Cal. Veh. Code § 26454

Current through the 2023 Legislative Session.

Section 26454 - Adequacy of service brakes

(a) The service brakes of every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles shall be adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold the vehicle or combination of vehicles under all conditions of loading.

(b) Every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles, at any time and under all conditions of loading, shall, upon application of the service brake, be capable of stopping from an initial speed of 20 miles per hour according to the following requirements:

Maximum Stopping Distance (feet)
(1) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of 10 or fewer persons, including the driver, and built on a passenger car chassis ........................	20
(2) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including the driver, and built on a passenger car chassis; vehicles built on a truck or bus chassis and having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	25
(3) All other passenger-carrying vehicles ........................	35
(4) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	25
(5) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, except truck tractors; combinations of a 2-axle towing vehicle and trailer having a GVWR of 3,000 pounds or less; all combinations of 2 or fewer vehicles in driveaway or towaway operation ........................	35
(6) All other property-carrying vehicles and combinations of property-carrying vehicles ........................	40

(c) Every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles, at any time and under all conditions of loading, shall, upon application of the service brake, be capable of developing a braking force at least equal to the percentage of its gross weight according to the following requirements:

Braking force as a percentage of gross vehicle or combination weight
(1) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of 10 or fewer persons, including the driver, and built on a passenger car chassis ........................	65.2
(2) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including driver, and built on a passenger car chassis; vehicles built on a truck or bus chassis and having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	52.8
(3) All other passenger-carrying vehicles ........................	43.5
(4) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	52.8
(5) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, except truck tractors; combinations of a 2-axle towing vehicle and trailer having a GVWR of 3,000 pounds or less; all combinations of 2 or fewer vehicles in driveaway or towaway operation ........................	43.5
(6) All other property-carrying vehicles and combinations of property-carrying vehicles ........................	43.5

(d) Every motor vehicle or combination of vehicles, at any time and under all conditions off loading, shall, upon application of the service brake, be capable of decelerating to a stop from 20 miles per hour at not less than the rate specified in the following requirements:

Deceleration in feet per second
(1) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of 10 or fewer persons, including the driver, and built on a passenger car chassis ........................	21
(2) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including the driver, and built on a passenger car chassis; vehicles built on a truck or bus chassis and having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	17
(3) All other passenger-carrying vehicles ........................	14
(4) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	17
(5) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, except truck tractors; combinations of a 2-axle towing vehicle and trailer having a GVWR of 3,000 pounds or less; all combinations of 2 or fewer vehicles in driveaway or towaway operation ........................	14
(6) All other property-carrying vehicles and combinations of property-carrying vehicles ........................	14

(e) Upon application of its service brakes, a motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles shall, under any condition of loading in which it is found on a public highway, be capable of stopping within the distance specified in subdivision (b) and developing only the braking force specified in subdivision (c), if braking force is measured by a performance-based brake tester that meets the requirements of functional specifications for performance-based brake testers for commercial motor vehicles and braking force is the sum of the braking force at each wheel of the vehicle or vehicle combination as a percentage of gross vehicle or combination weight.

(f) Upon application of its emergency brake system and with no other brake system applied, a motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles shall, under any condition of loading in which it is found on a public highway, be capable of stopping from 20 miles per hour in a distance, measured from the point at which movement of the emergency brake control begins, that is not greater than the distance specified in the following:

Maximum Stopping Distance (feet)
(1) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of 10 or fewer persons, including the driver, and built on a passenger car chassis ........................	54
(2) Passenger-carrying vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including the driver, and built on a passenger car chassis; vehicles built on a truck or bus chassis and having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	66
(3) All other passenger-carrying vehicles ........................	85
(4) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less ........................	66
(5) Single-unit property-carrying vehicles having a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds, except truck tractors; combinations of a 2-axle towing vehicle and trailer having a GVWR of 3,000 pounds or less; all combinations of 2 or fewer vehicles in driveaway or towaway operation ........................	85
(6) All other property-carrying vehicles and combinations of property-carrying vehicles ........................	90

(g) Conformity to the stopping-distance requirements of this section shall be determined under the following conditions:

(1) Any test shall be made with the vehicle on a hard surface that is substantially level, dry, smooth, and free of loose material.

(2) The vehicle shall be in the center of a 12-foot-wide lane when the test begins and shall not deviate from that lane during the test.

(h) For purposes of this section, "GVWR" means the manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating, as defined in Section 350.

Ca. Veh. Code § 26454

Amended by Stats 2016 ch 208 (AB 2906),s 21, eff. 1/1/2017.