- Senate Bill 961 just passed the California State Legislature and only requires the Governor’s signature to become law.
- It would require that all new cars built and sold in the state starting in 2030 to have speed alerts when drivers exceed 10 mph over the limit.
- This tech is already present in other countries but California would lead the USA in adopting it.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has a new bill headed to his desk. Dubbed SB 961, it would require automakers to have speeding alerts in new vehicles starting in 2030. Importantly, it only applies to new vehicles built and sold in the state. Older ones won’t need the same sort of technology.
The system works by comparing GPS data that includes the local speed limit to the car’s current speed. If the driver exceeds 10 mph over the limit, the car will sound audible and visual alerts at least once. We’ve covered the details of exactly how the tech would function and how it would roll out previously. What’s new now is that the bill doesn’t require the car to physically limit the driver’s ability to speed.
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“In a state where over 1,000 people are killed by speeding drivers every year, this technology will absolutely help to reduce traffic violence caused by speeding drivers in the same way that seat belts have helped to save the lives of drivers and passengers,” said Damian Kevitt, the executive director of Streets Are For Everyone to the LA Times. Notably, SAFE is a non-profit co-sponsor of the bill.
Of course, not everyone is in favor of the bill. “The state’s traffic safety crisis will not be solved by government taking the wheel,” said Republican Senator Roger Niello to CBS. “We should focus on increasing police presence in our communities and punishing drivers who violate our laws.” He’s not the only one who feels that way.
“I already have things screaming at me in my car at every given moment when I have my children in there and the last thing I need is my car beeping at me,” Assemblymember Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) said. Newsom has until September 30 to sign the bill. According to one study in the UK, where this sort of tech is already on the roads, it reduced speed by 1.4 mph on average. Does that sound like a worthwhile amount of reduced speed? Let us know in the comments below!