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It’s Time to Stop Super Speeders
New York State may be the first state to implement speed limiters for repeat offenders. Legislation like this is a good step in our collective efforts to make our streets slower and safer.
If you live in New York state, please take action to ensure that the Speed Limiters for Repeat Offenders bill (SB4045 / A2299) passes THIS legislative session. It recently passed the Senate Transportation Committee and action is needed now to keep momentum. Join with Families for Safe Streets New York in the #StopSuperSpeeders week of action on June 2-6!
Controlling vehicle speeds is at the core of improving traffic safety. “Safer Speeds” are one of five elements in the Safe System Approach articulated by the United States Department of Transportation, reflecting both the need to reduce speeding and the need to lower speed limits in combination with better roadway design.
Nationwide, in 2023, speeding killed 11,775 people, and about 26-29 percent of traffic deaths have involved speeding every year over the last decade. Speeding is a persistent problem, and it is not uncommon to hear the sentiment that “not everyone is going to go the speed limit.”
The persistence and perception of speeding can overlook the reality that most people intend to follow the speed limit. Research shows that a minority of people, estimated to be between 12, 14 or 30 percent of drivers, are frequent speeders who tend to speed more often, at higher speeds, and with active disdain for speed limits.
In New York City, their speed camera program provides data that shows an even smaller subset of frequent speeders, with only 1.5% of vehicles receiving 6 or more speed camera tickets in a year, yet they’re involved in over 20% of pedestrian deaths in New York City.
The League of American Bicyclists believes that Slow Roads Save Lives, and that the United States should tackle its persistent and pervasive unsafe speeds through comprehensive action to redesign streets and reset speed limits for safety. To do this will require finding actions we can take to move issues forward and de-normalize speeding.
In recent years, one promising action is to target the subset of people who are frequent speeders and use technology to reduce their speeding. Just as we allow judges to require the installation of interlock devices for drivers who are convicted of driving while intoxicated, several states have now allowed judges to require the installation of intelligent speed assistance devices for drivers convicted of certain repeat or reckless speeding offenses. Starting in 2024, Washington, DC; Virginia; and Washington state have enacted laws providing for the use of this technology as part of sentencing for speeding-related offenses, thanks in part to a campaign by Families for Safe Streets who is also supporting the legislation in New York.
Intelligent speed assistance is a tool that helps people drive the speed limit — something that most of us intend to do. It is required on new vehicles in the European Union and has been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board in the US. Data from trials with municipal vehicles show strong reductions in speeding and acceptance by drivers. A recent survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that a majority of drivers would accept intelligent speed assistance in their vehicle.
Allowing judges to require the installation of this technology in the vehicles of the worst speeders should be a first step towards the widespread benefits of slower speeds. Please join Families for Safe Streets, Transportation Alternatives, and the League of American Bicyclists in the #StopSuperSpeeders week of action on June 2-6!