California governor vetoes bill requiring speeding alerts in new cars

[Polybius]

Source: Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Saturday that would have required new cars to beep at drivers if they exceed the speed limit.

California would have become the first to require such systems for all new cars, trucks and buses sold in the state starting in 2030. The bill, aimed at reducing traffic deaths, would have mandated that vehicles beep at drivers when they exceed the speed limit by at least 10 mph (16kph).

The European Union has passed similar legislation to encourage drivers to slow down. California’s proposal would have provided exceptions for emergency vehicles, motorcycles and motorized scooters.

In explaining his veto, Newsom said federal law already dictates vehicle safety standards and adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/we-need-a-national-divorce-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-calls-for-republican-states-to-secede-from-the-union/ar-AA17Islf?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5c8edc94cdd3439b89c18122dc0b6ea3

[moniss]

1. I remember Buick had this

on the Riviera back in the early '60's. I don't know if it was an option or standard but the Riviera was pretty loaded already. I don't know if any other cars had it.

[patphil]

3. My father's '60 Buick LeSabre had a device integrated with the speedometer.

You could set it wherever you wanted, and it would beep if you exceeded the set speed. It was pretty annoying, so it usually was set at about 100 mph.
It was essentially worthless.

[moniss]

6. It's a wonder we made it through

when I reflect back because we ran around on bias ply tires usually half wore out or worse doing 80mph on a regular basis on roads that would be considered 3rd tier today. But I will say we sure had a more comfortable ride while we were speeding along.

[JoseBalow]

2. I'd be for something that beeps at 10 mph BELOW the speed limit

[3Hotdogs]

4. Ya already know when you're speeding. In N.J., almost everybody exceeds the speed limit.

Highway speed limit is 65. Average speed is 75. Yeah, ya get the random Ford Crown Vic, with the invisible driver behind the wheel, going 52 in the left lane with the left turn blinker on. But that is unusual.

Ya know when you're speeding. So what would be the point of the buzzer?

[Beartracks]

20. To annoy you into slowing down?

But turn the radio on, and you're good to go, go, go!

Yeah, it does seem like it wouldn't produce the desired result. I wonder if it has done so in Europe?

================

[NowsTheTime]

5. Seat belt buzzer is annoying enough.....for years I have been in the habit of buckling..

[petronius]

7. I would actually like this feature, if it was an add-on to google maps and I could set the threshold

at which it beeped.

[GoneOffShore]

8. My version of Waze has that feature - I have it set to warn me at 5% over

The settings can be the exact limit, 5%, 10%, or no warning at all.
And the GPS is more accurate than the speedometer in your car.

[Old Crank]

10. Most every car

That I have rented in Europe knows the speed limit, even in construction zones. Plus a display on the dash tells you the base speed limits when you cross a boarder.

[Jk23]

19. My 2024 Kia Soul has the same thing

I do confess those school zones tend to throw it off. It can't tell if we're in the middle of a holiday or not.

[Old Crank]

9. Should be linked to gps

And speed limits to keep cars from speeding.
All cruise control type devices should never allow setting over the speed limit.

[Polybius]

14. What happens in emergencies then?

Imagine driving on a bridge and it starts too collapse in your rearview mirror, driving a woman in labor to the hospital, or whatever other emergency that may occur.

[Old Crank]

15. You could build in a short term override.

But the emergency use by regular drivers is not used as often as drivers speeding and justifying their criminality.

[Polybius]

16. When you say make it go the speed limit, are you being literal, or do you propose a grace period?

For example, if the speed limit is 55, what would the car's maximum be able to do? 55? 60? 65?

[Old Crank]

24. The speed limit.

Why would you have a grace speed?
The reason for speed limits is safety.

[MichMan]

27. Guessing the poster means 55.0000000000001 mph

[Old Crank]

28. Within the accuracy of the speedometer.

[MichMan]

29. Speedometers err on the high side, not the low side

[Old Crank]

30. So?

[DiamondShark]

21. Interesting plot to a movie.

[sarisataka]

40. When was the last time you had to escape a collapsing bridge?

Or had to rush a woman in labor to the hospital when speeding down the road was a better option than 911?

Now compare those extremely rare events to how many injuries/deaths are related to speeding... (NTHSA says about 1/3 of all fatalities and injuries involve speeding)

[Polybius]

43. A manual override where the police are notified would have to be implemented for emergencies if something passed

Thankfully, saner heads would prevail. Extreme left legislation is almost as bas as extreme right legislation.

[Jk23]

17. I usually just set my cruise at 5 above the speed limit

And let the car drive itself. I mean usually the speed limits pretty low on these roads.

The driver Assist Technology really has made it easier and more pleasant to drive the car for long distances.

[alarimer]

22. Speed limits change all the time though

Especially in cities.

We don't need more nanny nonsense.

[radicalleft]

26. User name checks out

Bet you are fun at parties...

[4lbs]

11. Cars already beep when they back up, especially if there is an image of a person in the screen.

I wonder if this beeping may be confused with that.

Some drivers may be speeding down the highway, hear a beep, and think to themselves: "Wait, I'm going forward, not backward."

