Driving San Francisco Download
Alfonzo Liebenstein
Make sure you read medication labels and know the effects of any drug you use. If a law enforcement officer thinks you are driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they have the right to ask you to take a blood or urine test. If you refuse to take one, DMV will suspend or revoke your driving privilege for one year.
If you are 13 to 20 years old and convicted of operating a bicycle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your driving privilege may be suspended or delayed for one year once you are eligible to drive.
The law is very strict about carrying alcohol or cannabis products in your vehicle with you. It is illegal to drink any alcohol, to smoke or eat a cannabis product while you are driving or riding as a passenger in a vehicle. If you are carrying any alcohol, cannabis in your vehicle, the container must be sealed and unopened. If it is open, you must keep the container in the trunk or place where passengers do not sit. It is also illegal to keep an open container of alcohol in your glove box. This law does not apply if you are a passenger in a bus, taxi, camper, or motorhome.
If you drive with an illegal BAC, a law enforcement officer can charge you with DUI. Even if your BAC is below legal limits, that does not mean it is safe for you to drive. Almost everyone feels negative effects of alcohol, even at levels lower than the legal limit. Depending on how badly you are impaired, you may be arrested and convicted of a DUI even without a BAC measurement.
When you drive in California, you consent to a breath, blood, or urine test if a law enforcement officer suspects you of DUI. If you agreed to take a preliminary alcohol screening (PAS) or breath test, you may still be required to take a blood or urine test to detect the presence of drugs. If you refuse, DMV will suspend or revoke your driving privilege. If you are arrested for DUI:
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The content currently in English is the official and accurate source for the program information and services DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated content, please refer to the English version.
The web pages currently in English on the DMV website are the official and accurate source for the program information and services the DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated website, please refer to the English version.
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If you will be driving in California or you plan to purchase a motor vehicle (a car, scooter or motorcycle), we recommend that you get a California driver's license. Many insurance companies will provide coverage or offer you better rates only if you have one, and having automobile insurance is a legal requirement.
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has the latest California Driver Handbook, forms, and instructions on how to apply for a California driver license. Check out the helpful section in the handbook on frequently asked questions and residency requirements.
Social Security Number (SSN)
Generally, an F-1 student, F-2 dependent or J-1 student is NOT required to have a social security number to be eligible for a driver license; however, a J-1 scholar is required to have a social security number. J-2 dependents are generally only required to show a social security number if they have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
F-1 student, F-2 dependent or J-1 student SSN Problems
Occasionally , when some students apply the DMV may indicate that you must either have an SSN to apply for the Driver License OR that you must provide proof that you are not eligible for an SSN. See Who is Eligible to Apply for a Social Security Number to determine if you are eligible. If you are an F-1 or J-1 student who is eligible to apply for an SSN, follow these instructions to apply for an SSN. If you are NOT currently eligible, you will need to apply for an SSN anyway and receive a rejection letter from the Social Security Administration.
If you are not planning to drive, the DMV also issues the California Identity Card with your photo and date of birth information on it. This is an easily recognizable form of identification used for cashing checks, proving your age, etc. Plan on making an appointment before going to the DMV. To do so, visit the DMV website.
The coastal drive from San Francisco to Monterey is one of the top scenic drives in the US. I will show you the sights along Highway 1 and tell you what to see and where to stop.
To begin with, we will explore the rugged coastline and sandy beaches south of San Francisco and stop for a while in the tiny village of Pescadero. Further south comes a region with beautiful state parks with coastal flowers, seals and seabirds and redwood forests more inland.
Yet this scenic stretch of US Highway 1 offers so much to see that you can easily spend a full day between Monterey and San Francisco. You will want to stop, many times, as you will like the scenery so much.
Approaching Pacifica Highway 1 narrows to a two lane road. A row of small towns will follow, like Princeton and Half Moon Bay, and some nice sandy ocean beaches between them.
We dropped in the country store, to find out that it also containted a taverna were local farmers in their cowboy hats and leather booths were having their lunch. It looked so good that we just had to order hamburgers and join the crowd:
The next stop on our Highway 1 drive is Pigeon Point, 8 miles (13 km) south of Pescadero. Pigeon Point has an old lighthouse station that today serves as a hostel. So the most rural area has some accommodation!
Elephant seals can be seen in Ano Nuevo State Park at most times or the year, at least in small numbers, but during their breeding season you will see many of them. During the breeding season you are only allowed to go and watch the colony together with the park ranger.
West Cliff Walk, also called West Cliff Drive, is between Natural Bridges State Beach and the next beach, Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz. It is a 3 mile scenic walking or biking route (also a driving route) along the Pacific Ocean.
Since decades, Santa Cruz is a popular tourist resort. The most famous place is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with an old style amusement park and other similar attractions for holiday fun.
Santa Cruz also has a traditional 100 year old wharf full of shops and restaurants. From the wharf you can watch wildlife like sea lions and maybe even see whales. Free sea lion shows are regularly arranged at the end of the pier.
Then, south of Santa Cruz, comes the postcard-pretty resort town of Capitola, old-fashioned and the oldest on the Pacific Coast. Capitola was founded over 135 years ago and has kept much of its old atmosphere.
To me Capitola looks like an ideal, relaxed weekend resort, or why not even for a longer vacation. The town has a sandy beach, restaurants, small galleries and antique shops, and the location between Santa Cruz and Monterey is good, with the two cities just a short drive away.
In earlier days Cannery Row used to be an industrial street full of sardine canneries, so in those days it was definitely not a tourist area. Then, like many other industrial areas in the world, Cannery Row gradually transformed to a shopping and tourist area that today also houses the world-famous Monterey Aquarium.
thank you so much for the detailed plan and driving instructions, very much appreciated and looks amazing.
we are doing this drive early April and really looking forward to it.
do you have any recommendations for accommodation in Monterey ??
Monterey has a lot of accommodation, or maybe you want to say in Pacific Grove or Carmel-by-the-Sea? We stayed in the Carmel Valley that is also very nice and warmer in spring than the coast. Enjoy your trip!
You may choose to attend Traffic Violator School for a vehicle code violation that is assigned one point only. Violations committed by a pedestrian or a bicyclist are not assigned point counts. To verify whether a violation is assigned a point count, review the Traffic Bail Schedule to be sure you need to attend traffic school. Look up your violation(s) and check the far right column to see if there is a DMV point attached to the violation(s). If you pay the $52 administrative Traffic School fee for committing a violation that is not eligible for Traffic School, the fee will not be refunded.
You must currently possess a valid California driver's license. If your citation was written with an out of state license indicated, and you possess a valid California license, you must make a court date to ask a judge to amend the citation so that you are eligible to attend Traffic School.
The violation(s) on your ticket must be an eligible Vehicle Code infraction. Any violation that carries a negligent operator point count of more than one point under VC 12810 or one and one-half points or more under VC 12810.5(b)(2) is not eligible. Seat belt, mechanical or equipment violations, failure to have insurance and other certain specified violations are not eligible for traffic school.
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