California Plans to Slam the Brakes: A Future Where Cars Can't Speed?
Imagine cruising down the iconic Pacific Coast Highway, the salt air whipping through your hair, the sunny California skies above, and your car refuses to inch above the speed limit—by law. Sounds like a farfetched fantasy? Not if California Senator Scott Wiener's legislative vision comes to life.
In a bold move that could redefine road safety standards, Wiener has introduced groundbreaking legislation. Its centerpiece? A mandatory installation of 'speed governors' in all new cars and trucks sold in California starting 2027. This advanced tech is no mere speed monitor; it's a full-stop barrier against going 10 mph over speed limits.
The essence of the argument in support of this radical approach comes down to one chilling fact: speed kills. According to Sen. Wiener, the resistance to this notion may not be as widespread as one might imagine. In contrast, he holds that most Californians appreciate speed limits for the protective barrier they provide against roadway tragedies.
But the legislative journey doesn't end with just curbing your speedometer. Wiener's legislative package contains more than just a nod to futurism; it includes a specific clause aimed at megaton monsters of the road. Large trucks would require 'side guards'—practical fittings that could be a lifeline for pedestrians, cyclists, and even other vehicles that risk being pulled under a truck in a dire collision.
'Commonsense actions' Towards Safer Streets
Encapsulating the spirit of California's progressive stance on road safety, Wiener dubs these measures as 'commonsense actions'. And indeed, when you slice through the metrics of traffic safety, speed ranks notoriously as the chief architect of serious and fatal accidents. The numbers are particularly grim in urban settings like San Francisco.
For Jenny Yu, a San Francisco local whose mother suffered life-changing injuries while crossing the street, the push for such changes is personal. Her testimony resonates with the harrowing cost of dangerous speeding—a tale of everyday lives forever altered in the flashpoint of a reckless moment.
Heightening the urgency of these measures, the scene of San Francisco's traffic safety landscape is a striking contradiction. Despite the ambitious 'Vision Zero' policy to eliminate traffic deaths, there seems to be a long road ahead before any celebratory milestones of 'zero' are achieved.
This isn't the first rodeo for this kind of legislative ambition. A similar bill, previously vetoed by Governor Newsom in 2019, aimed to give Caltrans the autonomy to make necessary safety upgrades to their road infrastructures, like crosswalks, bike lanes, and curb extensions. Wiener asserts that the follow-through on these upgrades has been less than satisfactory, spurring the reintroduction of safety-focused legislation.
The proposed bills are now on the launching pad, waiting for the spring sessions to kick into gear for committee review. With the speed of legislative wheels often lagging behind the urgency of public safety, Californians watch with bated breath.
Closing the curtain on an era of Autobahn-esque freedoms on state roads might seem draconian to some, but for proponents of the bill, it's a calibrated stance against the perennial surge of speed-related carnage on the highways and byways of California.
Is this the dawn of a new era in automotive control, one where your car is more than just a vessel but an accomplice in enforcing the law? One thing is certain - California is once again at the forefront of a possible nationwide conversation on the intersection of technology, policy, and the human need for speed.