The U.S. is the only developed country in the entire world where the roads have gotten more dangerous. Every other developed country has figured out how to make its roads safer, but not us. One state lawmaker in Virginia, however, recently introduced legislation that might help with that problem — at least a little bit.
State Delegate Patrick Hope has sponsored a bill that would allow judges to order people convicted of reckless driving to install a speed limiter in their cars instead of having their licenses suspended, preventing them from speeding until the court allows them to remove it, the Washington Post reports. And while it hasn’t been signed into law just yet, that will likely change once the General Assembly accepts one change that Governor Youngkin recommended.
While intelligent speed limiters aren’t perfect, the benefits of this legislation are twofold. It would prevent drivers who can’t be trusted to drive responsibly from speeding, but it would also allow them to continue to drive legally. One of the biggest problems with suspending someone’s license is that, even if they shouldn’t be driving, it’s almost impossible to prevent someone from driving on a suspended license unless you also impound their car. Even then, they could still borrow someone else’s. Plus, they still need to get to work, and in most of the country, that means driving a car. Requiring speed limiters, therefore, is a win for everyone involved, including other drivers.
Governor’s support
Hope’s bill isn’t unprecedented, either, even in the U.S. Washington, D.C. recently adopted a similar law, after all. California also tried to require speed warnings in new cars, but Governor Newsom vetoed the bill. It also has the support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Safety Council, and, as the Washington Post points out, isn’t really all that different than judges requiring people convicted of drunk driving to install a breathalyzer in their car.
While Gov. Youngkin did strike the requirement that reckless drivers use the speed limiter for between two and six months, saying the judges should be allowed to decide how long drivers need to keep the limiter installed, the bill previously passed both the state House and Senate, and Youngkin is expected to sign the modified version once it passes the Assembly.
People convicted of reckless driving would be required to pay for the speed limiters themselves, although the bill makes an exception for low-income drivers who can’t afford it. Anyone who attempts to get around the order by tampering with the speed limiter or driving a different car also faces a misdemeanor charge that could land them in jail for up to a year. It will probably be frustrating for the drivers forced to use it, but it’s not like anyone forced them to drive so fast they caught a reckless driving conviction, nor is there any reason to drive over 100 mph on public roads. If you want to do that, go to a race track. Speeding contributes to more than 10,000 deaths every year, The Drive points out, and other people making it home safely is infinitely more important than your need for speed.
IIHS support
That doesn’t mean there aren’t downsides to requiring speed limiters, though. They occasionally glitch or use an outdated speed limit, which means there’s a chance they may occasionally be allowed to speed or forced to drive too slow. And if you regularly drive the speed limit or close to it, you know how aggressive some other drivers can get when they can’t drive as fast as they want. Still, when Ian Reagan, a researcher for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, tested an aftermarket speed limiter like the ones that would be required under the new law, he said it impressed him.
The limiter reportedly slowed him down when the speed limit dropped, even before he noticed the change, which he said could also help drivers avoid speed traps and camera tickets. And without the ability to speed, he also found driving to be more relaxing while he stayed in the right lane and “let the system do its thing.” As he told the Post, “Once I sort of shifted my mindset … I found it to be sort of relaxing compared to the way I drove previously.”
Whether more states follow D.C.’s lead and require reckless drivers to use speed limiters or not, if the IIHS is giving limiters its endorsement, don’t be surprised if insurance companies begin requiring drivers with super speeding tickets or reckless driving charges to install them anyway. Otherwise, you may soon become uninsurable.
