Motorists

Motorists will have access day or night to replacing lost or stolen high-tech electronic vehicle keys under a bill sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California scheduled to receive its first legislative committee hearing on April 18. Senate Bill 1542, authored by State Sen. Carole Migden, is scheduled to be heard before the Senate Transportation Committee on April 18. The bill requires the establishment of a safe, secure method for...

Jackson Bell California Highway Patrol officers have introduced one more tool to slow motorists who speed on the Foothill (210) Freeway: radar enforcement. As soon as Caltrans installs new signs that point out radar enforcement, officers at the CHP Altadena station will begin using new radar equipment while patrolling the 210 between Sylmar and Arcadia -- including La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta and Montrose. "This area of the 210 freeway has certain stretches that are well known for [motorists]

Motorists driving without a seat belt may want to think twice before hitting the road. Glendale Police Department officers will be out in force patrolling the streets this month for people not wearing seat belts while inside a moving vehicle. Using a $28,757 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the Police Department’s enforcement effort is part of the state’s Click it or Ticket campaign. Seat belt use throughout the state was 95.2% in 2009. Still, public safety officials are pushing to increase that rate.

The California law that prohibits motorists from using a cellphone while driving turned a year old on July 1, and in that time,  the California Highway Patrol has issued 112,966 citations to drivers throughout the state who have been found on the phone while driving. According to CHP Officer Andre Primeaux, who patrols the local area, drivers on the 134 and 210 freeways and surrounding surface streets continue to talk on the phone or text message while on the road and "just dont seem to get it," even after making eye contact.

Californians are increasingly talking or sending text messages on their cellphone while driving, a new study has found. A statewide survey showed 10.8% of drivers use mobile devices at any given daylight time, an increase from 7.3% a year ago, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. The largest increase was among 16 to 25 year olds, whose use doubled from 9% to 18%. “These results are disturbing, but not entirely unforeseen,” OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy said in a news release.

Five motorists were arrested Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol during a sobriety checkpoint in the city, police said. Of the more than 1,100 vehicles that drove through the checkpoint at Brand Boulevard and Milford Street, 722 were stopped and 80 were screened, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Richard Phillips. Police arrested three motorists on suspicion of drunk driving and two drivers for allegedly using drugs and driving, he added. Also, a motorist was arrested on suspicion of driving on a suspended license while 10 other drivers were cited for traffic infractions.

GLENDALE ? Police must make quick decisions when pursuing motorists who don?t pull over when asked. A pursuit can occur as quickly as a motorist makes the decision not to yield for an officer, Glendale police Lt. Tony Futia said. Police officers have been involved in at least 15 pursuits with motorists who fled from them during traffic stop attempts so far this year, officials said. Police have chased five motorists in vehicle pursuits since May 31, according to crime statistics.

LA CRESCENTA ? Parents, residents and members of the Crescenta Valley Town Council gathered together on the corner of Mountain and Briggs Avenues Thursday to officially welcome the long-awaited installation of two additional stop signs at the busy intersection near Mountain Avenue Elementary School. The ground-breaking ceremony signified the end of a successful campaign to get the stop signs installed, following complaints that motorists were speeding down Briggs Avenue and endangering the lives of children trying to use the school crosswalk, Town Councilman Steve Pierce said.

GLENDALE — Police have been cracking down on speeders and motorists who violated road laws in the past week in an effort to curtail collisions in the city. Glendale Police Department Traffic Bureau officers have cited more than 55 people since Jan. 19 for speeding on Glenoaks Boulevard, Pacific Avenue and Kenneth and Glenwood roads. Twenty-five motorists were cited Jan. 20 on the four roads, with some reaching speeds as high as 60 mph on Glenoaks, where the speed limit is 40 mph. Another nine motorists were cited Sunday and 15 Monday for speeding on Pacific Avenue, where speeds reached as high as 52 mph in the 25 mph zone.