Copyright jalopnik
The law does have some carve outs. Exemptions to services such as repair shops, diagnostic testing equipment, or modifications for the Americans with Disabilities Act. This law is not about repairs or testing — it's about defeating the system on purpose. And the ban is vertical — you can't "use, buy, possess, manufacture, sell, or advertise for sale" any of these gizmos. The folks cranking these out on 3D printers and selling them online are now also breaking the law. The penalty for getting caught with one? It's an infraction — basically a fine. Now, while California's heart is arguably in the right place — good luck spotting these things in the wild. Many defeat devices are designed to be relatively inconspicuous. Enforcing this isn't going to be as easy as spotting a Carolina squat. Laws don't usually stop people from doing stupid, dangerous things, but it's important to have such laws on the books. It can change things like sentencing during other traffic violations or even crash investigations, some of which can include negligent homicide charges. Plus, fine can add up quickly if you're caught more than once with such devices. You can't charge a bad driver with using steering wheel weights if you don't make them illegal in the first place.
