New traffic laws to be enforced as wheels roll into a new year

The Department of Motor Vehicles reminds motorists of new laws that take effect in January.

•A new law prohibits text messaging with a cellphone or other text-based communications while driving a vehicle.

•Another law limits the issuance of temporary operating permits to individuals whose vehicles have yet to pass a smog check.

The law calls for a $50 fee for one 60-day temporary operating permit only if the vehicle has been tested at a smog station and failed.

In the past, owners could obtain a temporary operating permit for 60 days or more if, after paying their renewal fees on time, they were unable to get a smog certificate.

•Law enforcement officers may impound vehicles that are sold by unlicensed dealers.

•Counterfeiting or falsifying a Clean Air sticker is a crime. These stickers are issued by DMV to certain low-emission vehicles and permit driving those vehicles in diamond lanes.

•The DMV may suspend a driver's license for one year and law enforcement may impound the vehicle of a person who's driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.01 percent or greater while on a post-DUI probation.

•A new Gold Star Family special interest license plate will be available to family members of individuals killed in the line of duty while serving in the U.S. armed forces during wartime or military operations.

•Drivers of fully enclosed three-wheeled motor vehicles may use diamond lanes.

For a comprehensive list of the new laws, go to www.dmv.ca.gov.