California passes bill to mandate audible speed limit warnings in cars

The bill applies to all new vehicles, including passenger cars, trucks and buses, while emergency vehicles have been exempted.

According to media reports, California Senate Bill 961 (SB 961) was passed this week, which mandates 50% of all new vehicles sold in the state to have passive speed limiters by 2029. Following this, by 2032, the percentage will increase to 100%.

The reports state that the passive speed limiters in new vehicles will come in the form of audible & visual signals that will be activated whenever the driver exceeds the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour. The bill applies to all new vehicles, including passenger cars, trucks and buses, while emergency vehicles have been exempted.

SB 961 states, "An integrated vehicle system that uses, at minimum, the GPS location of the vehicle compared with a database of posted speed limits, to determine the speed limit, and utilizes a brief, one-time visual and audio signal to alert the driver each time they exceed the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour."

Scott Wiener, Senator, stated, "California, like the nation as a whole, is seeing a horrifying spike in traffic deaths, with thousands of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians dying each year on our roads." As per California Office of Traffic Safety's 2023 report, one-third of all traffic fatalities between 2017 and 2021 were speed-related.

The bill though isn't a law yet and is waiting to pass the assembly by August 31. If passed, it will make California the first state in the USA to mandate a passive speed limiter in new vehicles.

Source: Road&Track