NY officials want to put speed-limit boxes in cars to stop repeat offenders
For years, drivers caught operating a vehicle under the influence have been required to install interlock devices, systems that prevent ignition unless the driver provides a clean breath sample. It’s a direct way of linking responsibility to access, a reminder that tech can enforce behavior where judgment falls short.
Read: NY’s Most Dangerous Driver Racked Up Over 560 Tickets Last Year
In the near future, New York could take a similar approach to speeding, introducing a device designed to make chronic offenders ease off the gas. Under a new proposal, repeat speeders might soon find their vehicles physically incapable of breaking the limit.
Speed Control for the Reckless
The ‘Stop Super Speeders Act’, sponsored by State Senator Andrew Gounardes, would necessitate the fitment of an intelligent speed assistance device if a driver accumulates 11 or more points on their driving record during 24 months, or if they receive 16 speed camera or red light camera tickets within 12 months.
The device sits on the dashboard and uses GPS to recognize posted speed limits, capping the car at 5 mph above the posted limit, regardless of how heavily the driver slams on the throttle. The system includes a certain number of allowable overrides in the case of an emergency.
Senator Gounardes says that offenders would be responsible for the cost of the device, valued at roughly $1,000. The bill recently passed in the Senate, and if it’s approved by the Assembly and then the Governor, could initially impact between 3,000 and 4,000 vehicles in the state.
“We estimate that it’ll probably be somewhere between [3,000] or 4,000 vehicles initially that would be subject to this law, but they are also the worst of the vehicles on our streets right now,” Gounardes said.
“Honing in on this tiny minority of highly dangerous drivers makes the road so much safer for all of us,” Assembly member Robert Carroll told CBS News.
“And I think that if this happens to you and your car is suddenly — you have to have this limiting technology on your car for six months or a year, you’re gonna start changing your habits because you’re realizing that what you’re doing is out of bounds,” he added.
Resistance on the Horizon
Not everyone is a fan of the proposal. Some lawmakers feel the technology adds another layer of government oversight, while some have raised concerns about loopholes, like a driver simply switching to a vehicle without the device installed.
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Brad Anderson’s lifelong affair and fascination with cars started young. Before even graduating high school,… Read full bio
