Trending Topics

New penalties for Calif. drivers ignoring or tailgating emergency vehicles

By Donna Casey
The Whig Standard

ONTARIO, Calif. — Starting Friday, drivers who tailgate fire trucks or keep on motoring with an emergency vehicle in their rearview mirror will get slammed with tough new traffic fines.

Jan. 1 will bring a slew of stiff highway penalties that include licence suspensions, possible jail sentences and some fines that are quadruple the current punishment.

Drivers who don’t pull over for emergency vehicles or who follow fire vehicles too closely will get hit with the harshest penalties, with a maximum fine of $2,000 — up from the current $500 fine — along with three demerit points and a possible two-year licence suspension.

Full story: Repeat offenders could face fines of $4,000 and a six-month prison term