Q: Hey, Honk: My situation probably doesn’t rise to a level that requires your muscle, but it might serve as a warning to other drivers. As I was driving along Harbor Boulevard recently alongside an Orange County Transportation Authority bus, the driver veered into my lane and our mirrors crashed together, sending parts flying. My side-view mirror was smashed. I followed him to the bus stop, pulled over, and got out to exchange information. The driver was a professional, so I went along with what he said: He gave me his insurance information but refused to show me his driver’s license or any form of identification. I thought it odd, but it’s OCTA — they’re supposed to be the experts.
– Rob Skinner, La Habra
A: The bus driver, Rob, has to provide the same info Honk would if the Honkmobile slid into your ride.
“We are required to follow the Vehicle Code if we are involved in an accident,” said Joel Zlotnik, a spokesman for the OCTA.
The scenario, he said, is the same for “you, or I or anybody else.”
In fact, OCTA’s policy that its drivers carry with them says, “Exchange information with other party.”
Rob told Honk the driver didn’t.
Under state law, so long as no one is hurt and needs immediate attention, those involved in traffic collisions must provide to the others involved: their name, address, driver’s license number, vehicle identification number, and the address of the registered owner of the vehicle.
And, of course, proof of “financial responsibility,” which for most people is insurance, in which case the company’s name, address and policy number must be offered.
That law does not say the driver’s license itself must be flashed. Some people — such as police officers — are allowed to keep private their address and could instead use the department’s.
The Honkmobile is on long streak — thankfully — of non-collision driving. But in the past, like most people involved in collisions, he would just offer up his license and insurance card so the other person could take a photo of them, and he would take similar shots.
The driver involved in the minor collision with Rob was a contracted driver for the OCTA, not one of its employees. But the bus is the county transportation agency’s, and Zlotnik said the same laws and OCTA policies apply for contracted bus drivers.
Rob, by the way, smartly took photos of the bus’s license-plate number and the driver.
HONKIN’ FACTS: The Transportation Corridor Agencies, which manages the 241, the 73 and other toll roads, has collected and set aside forever 17 sites, with 2,100-plus acres in all, for open space and wildlife habitat to offset the impacts of its highways.
The Orange County Transportation Authority, which oversees massive transportation-improvement projects in addition to its buses, has purchased seven properties with a collective 1,300-plus acres for the same purpose.
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. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk