Article 2. Effect Of Traffic Laws of California Vehicle Code >> Division 11. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 2.

Every person riding or driving an animal upon a highway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division and Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000), except those provisions which by their very nature can have no application.

The following sections apply to trolley coaches:
  (a) Sections 1800, 4000, 4001, 4002, 4003, 4006, 4009, 4150, 4151, 4152, 4153, 4155, 4156, 4158, 4166, 4300 to 4309, inclusive, 4450 to 4454, inclusive, 4457, 4458, 4459, 4460, 4600 to 4610, inclusive, 4750, 4751, 4850, 4851, 4852, 4853, 5000, 5200 to 5205, inclusive, 5904, 6052, 8801, 9254, and 40001 with respect to 4000, relating to original and renewal of registration.
  (b) Sections 9250, 9265, 9400, 9406, 9407, 9408, 9550, 9552, 9553, 9554, 9800 to 9808, inclusive, 14901, 42230 to 42233, inclusive, relating to registration and other fees.
  (c) Sections 2800, 10851, 10852, 10853, 20001 to 20009, inclusive, 21052, 21053, 21054, 21450 to 21457, inclusive, 21461, 21650, 21651, 21658, 21659, 21700, 21701, 21702, 21703, 21709, 21712, 21750, 21753, 21754, 21755, 21800, 21801, 21802, 21806, 21950, 21951, 22106, 22107, 22108, 22109, 22350, 22351, 22352, 22400, 22450 to 22453, inclusive, 23103, 23104, 23105, 23110, 23152, 23153, 40831, 42002 with respect to 10852 and 10853, and 42004, relating to traffic laws.
  (d) Sections 26706, 26707, and 26708, relating to equipment.
  (e) Sections 17301, 17302, 17303, 21461, 35000, 35100, 35101, 35105, 35106, 35111, 35550, 35551, 35750, 35751, 35753, 40000.1 to 40000.25, inclusive, 40001, 40003, and 42031, relating to the size, weight, and loading of vehicles.

The provisions of this code applicable to the drivers of vehicles upon the highways apply to the drivers of all vehicles while engaged in the course of employment by this State, any political subdivision thereof, any municipal corporation, or any district, including authorized emergency vehicles subject to those exemptions granted such authorized emergency vehicles in this code.

This code, except Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 20000) of Division 10, Article 2 (commencing with Section 23152) of Chapter 12 of Division 11, and Sections 25268 and 25269, does not apply to public employees and publicly owned teams, motor vehicles, and other equipment while actually engaged in work upon the surface of a highway, or work of installation, removal, repairing, or maintaining official traffic control devices. This code does apply to those persons and vehicles when traveling to or from their work.

The provisions of this division do not apply to the duly authorized representatives of any public agency while actually engaged in performing any of the work described in Section 21053 but apply to such persons when traveling to and from such work.

The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle is exempt from Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 21350), Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 21650), Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 21800), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 21950), Chapter 6 (commencing with 22100), Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 22348), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 22450), Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 22500), and Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 22650) of this division, and Article 3 (commencing with Section 38305) and Article 4 (commencing with Section 38312) of Chapter 5 of Division 16.5, under all of the following conditions:
  (a) If the vehicle is being driven in response to an emergency call or while engaged in rescue operations or is being used in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law or is responding to, but not returning from, a fire alarm, except that fire department vehicles are exempt whether directly responding to an emergency call or operated from one place to another as rendered desirable or necessary by reason of an emergency call and operated to the scene of the emergency or operated from one fire station to another or to some other location by reason of the emergency call.
  (b) If the driver of the vehicle sounds a siren as may be reasonably necessary and the vehicle displays a lighted red lamp visible from the front as a warning to other drivers and pedestrians. A siren shall not be sounded by an authorized emergency vehicle except when required under this section.

Section 21055 does not relieve the driver of a vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway, nor protect him from the consequences of an arbitrary exercise of the privileges granted in that section.

Every police and traffic officer is hereby expressly prohibited from using a siren or driving at an illegal speed when serving as an escort of any vehicle, except when the escort or conveyance is furnished for the preservation of life or when expediting movements of supplies and personnel for any federal, state, or local governmental agency during a national emergency, or state of war emergency, or state of emergency, or local emergency as defined in Section 8558 of the Government Code.

A physician traveling in response to an emergency call shall be exempt from the provisions of Sections 22351 and 22352 if the vehicle so used by him displays an insigne approved by the department indicating that the vehicle is owned by a licensed physician. The provisions of this section do not relieve the driver of the vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway, nor protect the driver from the consequences of an arbitrary exercise of the privileges of this section.

Sections 21211, 21650, 21660, 22502, 22504, and subdivision (h) of Section 22500 do not apply to the operation of a rubbish or garbage truck while actually engaged in the collection of rubbish or garbage within a business or residence district, if the front turn signal lamps at each side of the vehicle are being flashed simultaneously and the rear turn signal lamps at each side of the vehicle are being flashed simultaneously. This provision does not apply when the vehicle is being driven to and from work, and it does not relieve the driver of the vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway or protect him or her from the consequences of an arbitrary exercise of the privilege granted.

Between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., Sections 21650, 21660, 22502, 22504, and subdivision (h) of Section 22500 do not apply to the operation of a streetsweeper vehicle or watering vehicle, operated by a local authority, while the vehicle is actually sweeping streets or watering landscaping or vegetation within a business or residence district. The exemption is not applicable unless the turn signal lamps at each side of the front and rear of the streetsweeper vehicle or watering vehicle are being flashed simultaneously. This provision shall not apply when the vehicle is being driven to and from such work, nor does it relieve the driver of such a vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway or protect the driver from the consequences of an arbitrary exercise of the privilege granted.

(a) In addition to any action prescribed in Division 17 (commencing with Section 40000.1), a traffic officer may issue a notice of reexamination to any person who violates any provision of this division and who, at the time of the violation, exhibits evidence of incapacity to the traffic officer which leads the traffic officer to reasonably believe that the person is incapable of operating a motor vehicle in a manner so as not to present a clear or potential danger of risk of injury to that person or others if that person is permitted to resume operation of a motor vehicle.
  (b) For purposes of this section, "evidence of incapacity" means evidence, other than violations of this division, of serious physical injury or illness or mental impairment or disorientation which is apparent to the traffic officer and which presents a clear or potential danger or risk of injury to the person or others if that person is permitted to resume operation of a motor vehicle.

The arresting officer shall, before the end of the next working day, transmit, or cause to be transmitted, a legible copy of the notice of reexamination to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the department shall enter the record of the notice in the driver's license record maintained by electronic recording and storage media by the department within five working days of its receipt.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a driver who violates any provision of this division, that is punishable as an infraction, and as a result of that violation proximately causes bodily injury or great bodily injury, as defined in Section 12022.7 of the Penal Code, to another person is guilty of the public offense of unsafe operation of a motor vehicle with bodily injury or great bodily injury. That violation is punishable as an infraction pursuant to Section 42001.19.