The California rules of the road are set by the state’s Vehicle Code, and they govern how fast you can drive, who yields to whom, how you signal and turn, when you must buckle up or put down your phone, what counts as driving under the influence, how much insurance you have to carry, and what you owe the other driver after a crash. The base fines printed in the statute tell you very little about the real cost: a $35 speeding ticket typically totals around $233 once the state adds penalty assessments, court fees, and surcharges. Knowing the rules keeps you safer, and it keeps that multiplier from landing on you.
Speed Limits and the Basic Speed Law
California runs two speed rules at once. Posted signs set a maximum, and Vehicle Code section 22350 — the Basic Speed Law — sits on top of every sign and requires you to drive at a speed safe for current weather, visibility, road surface, and traffic.1California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 22350 – Basic Speed Law When fog rolls onto a 65 mph highway, your legal limit drops even though the sign hasn’t changed.
The default maximum on multi-lane highways is 65 mph.2California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 22349 Caltrans can post certain segments at 70 mph after an engineering survey, but that is the exception. Two-lane undivided highways cap at 55 mph unless posted higher. Residential and business districts, school zones, and areas near senior centers default to 25 mph. Railway crossings and alleys default to 15 mph when visibility is limited.3California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 22352
Fines scale with how far over you were. Base fines under the statewide bail schedule are $35 for 1–15 mph over, $70 for 16–25 mph over, and $100 for 26 or more mph over.4Judicial Council of California. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules Assessments push those totals roughly five to seven times higher, so a $35 base fine typically results in a total around $233, and a $100 base fine runs well past $500.
Yielding: Intersections, Crosswalks, and Stopped Vehicles
Right-of-way rules cause more confusion than almost any other part of the code. At an uncontrolled intersection where two vehicles arrive at the same time from different roads, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.5Justia. California Vehicle Code 21800-21807 – Right-of-Way Making a left turn or U-turn, you yield to all oncoming traffic close enough to be a hazard, and you keep yielding until the turn can be completed safely.6California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21801 – Left Turn or U-Turn Entering a highway from a driveway, parking lot, or alley, you yield to all approaching traffic.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 21804 – Entering Highway from Public or Private Property
Pedestrians get strong protection. Drivers must yield to any pedestrian in a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, and must reduce speed or take whatever action is needed to keep the pedestrian safe.8California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 21950 Pedestrians cannot suddenly leave a curb and walk into the path of a vehicle too close to stop, but in practice the consequences fall on the driver. A failure-to-yield citation carries a $35 base fine (around $233 total), a point on your record, and potential civil liability if anyone is hurt.4Judicial Council of California. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules
The Move Over Law
When you approach a stationary emergency vehicle, tow truck, highway maintenance vehicle, or any vehicle displaying flashing hazard lights or warning devices like flares or cones, Vehicle Code section 21809 requires you to move into a lane that is not directly next to it, when traffic and safety allow.9California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 21809 If changing lanes would be unsafe, you must slow to a speed reasonable for conditions. The rule does not apply when a physical barrier like a concrete median separates the stopped vehicle from your travel lanes. Whenever you see flashing lights on the shoulder, move over a lane. If you cannot, slow down noticeably.
Lanes, Passing, and Sharing the Road
Lane markings are not suggestions. Double solid yellow lines mean you cannot drive to the left of them, with narrow exceptions for turning left into a driveway or making a legal U-turn.10California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 21460 Double solid white lines are more restrictive still, and you cannot cross them at all except where specifically allowed. A single broken yellow or white line permits passing or lane changes when safe.
Passing on the right is allowed only in limited situations, such as when the vehicle ahead is making a left turn or when the street is wide enough for two lanes moving the same direction.11California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21754 All other passing should happen on the left with enough clearance to avoid interfering with the other vehicle.
HOV Lanes
Carpool lanes require a minimum number of occupants, usually two or three depending on the sign, and are separated by markings you can cross only at designated entry and exit points. Getting caught in an HOV lane without enough passengers carries a minimum fine of $490, and that goes up for repeat offenders or in counties that add local fees.12Caltrans. High-Occupancy Vehicle Systems Certain clean-air vehicles with valid DMV decals can use HOV lanes with a single occupant, but the decal programs change frequently.
Passing Bicyclists
California’s Three Feet for Safety Act requires a minimum of three feet of clearance between any part of your vehicle and any part of a bicycle or its rider when overtaking on a highway.13California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code VEH 21760 If another same-direction lane is available, you should move into it entirely before passing. When three feet is not possible because of road width, you must slow to a safe speed and wait for an opportunity to pass safely.
Signaling, Turning, and U-Turns
Activate your turn signal continuously for the last 100 feet before making a turn or lane change.14California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 22108 – Turning and Stopping and Turning Signals That’s about seven car lengths — shorter than most drivers think. Skipping the signal or flicking it on at the last second carries a $35 base fine (around $233 with assessments) and a point on your record.4Judicial Council of California. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules
At a red light, you may turn right after coming to a complete stop and yielding to pedestrians and cross traffic, unless a sign prohibits it.15California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21453 A left turn on red is legal only when turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street, under the same stop-and-yield conditions.
