By Redaccion
[email protected]
The Goleta Police Department is informing California residents about Assembly Bill 413, known as the “California Daylighting Law,” which went into effect on January 1, 2025.
This new law prohibits stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk or within 15 feet of a crosswalk with a curb extension. This restriction applies to all four corners of an intersection.
However, when the daylighting law was incorporated into California Vehicle Code Section 22500(n)(1)(A), it was clarified that the prohibition only applies to stopping, standing, or parking within 20 feet of the vehicle approach side of any marked or unmarked crosswalk or within 15 feet of a crosswalk with a curb extension.
The law specifically applies to vehicles parked on the right side of the roadway as drivers approach intersections.
Beginning January 1, 2025, violators of the Daylighting Law may be issued a parking citation.
The primary goals of this law are to:
• Improve visibility at intersections
• Help drivers see pedestrians, skateboarders, and other road users more easily
• Reduce accidents and save lives
Under this new regulation:
• Drivers are prohibited from parking on the right side of the road within 20 feet of a crosswalk, whether marked or unmarked.
• Drivers cannot park on the right side of the road within 15 feet of a crosswalk that includes a curb extension.
This law was created in response to incidents involving pedestrians being struck and severely injured or killed while crossing the street. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, the state’s pedestrian fatality rate is 25% higher than the national average. Pedestrian deaths in California increased from 1,013 in 2020 to 1,108 in 2021.
California joins 43 other states that have enacted similar laws, which have been proven to successfully reduce traffic collisions involving pedestrians.
The Goleta Police Department acknowledges that parking in local neighborhoods is often limited and challenging. However, this law is one of several measures designed to reduce pedestrian-related traffic collisions.
Police services for the City of Goleta are provided by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
