Speeding kills. This California bill could make our streets safer | Opinion

The last time a shark killed a California resident was 2 years ago. By contrast, cars kill Californians every two hours on average. Speeding in particular accounts for a third of people killed in traffic, resulting in over a thousand Californians dead every year. Being on the street as a pedestrian, cyclist, or driver is like swimming with sharks, and speeding cars are great whites.

More than numbers, speeding has real consequences for us and our families. Judy Szeto Yuen Man Yu’s crash in San Francisco is one story of many. Fourteen years ago, a speeding car struck the then 60-year-old, leaving her with permanent cognitive impairment and suicidal tendencies that have required around-the-clock care from her children. Additionally, many of us have experienced the hazards of speeding cars racing down our neighborhood streets, vehicles weaving on freeways, and more. We have the right to be safe on our streets, but speeding takes that away from all of us.

Several Bay Area cities have recently launched speed camera programs, which are an effective mechanism to penalize speeders.

But what if we could prevent the worst speeding incidents from happening at all? That’s the vision behind Assembly Bill 981, introduced earlier this year by Assemblymember Mike Gipson, D-Carson. The bill proposes pilot tests of “Intelligent Speed Assistance” (ISA) devices for drivers convicted of serious speeding crimes in five California counties: Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, and Kern.

This would involve simple, low-cost devices that can be installed in cars to prevent them from exceeding a certain speed, usually 10 mph above the speed limit (no artificial intelligence required). ISA devices often have practical features that enhance usability and safety, such as accounting for slower speeds around schools and hospitals to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.

A recent CalMatters report showed that dangerous drivers in California often keep their licenses despite speeding tickets, reckless driving convictions, or vehicular killings. Many of these drivers continue to recklessly drive and crash again. Assembly Bill 981 promises to be a targeted and proactive complement to our existing speeding controls for this group of drivers, saving lives while reducing the burden on police and other enforcement. With a cost-effective solution like ISA devices, our state has the duty to stop preventable speeding-related deaths.

In fact, ISA devices have been successfully implemented in a number of other states and countries. Washington D.C., Virginia, and the state of Washington have passed bills that allow for installing ISA devices in the cars of reckless drivers. In 2024, the European Union made ISA devices mandatory on all new cars. Prior studies and pilots have shown that ISA devices work to significantly reduce excessive speeding. Similar approaches to ISA devices have already succeeded for other driving offenses; for example, existing California law mandates the installation of a breathalyzer lock on the vehicle of DUI-convicted drivers.

Assembly Bill 981 is currently in the Committee on Appropriations and needs strong public support to move forward in 2026. On a personal level, you can take steps to make streets safer, such as being conscious of your own speed when driving or starting discussions about speed with your friends and family.

This Thanksgiving, millions of Californians will drive to see their families. We deserve to see our family members over a table rather than in a coffin. We already have the technology and research—your support is what Assembly Bill 981 needs to implement ISA devices and make our cities safer for everyone.

Maxwell Ho is a medical student at UC San Francisco and a Master of Public Health student at UC Berkeley.