Virginia’s speed-limiting legislation to take effect July 1

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — New legislation going into effect this summer could change the way reckless speeders are penalized.

The law, signed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, would allow a speed-limiting device to be placed on a driver's car. Virginia State Police said they support anything that sees drivers slowing down.

According to data, Virginia State Police issued more than 8,500 citations for speeding and reckless driving last year across Division 5. That includes Greenville to the west, Hampton Roads, Mathews County and the Eastern Shore.

"That is someone who is cited for driving more than 20 miles [per hour] above the speed limit, or someone driving above 80 miles per hour,” VSP spokesperson Matt Demlein said.

The new Intelligent Speed Assistance Program will apply to drivers speeding above 100 mph. A convicted driver will have the option of enrolling in the program instead of having their license suspended.

Once the device is installed on the car, the driver won't be allowed to drive another vehicle while they're in the program. Tampering with the device or trying to get around it would be a Class 1 misdemeanor. The simple message, according to police: just don't speed.

"People always say, 'Hey, I need to get to a location fast. You've been sitting at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel for a while, or the Monitor-Merrimac, and you want to get to someplace,” Demlein said, but speed equals less control of your vehicle and less stopping distance in case another driver does something unexpectedly in front of you, he noted.

Demlein also said speed increases the likelihood that, when you hit something, all that machinery meant to protect you can't do its job.

"Cars are built fairly sturdy these days, but if you're hitting something at a high rate of speed, if you're hitting a tree, or a guardrail or another vehicle, I mean, physics works regardless," Demlein said.

In 2024, there were more than 25,000 speed-related crashes and 410 speed-related fatalities in the commonwealth. Demlein said police are in favor of anything that gets people to slow down.

“Much rather that folks take a little more time [and] get to your destination late rather than not get to your destination at all or cause someone else to not get to their destination at all," he said.

Virginia will be the first state to use this program. D.C. has similar legislation, and New York City is using speed-limiting technology on its municipal fleet. The law takes effect July 1.

To read more about the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program, click here.