehicles,” Wilburn said. “If vehicles can be driven, they should be moved to a safer location, such as a shoulder or the nearest exit to exchange information or to contact law enforcement.”
Law enforcement, he noted, should always be called if:
- there are injuries
- a vehicle cannot be moved
- one of the drivers appears to be intoxicated
- damage exceeds $1,000
- one of the drivers has no insurance
- one of the drivers leaves the scene of the crash
The “Right Lane Law” warning period also expires at the end of the day on June 30.
The law prohibits vehicles from traveling in the far left lane on highways of two or more lanes of traffic proceeding in the same direction and outside of corporate city limits.
Exceptions are when:
- overtaking and passing another vehicle
- preparing to make a proper left turn
- otherwise directed by traffic-control devices
Wilburn reminded drivers that traffic fines will increase by $15 on Thursday.
Donating organs
Drivers who designate themselves as donors on their drivers’ licenses will be considered as having given consent to the donation, rather than simply showing intent to donate.
To meet legalities for consent donations of organs, the driver’s license, or other form of donation consent, must be witnessed by at least two people; at least one of those people may not have a direct interest in the outcome.
The properly witnessed consent donation is interpreted as being binding in a court of law, and removes the decision of organ donation from the hands of family members or guardians, unless the driver is under the age of 18.