California State Senator Scott Weiner has introduced a bill that will mandate the installation of speed-limiting devices on all vehicles.
If passed, the bill, which will go into effect in 2027, would introduce technology that physically stops vehicles if they go more than 10 mph over a designated speed limit.
“There’s no reason why people should routinely be allowed to drive more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit,” Wiener told the Los Angeles Times. “You can want whatever you want. But that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to do it and that doesn’t mean you should be physically able to do it.”
The measure, Senate Bill 961, would require every passenger vehicle, truck, and bus manufactured or sold in California to be equipped with “speed governors” by 2027. Active speed governors will physically slow cars that travel more than 10 miles per hour, while passive devices will alert drivers with a beeping or buzzing noise.
Wiener has argued that the legislation is necessary to cut down on traffic accident deaths in California, which have spiked in recent years. In 2022, there were 4,407 automobile-related fatalities in the state, a 22 percent increase from 2019.
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, opposes the legislation over fears that it could hinder drivers’ ability to avoid dangerous situations. “There are times drivers may want to speed up enough to switch lanes, to move away from certain unsafe situations. Our preference is for drivers to have the maximum ability to do that. We don’t think technology or even most well-intentioned regulations should obstruct that,” Spencer told the Los Angeles Times.
The package of bills introduced by Wiener will also require “side underride guards on trucks, to reduce the risk of cars and bikes being pulled underneath the truck during a crash” and “physical improvements like new crosswalks and curb extensions on state-owned surface streets to better accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, the disability community, and transit users.”
“These changes are a head-on attempt to tackle vehicle fatalities, which are surging across the U.S. — and especially in California — amid a rise in reckless driving since the onset of the pandemic,” Wiener’s office explained in a press release.
Similar speed monitoring legislation has already been passed in the European Union. Starting in July, all cars manufactured or sold in member states will require the installation of passive speed governors.
