Maryland Implements Mandatory Speed Limiters for Habitual Offenders
Maryland state legislators have decided: if drivers refuse to stop speeding, their cars will have to do it for them. The House of Representatives and the Senate have approved a new bill that will require a certain category of habitual offenders to install Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) devices in their vehicles. If a driver accumulates enough serious speed-related violations, their car simply will not allow them to exceed the set limit.
Key points of the new law:
ISA Technology and the Experience of Other States
ISA technology is not new. Similar solutions are already being implemented or considered in other regions of the USA, including Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Washington state. More than a dozen other states are also studying similar legislation.
In Maryland, the law will not apply to everyone who receives a speeding ticket. It targets drivers with a history of repeated or particularly egregious speeding violations. Reportedly, such drivers may be allowed to retain limited driving privileges, but only on the condition of agreeing to install a special device.
This is a key element of the law. It is not aimed at those caught on a rare occasion when they slightly overdid it with the gas pedal. Targeting habitual offenders makes the law quite narrow, so the likelihood of a negative impact on those who are not regular offenders is very low.
Why License Suspension is Deemed Ineffective
Road safety activists believe this approach may prove more effective than simply suspending driver’s licenses. Some estimates suggest that approximately 75 percent of drivers with suspended licenses continue to operate a vehicle. Maryland’s new approach is based on the idea that if offenders are going to drive anyway, the state can at least ensure they cannot drive 90 miles per hour where 45 is allowed.
The bill has passed both houses of the Maryland legislature and now awaits the signature of Governor Wes Moore. Given his support for other road safety measures, there is little reason to believe it will not become law in the near future.
This step reflects a broader trend in seeking technological solutions to road safety problems, especially concerning those who ignore traditional forms of punishment. The implementation of ISA could become a testing ground for further expansion of similar measures if they prove their effectiveness in reducing accidents and violations. The question of balance between safety, private control over a vehicle, and the effectiveness of technologies will undoubtedly be the subject of further discussions not only in Maryland but across the entire country.