California May Soon Mandate Speeding Alerts in All New Cars—Is Your Vehicle Next?

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Governor Gavin Newsom may soon sign into law a bill requiring new passenger vehicles, motortrucks, and buses sold or manufactured in California to be equipped with a system that alerts drivers when they are speeding. Senate Bill 961, introduced by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) as part of the SAFER California Streets legislation package, aims to reduce traffic fatalities by mandating this technology in vehicles starting with the 2030 model year.

The system would provide drivers with both a visual and audio alert when they exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour, but it would not physically limit the vehicle’s speed. Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal emphasized that the technology is intended to promote safer driving without imposing restrictive controls on drivers.

Exemptions under the bill would apply to authorized emergency vehicles, certain motortrucks, motorcycles, mopeds, motorized bicycles, and some passenger vehicles that already have GPS or front-facing cameras.

Senator Wiener highlighted that this speed-alert technology is already in use in Europe and has been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board for adoption across the United States. “This speed-limiting technology already exists. The European Union is moving in this direction & the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended adopting the requirement nationally,” Wiener stated on social media.

The bill passed through the California Senate and Assembly without support from Republican lawmakers, who expressed concerns about the potential distractions the alerts might cause. Assemblymember Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) voiced his reservations, saying, “I already have things screaming at me in my car at every given moment when I have my children in there and the last thing I need is my car beeping at me.”

A recent report by TRIP, a transportation research group, found that traffic fatalities in California increased by 22% between 2019 and 2022, surpassing the national average increase of 19%. Additionally, a study from the California Office of Traffic Safety revealed that speeding was a factor in one-third of all traffic fatalities in the state between 2017 and 2021.

Governor Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto the bill. If signed, this legislation would mark the first law of its kind in the United States.