Soon, habitual speeders won’t have the physical ability to speed in their own cars
- Virginia is pushing forward a bill that will allow habitual speeders to keep their license.
- Rather than lose it, they’ll have a speed limiter installed in their car.
- It’s not the only state considering such a measure, as Washington and New York are, too.
Drivers who speed regularly and end up with a suspended license pose a big problem. They often need to drive to get to work or school. At the same time, there’s nothing to physically stop them from driving or from borrowing someone else’s car. Now, the state of Virginia is about to pass a new law enabling them to keep driving legally, but with one caveat: the inability to go over the speed limit.
Read: This Town Uses Squiggly Road Lines To Slow Down Drivers
If passed, the bill would make Virginia the first state in the country to adopt intelligent speed assistance systems as a legal requirement. The legislation has been winding its way through the state’s halls of power since early January. If signed into law, it will give judges the authority to require repeat speed offenders to install intelligent speed-limiting technology in their vehicles.
The system works by syncing with GPS and traffic data to detect the current speed limit—then capping the vehicle’s speed to match it. No more, no less. The bill has already cleared both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, and while Governor Glenn Youngkin sent it back with one recommended tweak, final approval now looks like a matter of time.
The Governor’s Edit
Youngkin’s revision doesn’t change much. He’s suggesting that instead of requiring the limiter for a fixed period of two to six months, judges should be able to decide how long the device stays installed based on each case. It’s likely that the Assembly will agree and the bill will soon become law.
Interestingly, Virginia is far from the only state considering something like this. Washington State is also considering such an option. In addition, New York State is also considering something it calls the Stop Super Speeders bill.
It aims to add intelligent speed limiters to vehicles owned by those who “accrue 11 or more points on their license in a 24-month period, or who receive six speed camera or red-light camera tickets in a year,” says the Gothamist.
Speed Limits, Meet Tech Limits
Of course, no technology is foolproof. People will almost certainly find ways to work around these systems, whether by hacking, disabling, or simply using someone else’s car. But it’s a new tool in the toolbox for states looking to crack down on repeat offenders, and whether it genuinely reduces crashes or dangerous speeding is something only time (and traffic data) will tell.
In the meantime, if you’re tempted to floor it, maybe don’t, especially in Virginia. It might still be the “State for Lovers,” but it’s quickly becoming a state with zero patience for lead feet.
Lead image IIHS / Studycorp
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