Over the weekend, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill requiring new vehicles sold to alert drivers when they exceed the speed limit by 10 mph. The law was modeled after the European Union.
The bill, SB 961, passed the Assembly Floor in a 47-17 vote and the Senate Floor in a 26-9 vote. The bill was introduced by Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) which would have required all new cars, beginning in 2030, to be equipped with speed-limiting technology.
According to his veto message:
SEP 2 8 2024
To the Members of the California State Senate:
I am returning Senate Bill 961 without my signature.
This bill would require, beginning with the 2030 model year, that every new passenger vehicle, motor truck, and bus sold or leased in California be equipped with a passive intelligent speed assistance system to alert drivers when they exceed the speed limit by more than l 0 miles per hour.
While I appreciate the intent to improve traffic safety, this bill presents several challenges. 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. NHTSA is also actively evaluating intelligent speed assistance systems, and imposing state-level mandates at this time risks disrupting these ongoing federal assessments .
For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.
Sincerely
Gavin Newsom
Senator Wiener Responds to Veto of First-In-Nation Speed Warning Bill
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 961. The bill would have reduced traffic deaths by requiring speed warning technology — called passive intelligent speed assistance (ISA) — in all new cars manufactured, sold, or leased in California beginning with 2030 model year vehicles. This first-in-the-nation requirement was supported by the American Automobile Association (AAA), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Safety Council, the National Association of City Transportation Officials, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which strongly supported the implementation of Passive ISA through bills like SB 961. In response, Senator Wiener issued the following statement:
“Today’s veto is a setback for street safety at a time Californians are feeling extremely unsafe,” said Senator Wiener. “The evidence is clear: Rising levels of dangerous speeding are placing all Californians in danger, and by taking prudent steps to improve safety, we can save lives. California should have led on this crisis as Wisconsin did in passing the first seatbelt mandate in 1961. Instead, this veto resigns Californians to a completely unnecessary risk of fatality. I’m extremely grateful to the amazing coalition that came together to support this bill and look forward to continuing our work together to make our roads safe for all users.”
SB 961 built on similar requirements that went into effect in the European Union beginning in July, and it implements the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) recommendation to require intelligent speed assistance in all new passenger vehicles.
The chance of a fatal crash drastically increases when a driver is speeding. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s (OTS) 2023 Traffic Safety Report, 1/3rd of all traffic fatalities in the state between 2017 and 2021 were speeding-related. The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) notes that “a person hit by a car traveling at 35 miles per hour is five times more likely to die than a person hit by a car traveling at 20 miles per hour.”
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, drivers have engaged in increasingly reckless behavior, putting themselves and others at risk. TRIP found a 23% increase in speeding-related crashes in California from 2019-2022.
Senate Bill 961 was sponsored by CalBike, Streets For All, Walk SF, Streets are for Everyone, and KidSafe SF. SB 961 is also supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the National Safety Council, American Automobile Association (AAA), and a strong coalition of traffic safety groups who advocate for victims of traffic violence.
Previous
- May 22, 2024 – California Speed Limit Warning Bill Moves Forward
- Jan 24, 2024 – California Bill Aims to Require Cars to Have Speed Limit Technology: Senate Bill 961 – click here: requires changes to vehicles directly, including a first-in-the-nation requirement that all new vehicles sold in California install speed governors, smart devices that automatically limit the vehicle’s speed to 10 miles above the legal limit. SB 961 also requires side underride guards on trucks, to reduce the risk of cars and bikes being pulled underneath the truck during a crash.
4 comments
How typical. Newsom, in a rare moment of common sense, vetos this stupidity and Wiener bleats like a sheep. Leave vehicle safety to the feds, Senator.
So all vehicles are to be electric but no speed warning system because it would cause a “patchwork of regulations that undermines…”
I understand that tickets would be reduced causing less money to come in from those tickets.
I saw this bill as a win win but no
You may be on to something. Reduced revenues from less speeding tickets in a state running fiscally in the red. They need every penny they take from us
I don’t need a wiener to tell me when I’m speeding.
Comments are closed.