By Ricardo Cano
Jan 24, 2024
A new bill could require new cars in California to be installed with technology that limits them to drive no more than 10 mph over posted speed limits, including in cities such as San Francisco.
Laure Andrillon/Special to The Chronicle
California would become the first state to require new vehicles be equipped with speed governors — technology that limits how fast they can be driven — under legislation by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener.
The bill, introduced Wednesday, would require cars and trucks of the 2027 model year or later that are built or sold in California to include speed governors that would prohibit motorists from driving more than 10 mph over posted speed limits.
The legislation aims to address the epidemic of traffic deaths in the Bay Area and California, Wiener said. Traffic fatalities rose during the pandemic in San Francisco and nationwide, and speed factors in about a third of traffic deaths across the country, according to the National Safety Council. The National Highway Safety Administration estimated more than 40,000 traffic fatalities in 2022.
“The tragic reality is that a lot of people are being severely injured or dying on our streets in San Francisco and throughout the country, and it’s getting worse,” Wiener told the Chronicle.
“We have speed limits, and they exist for a reason. And it’s perfectly reasonable to say you can’t travel more than 10 miles over the speed limit,” Wiener said. “That’s what this bill will do. It’s very reasonable, and it’s an idea whose time has come.”
A new bill could require new cars in California to be installed with technology that limits them to drive no more than 10 mph over posted speed limits, in cities and on highways.
Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle
The legislation could have a sweeping effect on how people drive personal vehicles in California, if passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Cars subject to the speed-governor requirement wouldn’t be able to drive faster than 80 mph on state highways with a post 70 mph speed limit, for example. The bill would also apply to city driving as motorists wouldn’t be able to drive faster than 35 mph in quiet residential streets with 25 mph speed limits.
The bill exempts emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and fire trucks, from the speed-governor requirement. The California Highway Patrol would have the discretion to disable speed governors on their vehicles, “provided that the vehicle’s use is reasonable and would not pose a public safety risk,” according to a bill fact sheet.
Wiener’s speed-governor bill would also require trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds to come equipped with side underride guards if they are built, sold or registered in California. Side guards are meant to prevent people and vehicles from getting swept under a large truck during a crash.
Also known as speed limiters or “Intelligent Speed Assistance,” some speed governors can use GPS technology or cameras to cap vehicle speeds based on where the car is driving. Several auto manufacturers, such as Hyundai, already offer speed governor features in their newest models, which some motorists utilize as a form of cruise control.
SPUR, the urban planning think-tank, Walk San Francisco and other street safety advocacy groups support Wiener’s legislation. Still, the bill is likely to face opposition from the auto industry and California motorists who may view the proposal as a form of state overreach.
The idea of capping how fast cars can be driven to curb traffic deaths is not a new one. Several highway safety groups have urged Congress to pass a federal requirement, and the National Transportation Safety Board last year recommended that the federal government “at a minimum” require speed limiters in cars that warn drivers when they’re speeding.
Source (Archive)
Jan 24, 2024
A new bill could require new cars in California to be installed with technology that limits them to drive no more than 10 mph over posted speed limits, including in cities such as San Francisco.
Laure Andrillon/Special to The Chronicle
California would become the first state to require new vehicles be equipped with speed governors — technology that limits how fast they can be driven — under legislation by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener.
The bill, introduced Wednesday, would require cars and trucks of the 2027 model year or later that are built or sold in California to include speed governors that would prohibit motorists from driving more than 10 mph over posted speed limits.
The legislation aims to address the epidemic of traffic deaths in the Bay Area and California, Wiener said. Traffic fatalities rose during the pandemic in San Francisco and nationwide, and speed factors in about a third of traffic deaths across the country, according to the National Safety Council. The National Highway Safety Administration estimated more than 40,000 traffic fatalities in 2022.
“The tragic reality is that a lot of people are being severely injured or dying on our streets in San Francisco and throughout the country, and it’s getting worse,” Wiener told the Chronicle.
“We have speed limits, and they exist for a reason. And it’s perfectly reasonable to say you can’t travel more than 10 miles over the speed limit,” Wiener said. “That’s what this bill will do. It’s very reasonable, and it’s an idea whose time has come.”
A new bill could require new cars in California to be installed with technology that limits them to drive no more than 10 mph over posted speed limits, in cities and on highways.
Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle
The legislation could have a sweeping effect on how people drive personal vehicles in California, if passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Cars subject to the speed-governor requirement wouldn’t be able to drive faster than 80 mph on state highways with a post 70 mph speed limit, for example. The bill would also apply to city driving as motorists wouldn’t be able to drive faster than 35 mph in quiet residential streets with 25 mph speed limits.
The bill exempts emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and fire trucks, from the speed-governor requirement. The California Highway Patrol would have the discretion to disable speed governors on their vehicles, “provided that the vehicle’s use is reasonable and would not pose a public safety risk,” according to a bill fact sheet.
Wiener’s speed-governor bill would also require trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds to come equipped with side underride guards if they are built, sold or registered in California. Side guards are meant to prevent people and vehicles from getting swept under a large truck during a crash.
Also known as speed limiters or “Intelligent Speed Assistance,” some speed governors can use GPS technology or cameras to cap vehicle speeds based on where the car is driving. Several auto manufacturers, such as Hyundai, already offer speed governor features in their newest models, which some motorists utilize as a form of cruise control.
SPUR, the urban planning think-tank, Walk San Francisco and other street safety advocacy groups support Wiener’s legislation. Still, the bill is likely to face opposition from the auto industry and California motorists who may view the proposal as a form of state overreach.
The idea of capping how fast cars can be driven to curb traffic deaths is not a new one. Several highway safety groups have urged Congress to pass a federal requirement, and the National Transportation Safety Board last year recommended that the federal government “at a minimum” require speed limiters in cars that warn drivers when they’re speeding.
Source (Archive)
