New vehicle laws

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed into law a couple of bills that should be of interest to motorists, not to mention smokers and parents.

One bans smoking in cars if a person under 18 is in the vehicle. Violators (whether drivers or passengers) face fines of $100. The law goes into effect Jan. 1.

The other creates a restitution fund for California car buyers who are left holding the bag by unscrupulous or insolvent dealerships. The fund will be financed by a $1 fee levied on all sales of new and used cars in the state until $5 million is raised.

It’s designed to compensate people who lose money or are faced with unexpected payments when a dealership goes broke or fails to follow proper procedures, such as passing along to the state the license and registration fees paid by car buyers. In one case involving a dealership in Solano County, more than 100 people lost a total of $1 million.

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-- Martin Zimmerman