New Virginia bill could help stop excessive speeders

Virginia Delegate Patrick Hope says if this bill is signed, “it will save lives.”

RICHMOND, Va. — A new bill in Virginia could help stop excessive speeders and repeat offenders.

If signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin, HB2096 would give the Virginia DMV and judges an alternative to suspending a license or a sentence for jail time by instead enrolling the offender in the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program.

The program would require offenders to install a tracker which notifies or completely limits a driver when they exceed the speed limit.

“It allows people to continue driving on a restricted license, but it requires them to drive at the speed limit and makes it nearly impossible to speed,” Virginia House Delegate Patrick Hope explained.

The bill was introduced by Hope and was later passed by the General Assembly.

According to Hope, the purpose of the bill is to save lives by stopping excessive speeders and repeat offenders.

The bill requires a court order in order to be placed in the program if the offender was convicted of reckless driving and found driving over 100mph.

However, if you’re a repeat offender who has accumulated demerit points on your license, under the bill the DMV must provide the option to the program as an alternative to getting your license suspended.

According to the Virginia DMV, in 2023, speed-related incidents made up 19.8% of all traffic crashes, and 49.5% of all traffic fatalities that occurred that year.

Tammy Gweedo McGee from The Gweedo Memorial Fund said she lost her 16-year-old son Conner in a car crash due to an unlicensed, reckless driver back in 2019. Since the fatal crash, McGee has been pushing for more safe driving laws in Virginia, along with education.

“No matter if you’re going 100 mph in Norfolk or 134 mph in Chesterfield… no matter where you are, speed limits are the speed limits,” McGee said.

McGee is one of the advocates pushing for HB2096 in partnership with Families for Safe Streets.

“It’s too late to save Conner,” McGee explained, “And it’s too late to save the tens of thousands losing their lives on roadways each and every year, but it’s not too late for someone to do something about it. That’s what we want to make sure that the governor understands how important this bill is to save lives here in Virginia.”