California Assembly Bill AB840 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: AB 840AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 24, 2013 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 21, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Ammiano FEBRUARY 21, 2013 An act to amend Section 12800 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 840, as amended, Ammiano. Vehicles: driver's licenses: application requirements. Existing law requires every application for an original or a renewal of a driver's license to contain specified information, including, but not limited to, a brief description of the applicant for the purpose of identification and a legible print of the thumb or finger of the applicant. This bill would additionally require that every application for an original or a renewal of a driver's license also contain a statement requiring the applicant to acknowledge that he or she knows of the dangers of distracted  driving.   driving, including, but not limited to, manual, visual, and cognitive distractions, as defined. The statement would be required to be incorporated into the application at the first reprinting of the application on or after January 1, 2014, and at each reprinting thereafter.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 12800 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 12800. Every application for an original or a renewal of a driver' s license shall contain all of the following: (a) The applicant's true full name, age, sex, mailing address, residence address, and social security account number. (b) A brief description of the applicant for the purpose of identification. (c) A legible print of the thumb or finger of the applicant. (d) The type of motor vehicle or combination of vehicles the applicant desires to operate. (e) Whether the applicant has ever previously been licensed as a driver and, if so, when and in what state or country and whether or not the license has been suspended or revoked and, if so, the date of and reason for the suspension or revocation. (f) Whether the applicant has ever previously been refused a driver's license in this state and, if so, the date of and the reason for the refusal. (g) Whether the applicant, within the last three years, has experienced, on one or more occasions, either a lapse of consciousness or an episode of marked confusion caused by a condition that may bring about recurrent lapses, or whether the applicant has a disease, disorder, or disability that affects his or her ability to exercise reasonable and ordinary control in operating a motor vehicle upon a highway. (h) Whether the applicant understands traffic signs and signals. (i) Whether the applicant has ever previously been issued an identification card by the department. (j)  (1)    A statement requiring the applicant to acknowledge that he or she knows of the dangers of distracted  driving.   driving, including, but   not   limited to,   manual, visual, and cognitive distractions.   (2) The statement required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be incorporated into the application at the first reprinting of the application on or after January 1, 2014, and at each reprinting thereafter.   (3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms have the following meanings:   (A) "Cognitive distraction" means a task that requires the driver to avert his or her mental attention away from the driving.   (B) "Manual distraction" means a task that requires the driver to take a hand off of the steering wheel and manipulate a device.   (C) "Visual distraction" means a task that requires the driver to look away from the roadway to visually obtain information.  (k) Any other information that is necessary to enable the department to determine whether the applicant is entitled to a license under this code.