Too Fast, Too Fed Up: States Clamp Down With Speed Limiters

What Happened

A tragic high-speed crash in Renton, Washington, has sparked a national conversation about how the justice system handles repeat reckless drivers. It has also raised questions about whether technology should be part of the solution.

In July 2022, 19-year-old Chase Daniel Jones ran a red light at 112 mph, killing four people, including three children. This wasn't his first incident. He had been in two prior crashes and had a documented obsession with speed.

Now, Washington State has passed a law that would require convicted reckless drivers to use speed-limiting technology in their vehicles. Known as intelligent speed assistance (ISA), this system uses GPS to prevent a car from exceeding certain speeds. If a driver tries to override it, the system can notify authorities.

Other states are following Washington’s lead. Virginia, Georgia, and the District of Columbia are advancing similar measures. California and New York are exploring their own versions. The Renton case has become a rallying point for lawmakers fed up with repeat offenders who continue to drive despite suspended licenses or prior convictions.

Washington’s new law is named the BEAM Act, in memory of the children who died in that crash: two siblings and their cousin. It's a response to what critics say is a broken enforcement system where license suspensions don’t stop people from driving and speeding again.

Why It Matters

The U.S. has a traffic fatality problem. After decades of decline, road deaths have surged in recent years, with over 42,000 lives lost in 2022 alone. A large portion of those deaths were caused by speeding. However, courts often rely on license suspensions or probation –penalties that rely on the honor system.

What the BEAM Act and similar proposals recognize is that some drivers can’t be trusted to self-regulate. These are not casual speeders. They are individuals with a pattern of extreme, reckless behavior that puts everyone around them at risk.

License suspensions are easy to ignore. Law enforcement can’t be everywhere. But a speed limiter built into the car changes the equation, as it prevents the offense from happening in the first place. Should someone try to bypass it, the system alerts the authorities. It’s tech-assisted accountability.

Opponents argue that speed limiters raise privacy concerns and could malfunction. But supporters counter that we already accept far more invasive technology in everything from phone apps to insurance tracking.

How It Affects You

For safe drivers, these new laws probably won’t touch your daily life. But they could make the roads around you safer, which is the point. It’s not about punishing everyone. It’s about targeting the small number of drivers responsible for a large share of the risk.

If you've ever felt anxious on the highway because someone flew past you going over 100 mph, these laws are meant to deal with that. The laws being written are about consequences for behavior that repeatedly endangers others.

For parents, the stakes are different. The Renton crash that spurred the BEAM Act was a tragedy, but a preventable one. These new rules try to make sure someone’s history of reckless behavior doesn’t lead to more unnecessary funerals.

Technology won’t solve every problem. But in this case, it can stop the most dangerous drivers from turning their cars into weapons. For lawmakers in Washington and beyond, that’s a step worth taking.