By 2029 prolific speeders in Washington State will no longer have the ability to drive as fast as they want.
Gov. Bob Ferguson on Monday signed House Bill 1596 into law, requiring a new speed-limiting device as a condition to getting a restricted driver’s license after getting it suspended for reckless driving or excessive speeding.
Judges can also require the speed limiters as a condition of pre-trial release or post-conviction probation, says the Washington State Standard.
The technology, far from unfamiliar to UK readers, and shown at a demonstration at the Capitol on Monday, is similar to ignition interlock devices that require people with histories of drunk driving to blow into a breathalyser to show their blood alcohol concentration before they can start the car. These new devices use GPS to restrict speed to the posted limit. Under the legislation, drivers could override the limiter three times per month.
The bill received bipartisan support in the Legislature as the state aims to turn the tide on traffic deaths after reaching a 33-year high in 2023. Of the 809 deaths that year, a third involved speeding drivers.
“What’s behind this bill is a really simple goal, which is to save lives,” Ferguson said.
The new law is known as the BEAM Act, named after four people killed in a crash last year with a speeding driver near Renton: Boyd Buster Brown, Eloise Wilcoxson, Andrea Smith Hudson and Matilda Wilcoxson.
Last month, a judge sentenced the driver in the case to 17½ years in prison after he pleaded guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide in the high-speed crash. The driver was held up as an example of someone who would’ve needed to install a speed limiter. In the prior 10 months, he had reportedly been involved in two crashes in which his speeding was a factor.
In Europe, new vehicles are required to have intelligent speed assistance technology installed, but in the United States, the speed limiter idea is new.
Last month, Virginia became the first state to enact such legislation, requiring intelligent speed assistance devices for drivers convicted of going over 100 mph. Georgia quickly followed, with a bill awaiting the governor’s signature.
(Pic: Yay Images)
