Covering your car on a public street is fine, but cops might need to take a peek
Q. Hi Honk: What are the rules for covering up a car on a public street?
– Jaime Mc Mahon, San Clemente
A. The ol’ Honkster wasn’t sure, so he reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols your hometown, for an answer.
Sgt. Joses Walehwa was kind enough to talk with the Traffic Division and get an answer:
Under California Law, you can cover your vehicle if legally parked on a public street. Law enforcement, if needed, can move the cover enough to look at your license plate.
Now, don’t go leaving your ride out there too long, with a cover or naked.
In some places in the state, a vehicle sitting longer than 72 hours without moving on a public street can lead to it getting towed. And some municipalities don’t wait nearly that long before issuing a citation.
Q. Dear Honk: When I learned to drive, we were instructed to have our hands in the 10 and 2 o’clock positions on the steering wheel. These days using that position can be very dangerous in an accident, because an airbag could break a wrist. What position should our hands be while driving, 9 and 3 o’clock, or 8 and 4 o’clock?
– Bill Nibeel, Huntington Beach
A. Darn it – Honk had been very proud of himself the last two months, driving two-handed at the 10 and 2 positions, after years of, well, one-handing it a lot.
The steering wheel of the latest Honkmobile, aka a Prius, bulges out a bit at those spots, so Honk has found it quite comfortable to tool about with his two handsome hands resting on the controls.
But Marie Montgomery Nordhues, a spokeswoman for the Automobile Club of Southern California, said there is indeed a preferred position, and it isn’t 10 and 2.
“Now, the advice is 8 and 4, because of the potential for injury to the driver’s face from your arms being pushed back by airbags in a crash,” she said.
Honkin’ fact No. 1: Goodyear’s air field, in Carson next to the 405 Freeway, is 51 years old. Wingfoot Three is the 10th blimp to be based there and has called it home for more than a year. (Source: Daisy Uribe, Goodyear’s operations coordinator in Carson.)
Honkin’ fact No. 2: The oddest mode of transportation has got to be what goes on in the North American Wife Carrying Championship, with the 20th annual event coming up on Oct. 12 in Maine. A gent carries his bride 278 yards over a course with obstacles, including going through a muddy body of water and up a Sandy Hill. If you decide to head east to watch it, don’t expect to find Honk and Mrs. Honk competing.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk.