Gov. Gavin Newsom has pressed the brakes on California’s anti-speeding legislation.
Newsom vetoed a bill over the weekend that would have required cars built and sold in the Golden State to feature a system that would alert drivers every time they exceed the speed limit, according to the Associated Press. The legislation would have made California the first state to require such technology.
At the beginning of September, Senate Bill 961 passed through the state senate (where 26 were in favor and nine opposed) and assembly floor (47 in favor, 17 opposed). The legislation, which was aimed at reducing traffic deaths, would have required the majority of vehicles sold or built in the state of California to include a “passive intelligent speed assistance” system. The technology would play a “brief, one-time, visual and audio signal” anytime the vehicle it is equipped in is traveling more than 10 mph over the speed limit. Speeding was a factor in 35 percent of traffic fatalities in California in 2021, according to a study by the UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center.
Had Newsom signed the bill into law, it would have gone into effect with the 2030 model year and applied to all passenger vehicles, trucks and vans sold or leased as new. Emergency vehicles, motorcycles and motorized scooters would have been exempt.
All that is moot after Newsom vetoed the bill on Saturday. In doing so, he cited a common complaint brought up by opponents of the legislature, including automotive groups and the state Chamber of Commerce, who said such a requirement should only be enacted by the federal government. Because California has more drivers than any other state, the bill would have likely impacted car sales nationwide.
“While I appreciate the intent to improve traffic safety, this bill presents several challenges,” Newsom wrote in a letter to state senators explaining his decision. “Federal law, as implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), already regulates vehicle safety standards, and adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations that undermines this longstanding federal framework.”
Newsom also noted that the NHTSA is currently evaluating intelligent speed assist systems and that he didn’t want a state-level mandate to disrupt the process.
Although the bill would have made California the first state to require intelligent speed assist technology, the E.U. passed legislation mandating the systems in vehicles in 2022. The law finally went into effect this past July.
