California lawmaker plots another attack on drivers with ‘Big Brother’ in cars

A California lawmaker wants to bring in drastic measures to stop drivers from speeding — by forcing them to install devices that track their location and control a vehicle’s acceleration.

Democratic Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria is pushing state legislation this year that would authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles to create a pilot program.

The proposal would mandate drivers convicted of severe speeding offenses to install, if ordered by a judge, an intelligent speed assistance (ISA) device.

Such devices use GPS data to interact with speed-limit data that could tell the vehicle to automatically stay below a speed limit or make acceleration more difficult, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Drivers who tamper with the device or drive without it can be charged with a misdemeanor under the bill.

The devices are needed to protect lives, Soria claimed when announcing the bill. She cited statistics from the DMV showing that a third of fatalities on California’s roads are speeding related.

“Californians rely on our cars more than any other state and there needs to be a constant effort to keep our streets safe,” she said. “AB 2276 will help to save lives and hold those who recklessly speed accountable.”

Some other states, such as Virginia, have already implemented an ISA requirement, and according to the NHTSA, the devices “have been found to lower speed” among drivers.

But critics worry that even if effective, the devices can be an invasion of privacy, erode individual freedoms, and be potentially inaccurate by removing officer discretion.

“Californians don’t need Big Brother telling them how to drive; we need solutions that respect personal responsibility and focus on meaningful safety improvements,” said State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R) in opposition to ISAs.

Even Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill two years ago, citing how it would create a state patchwork of regulations undermining a federal framework.

California’s government has been making multiple attempts to intrude on drivers’ privacy and rights in the name of traffic safety.

Cameras that record the license plates of speeders and issue tickets went into effect a year ago in San Francisco, the San Francisco Standard reported.

Meanwhile, the DMV last year launched a program that automatically refers anybody with excessive speeding to a safety division that would determine whether to suspend licenses — even without a conviction.

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