New WA law requires speed-restricting tech for reckless drivers ‘to save lives’

Washington state is going to be cracking down on chronic, reckless speeders.

Gov. Bob Ferguson this week signed a bill into law that requires the installation of intelligent speed assistance (ISA) devices on the vehicles of drivers found guilty of going above the speed limit “in a dangerous manner.”

Under House Bill 1596, the GPS-based device tracks such drivers’ speed and limits them from accelerating over the posted limit.

Ferguson explained at the May 12 bill signing that the legislation was inspired by last year’s high-speed crash in King County that killed four people, including three children.

“What’s behind this bill is, of course, a really simple goal, which is to save lives,” he said, flanked by the family members of crash victims.

The bill comes at a time when Washington has witnessed an increase in speeding and traffic fatalities, counting more than 800 in 2023, Ferguson said.

State Rep. Mari Leavitt, a University Place Democrat, sponsored the bill mandating use of ISA devices for people with suspended licenses due to excessive or reckless speeding, or pursuant to a court order. She said it’s called the “BEAM Act” to honor those who lost their lives in the aforementioned crash: Buster B. Brown, Eloise Wilcoxson, Andrea Smith Hudson and Matilda Wilcoxson.

The driver in that March 2024 case reportedly ran a red light at 112 miles per hour. He’d been involved in three prior speed-related crashes over the previous 11 months, Ferguson said.

Chase Daniel Jones, 19, recently pleaded guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault, and last month received a prison sentence of more than 17 years, according to the Kent Reporter.

Speaking with McClatchy following Monday’s signing, Leavitt acknowledged the work of local law enforcement who testified in favor of the bill, and the dedication of the involved families.

Leavitt said it’s phenomenal to get a new concept like passed in just one year. She noted that it took time for ideas like seat belts and the ignition interlock program for DUI offenders to manifest.

“It’s because of the families and their stories, and their willingness to share over and over and over again, that made the difference to get it done,” she said.

The BEAM Act, which attracted strong bipartisan support, will take effect Jan. 1, 2029.

Steilacoom Police Chief Tom Yabe testified in favor of the bill as it was working its way through the Legislature. He told McClatchy on Monday that speeding is the “single No. 1 most prominent complaint” in Steilacoom.

He said excessive speeding happens frequently enough — some drivers zoom by at more than 20 miles per hour over the limit — that it’s concerning to residents.

“So anything that we can do or any help we can get from the Legislature to help address that concern, even in our smallest communities like the town of Steilacoom, we’re all for it,” Yabe said.

Former Washington State Trooper Ken Denton called the ISA device a “great tool,” according to KOMO.

“People that have shown they are not going to obey the law, they are not going to slow down,” said Denton, today the chief compliance officer for LifeSafer Ignition Interlock. “This will force them to slow down.”