This law states that a commission and department are responsible for creating and maintaining rest areas along state highways, excluding those within state parks. The costs for building and maintaining these roadside rest areas are covered by the State Highway Account.

This law requires the planning of safety roadside rest areas along highways, ensuring they are spaced about a half-hour of driving time apart. Rest areas should be placed at highway entrances to large city areas and on both sides of busy highways with four or more lanes. Additionally, on less busy highways, single rest areas should suffice.

More rest areas can be added on high-volume highways if they are deemed necessary or valuable based on strategic need.

This law requires that when designing safety roadside rest areas, they must be cost-effective and available for use both day and night. These rest stops can include various amenities like parking, picnic tables, toilets, phones, water, landscaping, and information about tourism and services. However, they cannot have camping or recreational facilities. Additionally, the rest stops along Route 5 in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta can also feature displays showcasing California agriculture.

This law section allows vending machines to be placed at roadside rest stops in California, unless federal rules say otherwise. The state department must prioritize placing these machines under a program that helps blind vendors. The department decides which rest areas are suitable and oversees any necessary structures for the machines. They also handle the costs associated with maintenance and operations, except for utility costs for blind vendors, which are covered by the state. Profits from the machines go to the State Highway Account.

This law requires that, when possible, the department should display information about missing children at safety roadside rest areas. This information is provided by the Department of Justice.

This law allows the department to receive grants or financial help to support or improve safety roadside rest areas in the state.

This law lets the department partner with government agencies, private organizations, or individuals to build and run traveler service facilities and maintain roadside rest areas when needed. It also allows partnering with public and nonprofit organizations, even if other laws say otherwise, provided civil service employees aren’t negatively affected, such as being laid off or forced to change job classes or move far away. However, it’s okay if their shifts or days off change or they are reassigned to similar roles nearby.

This law requires the creation of a policy that allows disabled travelers to use restroom facilities at safety roadside rests on state highways. The policy ensures that a disabled person can be assisted by an attendant of the opposite sex if needed. Additionally, the policy mandates the installation of special signs to inform the public that it is acceptable for someone of the opposite sex to accompany a disabled person into the restroom for assistance.

This law makes it illegal to throw or leave anything at a safety roadside rest area unless it's placed in the provided receptacles. Even then, you can't dump household, farm, or business trash into these bins. If you break this law, it's considered a misdemeanor, which can be punished according to the rules in the Vehicle Code. The enforcement rules that apply to traffic offenses also apply here.

This law allows the department to set rules for how safety roadside rest areas can be used. All state employees and peace officers can enforce these rules. You're not allowed to do anything that's explicitly banned in these rest areas or vista points. If you break these rules, it's considered a minor legal offense called an infraction. But if you get caught doing it again, it becomes a more serious offense, known as a misdemeanor.

This law says you can't sell, display, or offer anything for sale, nor can you ask for money, in California's vista points or roadside rest areas unless expressly allowed. If a California Highway Patrol officer or another peace officer thinks your presence or activities could cause a safety issue or nuisance, they can ask you to move or leave. Also, any existing department rules that allow these activities are canceled if they go against these restrictions.

This law section says that safety roadside rest areas are officially considered part of the state highway's right-of-way. This means they are included in everything that applies to the highway itself, like rules and regulations.

This law allows the department to create up to six new roadside rest areas in California as a special project to improve public safety and convenience, provided it saves money for the state. These rest areas can include certain businesses that cater to travelers, but they cannot sell alcohol. Contracts for these rest areas must be competitively bid. Law enforcement will have the same duties as they do on state highways. The department needs to report annually on progress and hold public hearings for community input. Any revenue from the project goes into the State Highway Account.