A California survey questioning the location and driving tendencies of classic car owners has many residents concerned the state will crackdown on vintage cars.

California has reportedly proposed “zero emissions zones,” and classic car owners fear future legislation could place them in the crosshairs.

The Daily Caller exclusively broke the story of an August 2nd survey by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) “about light-duty vehicles made in model year 1978 or earlier.”

The survey reportedly sought information “about tendencies they have while using the classic vehicles, including the county in which they are primarily driven.”

Daily Caller reported last month:

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The survey on classic cars follows a 2019 CARB draft report which suggests that the state should “provide explicit authority to local jurisdictions to create zero-emission zones” in order to combat climate change.

The survey also asks respondents to specify how many miles are registered on the odometers of their classic cars and approximate annual mileage, as well as the frequency and distance travelled of their cruises. California has the most classic car collectors of any state in the country, according to RotoWire.

A “zero emissions zone” is “an area where only zero-emission vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists are granted unrestricted access” that is intended to help counter climate change, according to The International Council on Clean Transportation.

California is favorable for classic cars because the state’s weather is generally good for their preservation, its scenic views make for enjoyable cruising and there are scores of classic car clubs throughout the state, according to AutoInsurance.org, which ranked California as the best state in the country for classic car owners.

“Like many owners of classic cars in California I received a letter from CARB inquiring about the amount of usage of one of my cars. There has been much speculation about what the information would be used for and concern about a possible ban on driving classic cars. California has recently been looking into ‘zero emissions zones’ in populated areas, which prompted suspicion among enthusiasts,” Mike Frankovich wrote.

Frankovich shared a copy of the survey:

*Screenshot from Mike Frankovich YouTube Video*

WATCH:

The Auto Wire reports:

Daily Caller also points out how CARB issued a report back in 2019 suggesting the state should allow “local jurisdictions to create zero-emissions zones.” If that sounds a little too similar to the ULEZ zones that have taken over all of London’s boroughs in the UK, with plate readers fining people daily for violations, you’re not alone.

California car culture already isn’t what it used to be but is still pretty amazing. However, moves like this could accelerate the current trajectory.

Of course, the justification for full-on banning older cars from certain areas or making the owners pay a daily fee to drive there is climate change. After seeing the amount of emissions produced by private jets, cruise ships, EV mining/production, Space X rockets, and many other things that are widely celebrated, defended, and/or enjoyed one can’t help but feel cynical about these mounting restrictions.

But California has a net-zero carbon emissions goal set for 2045 and so we can expect even more restrictions on the horizon. We hope it doesn’t get to the point that authorities go door to door looking for classic cars to seize and crush, but the mere mention of zero-emission zones would’ve been dismissed as crazy conspiracy theory only a few short years ago.

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