PRC Has Wonderful New Idea on Nagging People Over Speeding

And if this passes, the next step will be to require auto manufacturers to install devices that stop people from speeding

New cars in California could alert drivers for breaking the speed limit

California could eventually join the European Union in requiring all new cars to alert drivers when they break the speed limit, a proposal aimed at reducing traffic deaths that would likely impact motorists across the country should it become law.

The federal government sets safety standards for vehicles nationwide, which is why most cars now beep at drivers if their seat belt isn’t fastened. A bill in the California Legislature — which passed its first vote in the state Senate on Tuesday — would go further by requiring all new cars sold in the state by 2032 to beep at drivers when they exceed the speed limit by at least 10 mph (16 kph).

“Research has shown that this does have an impact in getting people to slow down, particularly since some people don’t realize how fast that their car is going,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco and the bill’s author.

The bill narrowly passed on Tuesday, an indication of the tough road it could face. Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle said he voted against it in part because he said sometimes people need to drive faster than the speed limit in an emergency.

“It’s just a nanny state that we’re causing here,” he said.

The question, or, at least one of them, is how will this happen? Some Hondas have what is called traffic sign recognition, where the camera picks up speed limit signs, and blinks when you are over the posted speed limit. Not many other cars do that. And most turn that off. How will the People’s Republik Of California do this?

The technology, known as intelligent speed assistance, uses GPS technology to compare a vehicle’s speed with a dataset of posted speed limits. Once the car is at least 10 mph (16 kph) over the speed limit, the system would emit “a brief, one-time visual and audio signal to alert the driver.”

It would not require California to maintain a list of posted speed limits. That would be left to manufacturers. It’s likely these maps would not include local roads or recent changes in speed limits, resulting in conflicts.

Which would mean added cost to the vehicles. And how soon till the PRC requires this data be given to the state, so they can send tickets? And what if the insurance companies get their hands on it?

The technology is not new and has been used in Europe for years. Starting later this year, the European Union will require all new cars sold there to have the technology — although drivers would be able to turn it off.

And how’s all that freedom working in the EU? Anyhow, I think it would be better to crack down on idiots not using signals and running stop signs.

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