NEW laws threaten to take away driver control by fitting cars with a smart device.
The new laws will punish reckless drivers with a device that makes it harder to push on the accelerator.
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Washington joins Virginia in enacting laws that place speed-limiting tech in cars of drivers who have reckless driving records.
State Governor Bob Ferguson signed a law back in May, requiring drivers with suspended licenses for reckless driving to have intelligent speed assistance devices installed in their cars if they want to drive again.
The devices monitor the driver’s speed and prevent their car from going over local speeding limits – it is similar to cruise control.
It comes as Washington’s state traffic safety commission reported that fatal crashes in which speed was a factor increased nearly 40% between 2019 to 2023.
“This legislation was inspired by a crash when four individuals, including three children, were killed when their car was struck by a driver going 112 miles per hour,” said Ferguson while singing the new law.
Similar bills have been filed in at least five other states looking to crack down on reckless drivers with repeat offenses, Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety told USA Today.
“Sometimes it just takes one state to get the momentum going,” she added.
“This is a new type of measure with a newer technology in the US that’s really making good progress at the state level across the country.”
The law will come into effect in January 2029.
ANTI-SPEEDING TECH LAWS
Virginia became the first state to enact anti-speeding tech laws in April, requiring ISA devices for those who were convicted of driving more than 100 mph.
There’s an alternative with the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program in Virginia, allowing judges to require ISA devices for drivers with repeat reckless driving offenses, but who don’t want their licenses suspended.
The devices are small enough to fit on an air vent and can stop drivers from going over the speed limit.
The laws are similar to the state’s laws on Breathalyzer ignition interlocks, according to Tara Gill, senior director of advocacy and state legislation for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
The bipartisan-backed law in Virginia comes into effect in July 2026.
“It’s nice to see some common ground when our country can seem so divisive politically,” said Chase.
OTHER STATES TO FOLLOW?
Meanwhile, other states such as California and Connecticut have considered some aways to introduce anti-speeding tech, said Gill.
In New York City, the Department of Transportation expanded its ISA pilot program after a recent study using 500 city fleet cars showed that the devices produced an 82% decrease on high-speed roads and 64% decline in overall speeding.
California has considered taking the tech a step further, introducing a bill that would put the devices in every car, which failed.
The state’s current ISA bill is in limbo in the state assembly after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a measure last year that would’ve made it the first law of its kind in the US.
The failed bill would have required every vehicle sold or leased in California to be equipped with a passive ISA system that would alert drivers if they went over the speed limit by more than 10 mph.
However, Gov. Newsom said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “already regulates vehicle safety standards, and adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations that undermines this longstanding federal framework” in his veto.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an auto industry lobbying association questioned lawmaker’s motives behind the proposed bill.
The group referred to a 2022 law that requires new European cars to have at least one of four speed limit recognition warning systems installed.
“What they have in Europe is mandatory intelligent speed assist,” the group said.
“It includes technology meant to be a reminder to the driver… not a restrictor… and uses cameras and GPS to recognize clear/visible speed limit signs on the roads.”
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