Also, sometimes speed limits change, so... unless it is tied to some sort of GPS and such, it might not work as intended. CA freeways used to have speed limits of 55 mph, now they are 65 mph, and in some places as high as 75 mph.

Also, it is 25 mph in most residential streets, but 35 mph, in most of the state and country. Also, 35 mph near schools, unless kids are walking, then it drops down to 25 mph (you know those 25 mph in a 'school zone' when children are present). Sometimes, you have to STOP at at school crosswalk, so the speed needs to be zero. How is all that going to be handled?

Another safety device that took decades to get right was the seat belt.

Seat belts were first widely used in cars in the 1950s, but it took another 30 years for the "kinks" and logistics to be fully worked out. Then they became 'mandatory' everywhere in the 1990s after some places made them compulsory in the 1980s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_belt


Subsequently, in 1966, Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, requiring all automobiles to comply with certain safety standards.

The first compulsory seat belt law was put in place in 1970, in the state of Victoria, Australia, requiring their use by drivers and front-seat passengers. This legislation was enacted after trialing Hemco seat belts, designed by Desmond Hemphill (1926–2001), in the front seats of police vehicles, lowering the incidence of officer injury and death. Mandatory seat belt laws in the United States began to be introduced in the 1980s and faced opposition, with some consumers going to court to challenge the laws. Some cut seat belts out of their cars.


Some drivers may see the beeping as more of annoyance and ignore it. They may even try to 'disable' the beeping. Until insurance companies 'refuse' to pay if a car beeps or registers a high speed before an accident

[Oopsie Daisy]

12. My Waze app will do this for me. I can adjust the sensitivity level. It beeps just once after I cross that threshold *

* but it doesn't continue to nag me. It's just a "Ding! Pay attention!" chime. I like it, it's helpful.

[kimbutgar]

13. I have a new Hyundai and it reminds me if I go over the speed limit and the reminders get bigger the higher

I go. I was driving down highway 5 recently and didn’t realize I was going 90 mph but the car kept reminding me and I slowed down. The top speed is 70 mph in some areas on this highway.

[republianmushroom]

18. From cradle to grave.

Sanity prevailed here, this time.

[ecstatic]

23. That would be a huge distraction

I regret signing up for monitoring with my insurance company. Constantly monitoring speed and having to slow down (against the flow of traffic) is a huge, dangerous distraction. In my opinion, it's always better to go with the flow of traffic.

[BSloat]

25. Garmin

I have been trying to get my Garmin to warn me when I'm over the limit. Then I remember I live in Houston where everybody seems to think the posted speed limits are "suggestions" and not anything legal.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

31. Your car doesn't have a speedometer?

I've never heard of needing a seperate device to tell what speed I'm going. It's right there on the dashboard.

[marble falls]

41. I have one hard fast rule: never go faster than the car in your lane. I don't need either.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

42. Corrolation - never pass a cop

Rules to live by.

[FakeNoose]

32. I agree with the Governor on this one

Even though I live in an urban area, where excessive speeds almost never occur. I also spend time in the suburbs where speeding might occur occasionally. But this country isn't made up of urban and suburban areas, we're mostly rural. Look on a map of the United States, and the vast majority west of Philadelphia, and east of Sacramento, is wide-open space. Our speeding laws are for congested metro areas, not wide-open roads.

Drivers need to demonstrate an understanding of how to operate their vehicle and how to obey traffic laws. That's what happens when they take their state's driver license test. The vehicle doesn't take the test - it's up to each driver to pass.

[maxsolomon]

35. LOL, I too live in an urban area.

Where most arterials are limited to 25 mph. Excessive speeds REGULARLY occur.

25 mph is so slow that I sometimes set my cruise control at 33 mph so I don't go 15 mph or more over. And I get honked at and passed!

[FakeNoose]

37. In Pittsburgh our major problem is people running red lights

Accidents and pedestrian incidents happen regularly. How would a nanny-beeper on the dashboard prevent that?

[maxsolomon]

38. Yeah, since Covid, it's become a free-for-all of ignoring lights and stop signs.

It doesn't help that the Seattle DOT has turned the streets into a maze of BRT and bicycle lanes. Yesterday I honked at a gal starting to drive her car up a separated 2-way bike lane on a 1-way arterial. She ignored me and continued on her merry way.

[CelticCrow]

33. I'm sure Trump has a simple solution for this that doesn't require those pesky regulations

Imagine speed traps setup along major highways and the police yanking people out of their cars and beating speeders with their batons on the side of the road as an example to all other drivers. I'm sure it will reduce speeding deaths...

[maxsolomon]

34. JFC, California Legislature

New cars already show you the speed limit. We know we're speeding - even those of us with cars from olden times.

0 to 10 mph > the limit is NORMAL. For decades. State troopers don't even care. They care about >10 mph.

[Polybius]

36. The California Legislature has gone off the deep end

Just look at all of the veto's that Gavin has done, and he's far from a conservative. Check this one out:

Gavin Newsom vetoes bill to help Black families reclaim land for being 'impossible to implement'

[sarisataka]

39. I am always amused when changes are suggested for cars.

People suddenly become very defensive that their unsafe actions are safe because...