In an aggressive push against California's rising road fatality rates, State Senator Scott Wiener introduced two groundbreaking bills that have drivers and safety advocates perking up their ears. According to a report by SFist, Wiener's proposal mandates speed governors in all new vehicles sold in the state, limiting them to max out at 10 mph over any posted speed limit.
The legislation, responding to a dramatic 22% jump in traffic fatalities in California from 2019 to 2022, as noted by Senator Wiener's own release, looks to tackle what has become a national predicament but with sharper spikes in the Golden State traffic deaths have surged nationally but California's rates have outpaced the average climbing to devastating effect and raising alarm across communities statewide.
Wiener's proposals, Senate Bills 960 and 961, seek not just to cap speed but also to make structural changes to roadways and vehicles alike. Senate Bill 961 zeroes in on the vehicles themselves, demanding the integration of speed governors and side underride guards on trucks to reduce the dire outcomes of potential crashes, "The alarming surge in road deaths is unbearable and demands an urgent response," Wiener emphasized.
Meanwhile, Senate Bill 960 is aimed at infrastructure, requiring Caltrans to make pedestrian and cyclist-friendly improvements on state roads, including the installation of new crosswalks and curb extensions to better serve a variety of road users, Senator Wiener's bold moves, and supported by traffic safety advocacy groups, contrast with a lack of comprehensive action on a federal level, despite calls from the National Transportation Safety Board for wider adoption of speed-regulating technology.
Both bills have received backing from several safety and transportation advocacy groups and align with a global trend towards more stringent vehicle speed controls, with the European Union set to roll out mandatory installation of speed governors starting July this year.
Despite potential backlash from car enthusiasts and automakers, Wiener remains steadfast in his commitment to tackle what he sees as preventable tragedies on Californian roads, "Preventing reckless speeding is a commonsense approach to prevent these utterly needless and heartbreaking crashes," Wiener told SFist.
