Gavin Newsom says no to beeping speed warnings in all new cars

SAN FRANCISCO — New cars sold in California won't have to alert speeding drivers after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a proposal on Saturday that would have required them to come equipped with warning systems — a proposal that quickly became fodder for conservative news outlets.

Newsom, in a veto message , said that vehicle safety standards are already regulated at the federal level and that "adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations that undermines this longstanding federal framework." He added that the measure would disrupt ongoing efforts by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to evaluate speed assistance systems.

State Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 961 would have mandated visual and audio warning signals for speeding in all new vehicles by 2030. The systems beep and flash lights when drivers travel more than 10 mph over the speed limit.

Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, argued the bill would help California combat a sharp increase in pedestrian fatalities over the last decade.

"This veto resigns Californians to a completely unnecessary risk of fatality," Wiener said in a statement. "The evidence is clear: Rising levels of dangerous speeding are placing all Californians in danger."

His original proposal would have required that new cars be equipped with “speed limiters” — devices that physically prevent drivers from speeding by limiting power or air intake to the engine. He removed that provision after hearing concerns from fellow lawmakers.

Newsom, at the time, said he worried that speed-limiting devices could be weaponized by Republicans in an election year. The bill was ridiculed by Republican commentators as an example of the California “nanny state.”

Car manufacturers and dealerships opposed the bill, even after it was scaled back, arguing that better enforcement of traffic laws would be a less onerous way to prevent vehicle crashes.

California would have been the first state to require speed-warning devices in cars. Other countries, as well as the European Union, have already mandated various forms of speed-warning technology.