Senator Wiener’s First-In-Nation Bill to Require Cars To Warn Speeding Drivers Heads to the Governor

SACRAMENTO – The Legislature passed Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) Senate Bill 961. The bill will help reduce traffic deaths by requiring speed warning technology — called intelligent speed assistance — in all new cars manufactured or sold in California beginning with 2030 model year vehicles. California will be the first state in the nation to enact this safety requirement.

SB 961 builds on similar requirements that went into effect in the European Union beginning in July, and it implements the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) recommendation to require speed limiters in all new vehicles. The bill is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of City Transportation Officials. The National Safety Council, and the American Automobile Association (AAA). It passed the Assembly 42-12 and the Senate 26-9, and heads next to the Governor.

“The rise in road deaths in California is a completely preventable tragedy,” said Senator Wiener. “The evidence is clear: Rising levels of dangerous speeding are placing all Californians in danger, and by taking prudent steps to improve safety, we can save lives. California should lead the nation with action to improve the safety of our streets.”

The chance of a fatal crash drastically increases when a driver is speeding. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s (OTS) 2023 Traffic Safety Report, 1/3rd of all traffic fatalities in the state between 2017 and 2021 were speeding-related. The National Association of City  Transportation Officials (NACTO) notes that “a person hit by a car traveling at 35 miles per hour is five times more likely to die than a person hit by a car traveling at 20 miles per hour.”

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, drivers have engaged in increasingly reckless behavior, putting themselves and others at risk. TRIP found a 23% increase in speeding-related crashes in California from 2019-2022.

Passive Intelligent Speed Assistance (Passive ISA) was required in all vehicles sold in the EU beginning in July of this year. SB 961 requires the devices to warn drivers of passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a single audible and visual signal each time they exceed the speed limit by greater than 10 miles per hour.

SB 961 does not apply to emergency vehicles, motorcycles, or passenger vehicles that are not equipped with either a GPS or front-facing camera.

Senate Bill 961 is sponsored by CalBike, Streets For All, Walk SF, Streets are for Everyone, and KidSafe SF. SB 961 is also supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of City Transportation Officials, the National Safety Council, and the American Automobile Association (AAA).

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