4 New CA Traffic Laws Every Driver Should Know Before 2025

CALIFORNIA — Heads up, Golden State drivers: a handful of new laws come into effect starting Jan. 1, 2025 that will impact the way you drive your vehicle.

From insurance claims to car break-ins — to parking restrictions and license requirements, here's the run-down on new driving laws impacting Californians for the New Year.

Locked Door Loophole Gets Squashed

This year, a loophole in California criminal code — which defined burglary to include "entering a vehicle when the doors are locked with the intent to commit grand or petit larceny or a felony."

Senate Bill 905 squashes this loophole.

"The mere fact that a window was broken into is insufficient. Prosecutors must prove that the door was locked, which requires that victims must physicially come out to court to testify as such," Sen. Scott Wiener, author of the bill, told KTLA.

Once the law comes into effect, car owners and prosecutors won't have to prove a car was locked, just that "forcible entry" took place.

"Daylighting Law" Comes Into Effect

Assembly Bill 413, alternatively known as a "Daylighting Law," takes effect in the Golden State in 2025. The law bans drivers from parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk in order to make intersections safer for pedestrians.

Drivers must heed this law regardless of whether or not the crosswalk is marked or if the curb is painted red.

Advice? If you're parking facing a crosswalk, look for a red curb first. If it's there, respect that distance — but if not, leave a space of 20 feet between your parked car and that intersection.

Insurance Coverage

Senate Bill 1107 increases minimum insurance liability limits for when someone is injured or killed in a crash, or if that person suffers property damage.

Starting Jan. 1 2025, the payout limits increase to: $30,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $60,000 for bodily injury of death of all persons, and $15,000 for damage to the property of others as a result of any one accident.

The bill will also increase the deposit to $75,000.

No License Needed

Come 2025, job postings can't require that applicants have a valid driver's license anymore — unless your potential employer believes you'll actually need to drive as part of the job.

In addition, the employer would also need to reasonably believe that you couldn't carry out the job's duties using an alternate form of transportation.

Advocates of the law said that requiring a driver's license for jobs that don't involve driving is a form of employment discrimination.

SEE ALSO: 5 New CA Laws That Take Effect In 2025