Section 97.4.

(a) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 97, the segment of county highway known as Vasco Road, between the State Highway Route 580 junction in Alameda County and the Walnut Boulevard intersection in Contra Costa County, may be designated as the Vasco Road Safety Enhancement-Double Fine Zone upon the approval of resolutions of the Alameda County and Contra Costa County boards of supervisors supporting that designation.

(b) Each local governing body that chooses to designate a double fine zone in its jurisdiction pursuant to this section shall, prior to the establishment of a double fine zone, do all of the following:

(1) Undertake a public awareness campaign to inform the public of the double fine zone designation, where it is located, its purpose, and its consequences.

(2) Where appropriate, implement increased traffic safety enhancements, enforcement, and other roadway safety measures in coordination with the establishment of the double fine zone.

(c) The Vasco Road Safety Enhancement-Double Fine Zone is subject to the rules and regulations adopted by the department prescribing uniform standards for warning signs to notify motorists that, pursuant to Section 42010 of the Vehicle Code, increased penalties apply for traffic violations that are committed within a Safety Enhancement-Double Fine Zone as authorized under Section 97.

(d) The local authority having jurisdiction over the Vasco Road Safety Enhancement-Double Fine Zone shall place and maintain the warning signs identifying these segments by stating that a "Special Safety Zone Region Begins Here" and a "Special Safety Zone Ends Here."

(e) If a double fine zone is designated pursuant to this section, the Counties of Alameda and Contra Costa, in consultation with the department, shall jointly conduct an evaluation of its effectiveness and submit their findings in one report to the Assembly Committee on Transportation and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing one year prior to the termination of the double fine zone. The report shall include a recommendation on whether the zone should be reauthorized by the Legislature, as well as a comparative evaluation of the volume and speed of traffic, the number and severity of collisions, and the contributing factors that led to collisions prior to and following the establishment of the double fine zone.

(f) The Vasco Road Safety Enhancement-Double Fine 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 law relating to civil liability.

(g) (1) Only the base fine shall be enhanced pursuant to this section.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law, any additional penalty, forfeiture, or assessment imposed by any other statute shall be based on the amount of the base fine before enhancement or doubling and shall not be based on the amount of the enhanced fine imposed pursuant to this section.

(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2017, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2017, deletes or extends that date.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 290, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2012. Repealed as of January 1, 2017, by its own provisions.)