Momentum Builds for Intelligent Speed Assistance, Despite Newsom’s Veto in CA

Significant support for Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) in the nation's biggest state signals a growing appetite to shift the nation’s deadly traffic safety status quo. California legislators passed a landmark bill in August to require ISA in new vehicles manufactured or sold in the state starting in 2030. This proven technology, already widely used effectively in other nations, would alert drivers when they exceed the speed limit by more than l0 miles per hour. Pretty reasonable, right? (Background on why ISA will be a game-changer for Vision Zero.)

Unfortunately, CA Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill, (CA SB961), after it passed both the State Senate and Assembly and garnered nationwide support (more on that below).

National Reaction to Newsom’s Veto

“If the Governor knew what it felt like to wake up each day without your child because of a speeding driver, he wouldn’t have hesitated for a single moment to sign this bill,” said Families for Safe Streets member Liz Quiroz, whose daughter Aileen was hit and killed by a speeding driver in San Jose in the crosswalk in front of Aileen’s school. Read reactions from others who have been personally affected by tragedies related to preventable speeding in this powerful statement shared by Walk San Francisco, a champion of the bill.

The National Safety Council (NSC) responded with a statement including the following: “NSC is disappointed in the California Governor's veto of S.B. 961, a crucial bill aimed at enhancing vehicle safety in California….By vetoing this important measure, California misses an opportunity to lead the nation in vehicle safety innovation.” 

“Given that we are experiencing a 40-year-high nationwide in preventable traffic deaths among people walking, including more than 1,000 Californians killed in speed-related traffic crashes every year, it is mind-boggling that Governor Newsom prevented this policy from being enacted to help curb dangerous speeds and save lives,” said Leah Shahum, Executive Director of Vision Zero Network. "But this is the beginning not the end, because the need for ISA is growing."

National Implications for ISA are High

Many were hopeful that this first-in-the-nation legislation (championed by State Senator Scott Wiener) would serve as a national precedent to advance this common-sense strategy that is already being used successfully in other nations to save lives and which shows high levels of support in the U.S., according to a recent national survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The bill had wide-ranging support not only in California – including the American Academy Of Pediatrics (CA); AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah; Auto Club of Southern California; and others –  but across the nation from groups including MADD, National Safety Council, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Physicians for Social Responsibility and many others.

Many supporters recognize that upstream strategies to deter dangerous speeding, including ISA,  are urgently needed, especially in the face of the deadly national trend of vehicles getting bigger, heavier, and more powerful. In fact, the NTSB powerfully shared an official recommendation in 2023 to “Require as standard equipment in all new vehicles intelligent speed assistance systems that, at a minimum, warn the driver when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit.”

And while this kind of vehicle safety work should be led by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency has so far neglected its responsibility on this front. Enter the opportunity for state-level leadership to fill the void – as has been done in the past on other federal vehicle requirements, including seat belts and lower tailpipe emissions. Wisconsin became the first state to mandate front row seat belts in vehicles in 1961. The life-saving rule spread to other states, eventually becoming a federal requirement. Today, seat belts save an estimated 15,000  lives each year.

In his veto message, the California Governor stated that this type of safety regulation was a federal, not state, responsibility and that he wanted to prevent a "patchwork of regulations." But this contradicts the state’s past leadership in critical areas where federal action has lagged, including vehicle standards. Newsom, rightfully, praises California’s successful campaign to set its own vehicle emissions standards, which are more stringent than federally mandated rules.

What’s Next? Opportunities for ISA Grow

Despite the ultimate veto, the legislative and public support for California’s bill shows the growing support for ISA. In fact, similar legislation has been introduced in the New York State Assembly! (Follow and support this important effort.)

The benefits of ISA are clear: safer speeds, fewer serious crashes, more lives saved and severe injuries prevented, improved mobility for all, and less dependence on enforcement. Here are some ways to help move the needle on ISA:

• Cities, counties and states can add ISA on their public fleets, saving money on fuel and reducing crash rates and costs of crashes involving municipal vehicles (see our recommendations to integrate vehicle safety in local and state Vision Zero work).
• Urge the Federal Government to utilize ISA for the federal fleet. Read the press release & check list, and take action here.
• Sign up for America Walks’ Safer Fleet Challenge, which promotes the adoption of ISA in fleet vehicles to enhance safety and efficiency.
• If you have a car with ISA, activate it and encourage your family and friends to do the same. Leading by example has never been easier – let’s normalize ISA.

Explore more ideas on ISA adoption from the Road to Zero’s Accelerating Technology Working Group.

While we are disappointed by the (temporary) halt in California’s effort to lead the nation in leveraging the power of ISA, we are also encouraged by the progress being made. The groundswell of support from advocates, families and safety experts indicates that the time has come to advance this proven life-saving technology.

Our partner in advocacy, Amy Cohen, co-founder of Families for Safe Streets, says it well: “While we grieve for the lives that will be lost to speeding, we will not stop fighting. Intelligent Speed Assistance is a common sense, lifesaving technology whose time has come.”