Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill to require automatic speed warnings in California vehicles
Published in News & Features
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Saturday that would have required vehicles to come equipped with technology that automatically alerts drivers when they exceed the speed limit by more than 10 mph.
The bill, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would have applied to new passenger vehicles, buses and big rigs sold or leased in California beginning in 2030.
It would have required vehicles to come with a “passive intelligent speed assistance system” that provides a brief audio and visual alert each time the driver reaches speeds more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit.
In a veto message, Newsom said he appreciated “the intent to improve traffic safety” but said vehicle safety standards are regulated at the federal level by the National Highway Traffic Administration.
“Adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations that undermines this longstanding federal framework,” Newsom wrote.
He added: “NHTSA is also actively evaluating intelligent speed assistance systems, and imposing state-level mandates at this time risks disrupting these ongoing federal assessments.”
In a statement, Wiener called the veto “a setback for street safety at a time Californians are feeling extremely unsafe.”
“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,” Wiener said.
The San Francisco Democrat said the bill was meant to reduce speed-related traffic fatalities. More than one-third of all traffic deaths in the state in 2021 were speed-related, according to a 2023 report by the California Office of Traffic Safety.
“California should have led on this crisis as Wisconsin did in passing the first seat belt mandate in 1961. Instead, this veto resigns Californians to a completely unnecessary risk of fatality,” Wiener said.
His bill was supported by groups including AAA and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
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