SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California drivers may soon be told by their cars to slow down.
A new state bill, recently passed in the Senate and now in the assembly, looks to slow speedy drivers down by requiring certain vehicles to alert drivers when they are traveling 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.
If passed, Senate Bill 961 would require vehicles to be fitted with what the bill's author, Scott Weiner, calls a "passive intelligent speed assistance system." The technology would send the vehicle's GPS coordinates to a database that has posted speed limits. If the driver is traveling 10 miles per hour over the speed limit then the vehicle would alert the driver with a "one-time visual and audio signal" to remind them they are speeding.
If the bill makes its way through the assembly and is signed by the governor then beginning in 2029, 50% of "vehicles, motor trucks and buses" sold in California will be equipped with the technology.
Speeding and aggressive driving in California remains one of the top reasons for traffic fatalities and injuries.
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 board's chair says speeding increases the chances of being in a crash along with the severity. Since 2012, the board has recommended that drivers, at minimum, are warned when exceeding the speed limit.
Some countries in Europe will require the new technology be included in all new cars sold there later this year.
On June 3, state assembly members referred the bill to the Commission on Transportation for review.