Section 97.1.

(a) A highway segment shall be designated as a Safety Awareness Zone if all of the following conditions have been met:

(1) The highway segment is eligible for designation under Section 97.01.

(2) Each local governing body or bodies, with jurisdiction over the area or areas in which the eligible segment is located, has adopted a resolution indicating its support for the designation as well as a Safety Awareness Zone Plan addressing education, enforcement, and engineering measures intended to support the designation.

(3) If the highway segment is a state highway, the Safety Awareness Zone Plan has been approved by the Director of Transportation and the Commissioner of the Department of the California Highway Patrol.

(b) A Safety Awareness Zone designation shall be deemed effective immediately upon satisfaction of all requirements pursuant to subdivision (a) and may remain in effect for a period not to exceed three years from the effective date. The designation may be renewed for a period not to exceed three years. Renewal of a designation for a highway segment that is a state highway shall require the approval by the Director of Transportation and the Commissioner of the Department of the California Highway Patrol of an updated Safety Awareness Zone Plan.

(c) The department shall develop a sign to notify motorists of the presence of a Safety Awareness Zone, and shall place and maintain the signs for as long as the designation is in effect pursuant to this section.

(d) Presence of a Safety Awareness Zone does not increase the civil liability of the state or local authority having jurisdiction over the highway segment under Division 3.6 (commencing with Section 810) of Title 1 of the Government Code or any other provision of law relating to civil liability.

(e) Projects on a highway segment specified as a Safety Awareness Zone shall not be elevated in priority for state funding purposes.

(f) For purposes of this section, "highway" has the meaning set forth in Section 360 of the Vehicle Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 130, Sec. 230. Effective January 1, 2008.)