U-turns carry their own restrictions. In a business district, you can make a U-turn only at an intersection or at an opening in a divided highway. In a residential area, you have more flexibility, but you cannot make the turn when any other vehicle is approaching from either direction within 200 feet, unless the approaching vehicle is stopped at a traffic signal.16California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 22103 – U-Turn in Residence District
Seatbelts, Child Restraints, and Phones
Seatbelts
Under Vehicle Code section 27315, every driver and every passenger age 16 and older must wear a seatbelt when the vehicle is moving. Drivers are responsible for buckling up passengers under 16. The base fine for a first violation is $20, and $50 for each additional offense.17California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 27315 – Safety Belts and Inflatable Restraint Systems After assessments, a first ticket lands around $162. Seatbelt violations are primary enforcement offenses, meaning an officer can pull you over for that alone.
Child Restraints
Children under 8 must ride in an appropriate child passenger restraint system that meets federal safety standards, secured in the rear seat. Children under 2 must be in a rear-facing car seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.18California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 27360 Once a child outgrows the rear-facing seat, a forward-facing seat with a harness comes next, followed by a booster until the child fits a standard seatbelt properly — the lap belt across the upper thighs, the shoulder belt across the chest without cutting into the neck.
Phones and Handheld Devices
Vehicle Code section 23123.5 prohibits holding a phone or other wireless device for any purpose while driving. Hands-free features are allowed — voice commands, a dashboard mount, a single tap to answer a call — but the moment the phone is in your hand, you are in violation. Drivers under 18 face a broader restriction: no cell phone use at all, including hands-free. The base fine is $20 for a first offense and $50 for each additional offense, and assessments push the actual cost above $150.19California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 23123.5
Driving Under the Influence
The legal blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.08% for most drivers and 0.04% for anyone operating a commercial vehicle.20Justia. California Vehicle Code 23152-23229.1 – Article 2 For drivers under 21, the threshold drops to 0.01% under zero tolerance, and refusing a preliminary screening test on its own can trigger a one- to three-year license suspension.21California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 23136
A first DUI conviction carries 96 hours to six months in county jail (with at least 48 consecutive hours required), a fine between $390 and $1,000 before penalty assessments, and a license suspension.22California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 23536 With assessments, the actual financial hit often exceeds $2,000. Courts typically require completion of a DUI education program and may impose probation. Repeat offenses within a 10-year window carry progressively steeper jail terms, longer suspensions, and mandatory ignition interlock devices.
Implied Consent
By driving on California roads, you are deemed to have consented to a chemical test of your blood or breath if lawfully arrested for DUI. Refusal triggers an automatic one-year administrative license suspension for a first refusal, two years with a prior DUI or refusal in the previous 10 years, and three years for two or more priors.23California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 23612 Those suspensions run through the DMV’s administrative process, separate from any criminal penalties. On conviction, the refusal also adds mandatory jail time and fines on top of the standard DUI sentence.
Insurance You Have to Carry
Every driver must carry liability insurance meeting state minimums. As of January 1, 2025, those minimums are $30,000 for bodily injury to one person, $60,000 for bodily injury to all persons in a single accident, and $15,000 for property damage, commonly written as 30/60/15.24California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 16056 Those limits doubled from the prior 15/30/5 requirement, and renewal premiums jumped for some drivers as a result.
Carry proof of insurance whenever you drive and present it to law enforcement on request. Driving without valid coverage can lead to fines, vehicle impoundment, and registration suspension. If you are involved in an accident while uninsured, the DMV can suspend your license for up to four years. Lower-income drivers may qualify for California’s low-cost auto insurance program, which uses reduced limits and depends on income and driving history.
After a Crash: Stop, Exchange, Report
At the Scene
If your accident causes injury or death, you must stop immediately at the scene.25California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 20001 Leaving the scene of an injury accident is a felony that can carry prison time. For a property-damage-only accident, you must still stop, but at the nearest location that does not block traffic.26California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 20002 Then you provide your name, address, driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance information to the other driver or property owner. If the property owner is not present, leave a written note with your information in a visible spot and notify local police.
Failing to stop and exchange information after a property-damage accident is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both.26California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 20002 That’s the hit-and-run statute that trips up drivers who think minor damage doesn’t count. It does.
Reporting to the DMV
Any accident involving bodily injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000 must be reported to the DMV within 10 days using form SR-1.27California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 16000 You can file the report yourself or have your insurance agent or attorney file it for you. The $1,000 threshold is low enough that even a parking-lot fender-bender can trigger the requirement, and failing to report can lead to a license suspension. Your insurance company does not file the SR-1 for you automatically. Many drivers assume otherwise and find out the hard way.