FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 A new effort to crack down on dangerous drivers in California is gaining attention as lawmakers push forward legislation aimed at repeat speeders.<\/p>\n
Assembly member Esmeralda Soria has introduced a bill that would require certain drivers with multiple speeding offenses to install a device in their vehicles that automatically limits how fast they can go. The measure, known as the \u201cStop Super Speeders Act\u201d (AB 2276), is designed to improve road safety and prevent deadly crashes.<\/p>\n
The program could first roll out as a pilot in several counties, including Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Shasta. While the proposal was initially intended to be implemented statewide, consultants recommended starting with a smaller pilot program.<\/p>\n
The legislation is driven in part by tragic cases like that of Paul Martinez, who was killed at just 21 years old after being struck by a speeding driver in Fresno. His father, Joe Martinez, says the loss is something he lives with every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing 21 years old and suddenly your entire life, dreams, goals\u2014everything\u2014is just wiped out by the distraction of one person who was speeding,\u201d he said. According to reports, the driver who hit Paul was traveling 54 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone.<\/p>\n
Traffic safety remains a serious concern in Fresno. Data from Smart Growth America ranks the city as the seventh worst in the nation for pedestrian deaths.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not want to see another father who grieves every single day because he lost his child to someone driving recklessly,\u201d Soria said.<\/p>\n
Under AB 2276, judges would have the authority to require repeat offenders to install Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) devices in their vehicles. The technology functions similarly to cruise control but automatically adjusts a car\u2019s speed based on posted limits using GPS data.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce the technology is installed, it knows the speed limit of the neighborhood or freeway and makes adjustments accordingly,\u201d Soria explained. \u201cThis is for those folks who haven\u2019t learned their lesson from simply getting a ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the proposal has drawn criticism from some groups. Opponents argue that the bill\u2019s language is too broad and could create unintended safety risks. Critics say there are situations where drivers may need to accelerate quickly to avoid danger, and limiting speed could make those situations more hazardous.<\/p>\n
Supporters counter that the bill is about accountability and protecting lives on the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would think this is a no-brainer bill,\u201d said Martinez, \u201cIt holds repeat offenders accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bill is still in the early stages of the legislative process. Its next step is review by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 A new effort to crack down on dangerous drivers in California is gaining attention…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265046,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-265045","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}