New cars in California could alert drivers for breaking the speed limit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California could yet articulation the European Union successful requiring each caller cars to alert drivers erstwhile they interruption the velocity limit, a connection aimed astatine reducing postulation deaths that would apt interaction motorists crossed the state should it go law.

The national authorities sets information standards for vehicles nationwide, which is wherefore astir cars present beep astatine drivers if their spot loop isn't fastened. A measure successful the California Legislature - which passed its archetypal ballot successful the authorities Senate connected Tuesday - would spell further by requiring each caller cars sold successful the authorities by 2032 to beep astatine drivers erstwhile they transcend the velocity bounds by astatine slightest 10 mph (16 kph).

"Research has shown that this does person an interaction successful getting radical to dilatory down, peculiarly since immoderate radical don't recognize however accelerated that their car is going," said authorities Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco and the bill's author.

The measure narrowly passed connected Tuesday, an denotation of the pugnacious roadworthy it could face. Republican authorities Sen. Brian Dahle said helium voted against it successful portion due to the fact that helium said sometimes radical request to thrust faster than the velocity bounds successful an emergency.

"It's conscionable a nanny authorities that we're causing here," helium said.

While the extremity is to trim postulation deaths, the authorities would apt interaction each caller car income successful the U.S. That's due to the fact that California's car marketplace is truthful ample that car makers would apt conscionable marque each of their vehicles comply with the state's law.

California often throws its value astir to power nationalist - and planetary - policy. California has acceptable its ain emanation standards for cars for decades, rules that much than a twelve different states person besides adopted. And erstwhile California announced it would yet prohibition the merchantability of caller gas-powered cars, large automakers soon followed with their ain announcement to signifier retired fossil-fuel vehicles.

The technology, known arsenic intelligent velocity assistance, uses GPS exertion to comparison a vehicle's velocity with a dataset of posted velocity limits. Once the car is astatine slightest 10 mph (16 kph) implicit the velocity limit, the strategy would emit "a brief, one-time ocular and audio awesome to alert the driver."

It would not necessitate California to support a database of posted velocity limits. That would beryllium near to manufacturers. It's apt these maps would not see section roads oregon caller changes successful velocity limits, resulting successful conflicts.

The measure states that if the strategy receives conflicting accusation astir the velocity limit, it indispensable usage the higher limit.

The exertion is not caller and has been utilized successful Europe for years. Starting aboriginal this year, the European Union volition necessitate each caller cars sold determination to person the exertion - though drivers would beryllium capable to crook it off.

The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 10% of each car crashes reported to constabulary successful 2021 were speeding related - including an 8% summation successful speeding-related fatalities. This was particularly a occupation successful California, wherever 35% of postulation fatalities were speeding-related - the 2nd highest successful the country, according to a legislative investigation of the proposal.

Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended national regulators necessitate each caller cars to alert drivers erstwhile speeding. Their proposal came aft a clang successful January 2022 erstwhile a antheral with a past of speeding violations was traveling much than 100 miles per hr erstwhile helium ran a reddish airy and deed a minivan, sidesplitting himself and 8 different people.

The NTSB has nary authorization and tin lone marque recommendations.