California's making waves with a bold move! A Democratic lawmaker just dropped a "groundbreaking" bill. It's all about new cars and speed limits. The twist? Cars sold in the Golden State could soon be blocked from going over 10 mph above the speed limit.
Meet Scott Wiener, the man behind the idea. He's a State Senator from San Francisco, pushing the Speeding and Fatality Emergency Reduction Package. The goal? Equip new cars with "speed governors" to automatically cap speed.
Why this sudden shift? It's all about tackling a spike in vehicle deaths. Since the pandemic, reckless driving's on the rise. Stats are alarming: California's traffic fatalities jumped 22% from 2019 to 2022. That's higher than the national average!
But there's more to Wiener's plan. Think safer trucks with side underride guards and street upgrades like new crosswalks. All designed to make roads safer for everyone – pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
Wiener's determined to cut down the "California road deaths epidemic." He's clear: there's no excuse for insanely high speeds. Over 3,000 tickets were dished out in 2020 for drivers hitting over 100 mph!
Yet, not everyone's cheering. Social media's buzzing with frustration. Author Richard Hanania points out the absurdity of an empty highway where you're stuck at 65 mph. And Amy Reichert, a former political candidate, calls it peak California craziness.
It's a hot debate with life-saving stakes. California's gearing up for a major road safety overhaul – but will everyone get on board?