Some DUI offenders are required to install and use an ignition interlock device on their vehicle if they hope to continue driving following a drunk driving conviction, and now a similar technology may be imposed on chronic speeders.
Rep. Larry Kraft, DFL-St. Louis Park, is sponsoring a bill that would require certain offenders to have an intelligent speed assistance program installed on their vehicle if they wanted to continue getting behind the wheel after certain driving offenses.
“This bill is about saving lives and reducing serious injuries,” Kraft said in a meeting of the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 23. “And it comes from the very simple premise that too much speed causes too much death on our roads.”
The Intelligent Speed Assistance program, or ISA, would be installed on a repeat offender’s vehicle to ensure they do not drive above a set speed limit in a given area. The device uses location tracking to identify where the driver is and the speed limit of the roads they are on to help keep the driver at appropriate speeds. Proponents of the technology said that it can be used in passive and active modes to provide different levels of speed awareness and assistance to the driver.
“It can be used as a passive signal to the driver that they are exceeding the speed limit, or it can be used in an active mode, where it literally limits the acceleration of the vehicle and maintains the vehicle at the speed limit,” said Ian Thomas, technical assistance lead of America Walks, as he spoke in favor of the bill at the committee meeting.
Who Would Qualify For The ISA Device?
Although use of the device would depend on how many speeding offenses a driver has committed in a set time period and the severity of these offenses, the bill laid out some more information about who might qualify for the device. It states:
- ISA would be optional for people who have had their licenses revoked for speeding offenses. Installing an ISA could allow them to have a restricted license while they work back towards their normal license. Similar to an ignition interlock device, the participant would by required to pay the costs associated with installation, maintenance and program fees. These specific costs have not yet been calculated.
- Three speeding offenses in 12 months would potentially make a person eligible for ISA.
- A person required to use the device caught driving without an ISA would be charged with a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and fines up to $1,000.
The House Transportation Committee approved the bill. It will now head before the House Judiciary Committee.
While this ISA device would undoubtedly keep repeat offenders from driving at illegal speeds, opponents of the program likely don’t agree with the idea that Big Brother would effectively be following a person whenever they are in a vehicle and intervening when necessary. Is this overreach really the best way to keep speeders from endangering the public? We’ll keep tabs on the bill as it continues to search for approval.
In the meantime, if you need an aggressive law firm to help contest a traffic charge that you are facing, connect with Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
