Bill in California would require cars to automatically warn drivers when they are driving too fast

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Drivers in California may soon be told by their cars to slow down.

A new state bill that recently passed the Senate and is now before the House of Representatives is designed to slow down speeding drivers. Certain vehicles must warn drivers when they exceed the speed limit by 10 mph.

If Senate Bill 961 passes, vehicles would be required to be equipped with a system that the bill’s author, Scott Weiner, calls a “passive intelligent speed assist system.” The technology would send the vehicle’s GPS coordinates to a database of speed limits. If the driver is going 10 miles per hour too fast, the vehicle would alert the driver with a “one-time visual and audible signal” to remind them they are speeding.

If the bill passes the House and is signed by the governor, 50% of “vehicles, trucks and buses” sold in California will be equipped with the technology by 2029.

Speeding and aggressive driving remain a leading cause of traffic deaths and injuries in California.

According to CalTrans, more than 1,224 people died and 4,420 were injured as a result of speeding and aggressive driving.

The National Transportation Safety Board supports the bill. In a letter, the chairman of the board explains that speeding increases the likelihood and severity of an accident. Since 2012, the board has recommended that drivers should at least be warned when they exceed the speed limit.

In some European countries, the new technology will have to be used in all new cars sold there from the end of this year.

On June 3, state lawmakers referred the bill to the Transportation Commission for consideration.