Back in 2021, The Drill Down reported on a strange provision in the bipartisan infrastructure bill —a provision that mandated breathalyzers and “advanced alcohol monitoring systems” in all new cars; it was buried in a section titled, “ADVANCED IMPAIRED DRIVING TECHNOLOGY.”
The new provision mandated that new vehicles include “a system that … passively and accurately detect[s] whether the blood alcohol concentration of a driver of a motor vehicle is equal to or greater than the blood alcohol concentration” of .08, in which case the system would “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation.”
A bit of a stretch for a bill that’s supposed to address bridges and tunnels.
“It certainly looks like this opens the door for mandatory breathalyzers in every new car. It’s crazy,” said one senior Republican aide at the time.
Now, California is proposing even more car control — limiting the speed at which drivers can operate their vehicles. State Senator Scott Wiener (D) introduced S.B 961 on Tuesday.
“This bill would require certain vehicles, commencing with the 2027 model year, to be equipped with an intelligent speed limiter, as specified, that would limit the speed of the vehicle to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit,” it reads. “The bill would exempt emergency vehicles from this requirement and would authorize the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol to authorize the disabling of the system on other vehicles based on specified criteria.”
According to The Washington Free Beacon, “At a minimum, the device would need to use GPS to determine where the car is driving and communicate with a database of speed limits to ensure that the operator of the vehicle does not exceed the limit by more than 10 miles per hour.”
GPS monitoring so the state knows where you are at all times? This is incredibly “Big Brother.”
“This speed-limiting technology already exists,” Wiener said on X. “The European Union is moving in this direction & the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended adopting the requirement nationally.” He added that the bill and related legislation “will make California roads safer for all users & lead to fewer injuries & deaths on our roads.”
Sure —if you want to prevent car accidents, just let the government control your car and know where you are at all times.
Is that really a step we want to take?
