Chronic speeders may find themselves unable to speed if some New York lawmakers have their way.
A group of state legislators has proposed a bill that would mandate speed limiters on the cars of chronic speeders. Limiters are devices that prevent a car from exceeding a certain speed. Legislators have introduced versions of the bill in both houses of the state legislature.
Six Tickets Would Trigger It
CBS News reports, “Under the proposed legislation, drivers who accumulate six or more speeding tickets in a year or 11 or more points on their license in 18 months would have to install the device.” The device “would limit the speed of their car to no more than five miles over the speed limit.”
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The legislation would force drivers to install the devices for 12 months.
Speed-limiting technology has existed for decades. On older cars, mechanics can limit speed by installing a physical block on a car’s throttle body. In newer cars, the same effect is achieved with software. Some high-performance cars even have speed-limiting software preinstalled because their engines can produce enough power to damage themselves.
Some Safety Advocates Want Limiters for All
The federal government’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that regulators require speed limiters on all cars every year since 2019. But the NTSB’s recommendations are not binding, and federal regulators have never adopted that proposal.
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In New York, CBS reports, “Speed is a contributing factor of 30% of traffic fatalities.”
In a press conference announcing the legislation, Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) explained, “There is a persistent cohort of drivers who are getting five, six, seven, 10, 15, 20 speeding tickets — and driving on our streets recklessly without any consequences whatsoever.”
