California Proposes Bill to Have Mandatory Speed-Limiting Devices in Cars

Reporter 1: “There is a new controversial proposal here in California that would put a device in your car to limit how fast you can drive.”

Reporter 2: “Eyewitness News Reporter Tony Cabrera live in Glendale with details on this new technology.”

CABRERA: “Yeah, the new bill would require all cars in California to eventually have a new device called a speed governor. And pretty much, the device that goes in your vehicle and it prevents it, physically prevents it from going over 10 miles an hour over that speed limit. Now, this is all being introduced by state senator Scott Wiener out of San Francisco. The bill would apply to any new car or truck made or sold in the state starting in 2027. Another part of the measure would require large trucks to install side guards to prevent pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles from getting stuck under the truck during a crash. Now, Senator Wiener says the bills are common-sense actions to protect public safety, but critics call this government overreach and intrusion. They say it creates more bureaucracy and is a waste of money. He disagrees.”

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WIENER: “When the federal government started mandating seatbelts, there were people who said that’s an overreach, you’re invading my freedom. We understand now that without — that seatbelts have saved countless, countless lives.”

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CABRERA: “At this point, we don’t know exactly how the device would know the specific speed limit for the street or highway you’re on, but it would probably require some type of GPS monitoring system, and that also has people concerned.”