Virginia is set to become the first state in the country to require some reckless drivers to put devices on their cars that make it impossible to drive too fast.
D.C. passed similar legislation last year. Several other states, including Maryland, are considering joining them. It’s an embrace of a technological solution to a national problem: Speeding contributes to more than 10,000 deaths a year.
Under the Virginia legislation, a judge can decide to order drivers to install the speed limiters in their vehicles in lieu of taking away their driving privileges or sending them to jail. It takes effect in July 2026.
Del. Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington) said various advocacy groups, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Safety Council, gave him the idea. He drove a car outfitted with the technology and was impressed. “It was easy to use, and once you’re engaged it’s impossible to go over the speed limit,” he said. “It will make our streets safer.”
Hope they keep those maps updated, the assist on our BMW constantly gets the speed limits wrong. There’s a section that was changed from 50km/h to 70km/h years ago and it still gets confused because the signs don’t match the map it’s using, flip flopping between the two multiple times.
But at least it’s just an option, it doesn’t restrict or automatically do anything so it’s not a huge issue.
BMW probably know this feature goes very underutilised by their target demographic so they hope nobody notices.