In October 2013, Amy Cohen’s 12-year-old son Sammy was struck and killed by a speeding driver outside their Brooklyn home. That tragedy propelled her to co-found Families for Safe Streets, a group that has since connected thousands of families devastated by similar losses. Many of those drivers had prior infractions, some traveling at 80, 90, or even 100 mph on roads where children walk to school. The question Cohen and others now pose: Why can someone convicted of reckless driving still get behind the wheel and repeat that behavior?
The answer, they argue, lies in a technology called Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA). This device uses GPS and onboard mapping to prevent a vehicle from exceeding the posted speed limit. Already standard in commercial truck fleets for decades, modern ISA systems can be retrofitted into nearly all passenger cars. This month, the Governors Highway Safety Association—the nonprofit representing state road safety officials—released a major report endorsing ISA for repeat offenders.
Pilot programs underscore the technology’s effectiveness. In New York City, nearly 895,000 miles driven with ISA showed 99.74% compliance with speed limits and a 36% drop in hard braking events, often a proxy for unsafe driving. A separate pilot on ten small school buses in Washington, D.C., logged 10,000 miles over three months without a single speeding incident. These aren’t abstract numbers; for Cohen, they represent the difference between a child coming home and a parent’s worst nightmare.
Speeding killed 11,288 Americans in 2024, accounting for 29% of all traffic fatalities. The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, known as the “100 deadliest days of summer,” sees a spike in crashes, particularly among teen drivers. Despite being one of the most preventable causes of death on U.S. roads, speeding has stubbornly resisted policy fixes—until now.
Washington, D.C., became the first jurisdiction to mandate ISA for persistent speeders in 2024. Since then, seven states—Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, and most recently New York—have passed similar laws. Virginia’s program kicks off July 1. Sixteen additional states have introduced legislation this year, drawing bipartisan support. The approach is narrow: it targets only drivers with criminal convictions for reckless driving, street racing, extreme speeding, or those with accumulated speed camera violations and license points. As Cohen notes, it mirrors the logic behind ignition interlocks for drunk drivers—a policy with broad public backing and proven results.
The policy gives offenders a choice: install the device and keep driving legally, or lose their license entirely and face stiff penalties if caught. With 75% of suspended drivers still on the road, proponents argue this is accountability, not overreach. The coalition backing ISA includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Safety Council, AAA, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, and the Vision Zero Network.
While the political, scientific, and moral consensus grows, the remaining question is whether state legislatures will act. For Cohen, the stakes are personal. Sammy would be 25 this year. “No law can bring him back,” she writes, “but Intelligent Speed Assistance can keep other parents from burying their children.” As states like Virginia prepare to implement their programs, the technology is poised to become a standard tool in the fight against preventable road deaths. For more on how technology is reshaping policy, see Sweden’s quiet rise as a key U.S. tech partner. Meanwhile, the debate over government intervention continues, as seen in the unintended consequences of tax policies. And as the nation prepares for its 250th birthday, the White House plans a record-breaking celebration.
