California is a state that could change the shape of the car market as we know it. It leads the country in emissions standards and is the birthplace of the modern electric vehicle trend. But implement basic measures to prevent speeding? It would be too complicated, according to the state’s governor, who apparently vetoed the speeding warning law.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday rejected California’s speeding warning proposal SB-961, after the bill passed the state Senate earlier this month, according to Related press. The solution would require new cars to provide a short, single audiovisual signal when the car exceeds the speed limit by 10 miles per hour, starting in 2030. Vehicles would determine when to display a warning by comparing their current speed to a database of known speed limits that the state would collect. Exceptions would apply to emergency vehicles, motorcycles and scooters, but otherwise it would be a step towards reducing California’s high rate of speeding fatalities – as if speeding people weren’t already privileged enough in California.

However, Newsom vetoed the bill, arguing that it would complicate the regulatory environment due to state-specific security technology laws.

“Federal law implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) already regulates vehicle safety standards,” Newsom said in a statement explaining his veto. “Adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations that undermine this long-standing federal framework. NHTSA is also actively evaluating intelligent speed assistance systems and imposing state-level mandates now risks disrupting ongoing federal evaluations.”

The governor argues that safety standards are the province of the federal government (though states have the authority to enforce higher standards) and that California’s own regulations could make it more difficult to implement federal standards. It tells the story of a country that has had no problem imposing its own emissions standards for decades, and now finds itself on its heels as the tide turns in favor of speed limits.

Just last year, the National Transportation Safety Board reportedly recommended making speeding warnings federally mandatory – the same type of alerts in California have just gone down. They have already been codified in Europe, which will require speeding warnings in new cars from next summer. Perhaps this is an unnecessary effort on California’s part since the standards will actually be implemented anyway, but it’s hard to imagine a more ironic way to donate money.

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