Bill Text: CA SB961 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Vehicles: safety equipment.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2024-09-28 - In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending. [SB961 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB961-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  May 08, 2024

Amended  IN  Senate  April 30, 2024

Amended  IN  Senate  April 16, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 961

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Introduced by Senator Wiener

January 23, 2024

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An act to add Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 14987) to Part 5.5 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and to add Article 19 (commencing with Section 28170) to Chapter 5 of Division 12 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 961, as amended, Wiener. Vehicles: safety equipment.

Existing law prohibits a person from driving a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than the speed limit. Existing law also prohibits a person from driving a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed that endangers the safety of persons or property.

This bill would require 50% of certain vehicles, commencing with the 2029 model year, to be equipped with a passive intelligent speed assistance system, as specified, that would utilize a brief, one-time, visual and audio signal to alert the driver each time the speed of the vehicle is more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. The bill would require all specified vehicles, commencing with the 2032 model year, to be equipped in the above-described manner. The bill would require the system, if the system receives conflicting speed limits for the same area, to apply the higher speed limit. The bill would exempt emergency vehicles from this requirement and would authorize the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol to authorize the permanent disabling of the system on other vehicles based on specified criteria. requirement.

A violation of the above requirements would be punishable as a crime.

By creating a new criminal offense, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Existing law authorizes the Director of General Services to perform certain duties, including, among others, developing specialized consideration of all traffic problems of the state.

This bill would require the Office of Fleet and Asset Management, within the Department of General Services, to establish a pilot program that equips state vehicles with an active intelligent speed system, as defined. The bill would require the department to equip the designated vehicles with the system for a minimum of 12 months, and collect certain data. The bill would require the office, on or before January 1, 2027, and each January 1 thereafter until 2030, to report the impact of the program to the Legislature. The bill would authorize the department to discontinue the program if the department determines that it is not technologically feasible to meet the needs of the state while fulfilling the requirements of the program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 14987) is added to Part 5.5 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:

14.State Vehicle Fleet Pilot Program

14987.

(a)As used in this section, “active intelligent speed assistance system” means a vehicle system that uses, at minimum, the GPS location of the vehicle compared with a database of posted speed limits, to determine the speed limit, and prevents throttle input once a vehicle exceeds a specified speed threshold related to the speed limit. An active intelligent speed assistance system shall be capable of being temporarily disabled by the driver of the vehicle.

(b)The Office of Fleet and Asset Management (OFAM) within the Department of General Services shall establish a pilot program that equips a set of vehicles in the state vehicle fleet with an active intelligent speed system.

(c)The department shall determine the size of the set of vehicles in its fleet to equip with the active intelligent speed assistance system. The department shall install the active intelligent speed assistance system in at least a sufficient number of vehicles to ensure a statistically valid sample.

(d)The department shall equip the vehicles with the active intelligent speed assistance technology for at least 12 months.

(e)The department shall collect and analyze data regarding the safety, efficacy, and maintenance of the equipped vehicles. At a minimum, data regarding vehicle speed, instances of hard braking or rapid acceleration, and the number of instances that the active intelligent speed assistance system is engaged, shall be collected and analyzed.

(f)By January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter until January 1, 2030, OFAM shall prepare and submit, consistent with Section 9795, a report to the Legislature on the impact of the pilot program on safety, efficacy, and vehicle maintenance.

(g)If the department determines that it is not technologically feasible to meet the needs of the state while fulfilling the requirements of this section, the department shall hold a public hearing to make that finding, notify the Secretary of State of the finding, and cease to implement this section.

SEC. 2.SECTION 1.

 Article 19 (commencing with Section 28170) is added to Chapter 5 of Division 12 of the Vehicle Code, to read:

Article  19. Speed Assistance Technology

28170.

 (a) As used in this article, “passive intelligent speed assistance system” means an integrated vehicle system that uses, at minimum, the GPS location of the vehicle compared with a database of posted speed limits, to determine the speed limit, and utilizes a brief, one-time visual and audio signal to alert the driver each time they exceed the speed limit by more than 10 miles per hour.

(b) If an intelligent speed assistance system receives conflicting speed limits for the same area, the system shall utilize the higher speed limit.

28171.

 (a) Commencing with the 2029 model year, 50 percent of passenger vehicles, motortrucks, and buses manufactured or sold in the state shall be equipped with a passive intelligent speed assistance system.

(b) Commencing with the 2032 model year, every passenger vehicle, motortruck, and bus manufactured or sold in the state shall be equipped with a passive intelligent speed assistance system.

(c) A passive intelligent speed assistance system shall be capable of being fully disabled by the manufacturer or a franchisee, but only as provided in Section 28172.

28172.

 (a)Section 28171 does not apply to any vehicle sold as an authorized emergency vehicle.

(b)A passive intelligent speed assistance system may be permanently disabled on any authorized emergency vehicle or any vehicle for which written authorization has been received by the commissioner.

(c)The commissioner may, in the commissioner’s discretion, authorize the disabling of a passive intelligent speed assistance system in any vehicle if, based on the specialized usage of the vehicle, the disabling of the system is reasonable, practical, and would not pose a risk to public safety.

SEC. 3.SEC. 2.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.