The bill would have affected passenger vehicles sold or leased in the Golden State, with some exceptions.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday vetoed a high-profile bill that would have required a speed-alert system in vehicles sold or leased in the Golden State.
Senate Bill 961 — written by state Senator Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat — would have required every passenger vehicle, motor truck and bus sold or leased in California to have a passive intelligent speed assistance system installed. That system would have given a one-time signal every time a driver exceeded the speed limit by over 10 mph.
Newsom in a veto statement said he appreciated the drive to improve traffic safety, though Wiener’s bill had several issues. He pointed to federal law that currently regulates vehicle safety standards. Adding requirements that are specific to California would make a patchwork of rules that undermine the federal framework.
[The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] is also actively evaluating intelligent speed assistance systems, and imposing state-level mandates at this time risks disrupting these ongoing federal assessments,” Newsom wrote.
Wiener called the governor’s veto disappointing.
“Today’s veto is a setback for street safety at a time Californians are feeling extremely unsafe,” Wiener said in a statement. “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.
“I’m extremely grateful to the amazing coalition that came together to support this bill and look forward to continuing our work together to make our roads safe for all users,” Wiener added.
The bill exempted emergency vehicles and motorcycles, as well as vehicles that lack a global positioning system and front-facing camera. It would have become effective with the 2030 model year.
The version of the bill that reached the governor’s desk was a far cry from Wiener’s initial legislation.
Wiener initially intended for vehicles to have an intelligent speed limiter system, which would have stopped vehicles from exceeding the speed limit by over 10 mph. The bill was amended as it moved through the legislation process, replacing the system with one that only alerted a driver to speeding.
Senate Republicans had urged Newsom to veto the bill, saying Californians didn’t need “Big Brother” to tell them how to drive.
Newsom faces a rapidly approaching Monday deadline to sign or veto bills.
Late Friday, Newsom announced that he was vetoing another transportation-related bill. He returned Assembly Bill 2286 to its author, Winters Democratic Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, without his signature.
The bill would have prohibited an autonomous vehicle with a gross weigh of over 10,000 pounds from being on a public road for testing purposes, or transporting goods or people without a human operator in the vehicle at the time.
Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year.
In his veto statement, Newsom said the state Department of Motor Vehicles has created a framework that enables innovation while protecting the public’s safety. Draft regulations call for limiting an autonomous vehicle’s speed to roads with speed limits of 50 mph or higher, as well as excluding the transport of people or hazardous materials.
Newsom noted that 35 jurisdictions have authorized the testing of heavy-duty autonomous vehicles, including Arizona, Texas, Washington state and the District of Columbia. California is the only state that’s actively prohibiting them.
The governor wrote that the state must be a technology leader while protecting the public.
“Toward that end, my office offered multiple rounds of suggested amendments, which were unfortunately not accepted,” he added. “While I cannot sign this legislation in its current form, my administration stands ready to work with the Legislature and stakeholders toward progress on this issue.”
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