Drive down any interstate, and you’ll see a variety of signs urging drivers to reduce their speed. “Arrive alive. Don’t speed.” “Slow down. Save lives.” “Fast drive. Last drive.”

No matter the slogan, the underlying message is the same: speeding kills. For those working in motor vehicle and law enforcement agencies, these messages are more than just warnings—they represent an ongoing roadway safety challenge. In 2023 alone, speeding was a factor in 29% of all U.S. traffic fatalities, killing 11,775—more than 32 people each day, according to the National Safety Council. Similarly, in recent years, roughly 25% of fatal motor vehicle crashes have involved speeding in Canada.

“Our current solutions aren’t working,” says Amy Cohen, the founder of Families for Safe Streets, an advocacy group that is working to end traffic violence through legislative and policy change. Its members have all lost loved ones or suffered serious injuries due to crashes. “We suspend licenses, we seize cars—and the worst offenders and superspeeders still keep driving. We need to stop these people from causing needless harm.”

Now, states from Virginia to Washington are implementing intelligent speed assistance, also known as intelligent speed adaptation (ISA), to curb dangerous speeding before it occurs.

Preventive Measure

Similar to an ignition interlock device, an ISA system connects to a car’s accelerator and pairs GPS with digitally mapped speed limit data to determine the legal speed limit for a specific location. When active, the technology prevents the driver from accelerating beyond the speed limit. It doesn’t cause the car to brake; instead, it gradually limits throttle input for smooth deceleration. If a vehicle enters a lower speed zone, the driver is still responsible for initiating braking.

“From a roadway safety perspective, this technology is designed for a specific group of drivers—those with serious violations, whether due to reckless driving or repeated speeding,” says Jessica Ross, manager, Driver Programs and Services, AAMVA. “It’s a win because it prevents them from speeding in the first place, while offering a way for them to maintain their driving privileges.”

Although the technology has been around for approximately 30 years, ISA has garnered significant attention over the last decade. The European Union passed legislation in 2019 that made passive ISAs mandatory in all new vehicles sold starting in July 2022. (Passive ISA sends the driver an alert, such as a flashing light or alarm, when they exceed the speed limit but does not prevent the car from accelerating.)

In the U.S., New York City’s City Fleet rolled out ISA in 500 vehicles in 2022. An early City Fleet analysis is promising: In 270 vehicles equipped with the system, there was a 64.18% relative decrease in the time driven more than 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit following ISA activation compared to before activation, according to City Fleet.

Jurisdictions Take Action

In 2024, Washington, D.C., became the first jurisdiction to pass ISA legislation. Taking effect in September 2025, this law will affect drivers with speeding-related suspensions.

Virginia was the second jurisdiction to pass a bill on ISA. When its law takes effect in July 2026, judges will have the option to order ISA devices for certain reckless driving offenses, such as driving over 100 miles per hour. Washington state was the third jurisdiction to pass the law, which will take effect in January 2029.

The bills in D.C., Virginia, and Washington all received strong bipartisan support—D.C.’s vote was unanimous—reflecting a growing consensus among leaders that proactive solutions are necessary to protect and modernize public safety and traffic enforcement. “We hear from courts here that they are seeing excess speeds they’ve never seen in the past,” says Christopher Morris, special programs coordinator for the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP), which will be responsible for developing and managing the state’s ISA program. “If somebody has this on their car, they’re no longer a threat.”

Morris adds that ISA will also act as a deterrent because no one will want it in their car or incur the costs of the program, as offenders will have to pay for the device.

“From a law enforcement perspective, ISA will likely make the job more efficient because there will be fewer traffic violations and reckless driving incidents,” says Morris, who has a background in law enforcement.

Grassroots Movement

The initial fuel for ISA legislation came from advocacy groups like Families for Safe Streets, which now consults with states by offering support and guidance as they prepare their bills.

Cohen created the group after her 12-year-old son, Sammy, was killed by a speeding driver while crossing the street near his home in Brooklyn, New York, in 2013. In her grief, Cohen met others who had lost loved ones to reckless driving, quickly realizing how widespread the problem is. Staggeringly, tens of thousands of people are killed or injured every year in New York City alone. Preventing another parent from experiencing the pain she felt quickly became her driving force.

When active, the technology prevents the driver from accelerating beyond the speed limit.

“Sammy would be turning 25 this year,” Cohen says. “He was at the top of his class, an athlete, a kid who rode his bike 100 miles in one day and refused to quit. Every time I speak to young legislative aides—people who would have been his age—I tell them, ‘He would’ve loved your job.’ He wanted to make the world better. And if intelligent speed assistance had existed back then, he’d still be here.”

Rosario Carrasquillo, special programs design technician for VASAP, says these personal accounts from the families have been key in garnering support for this legislation. “The testimonies of the victims’ families helped pass the bill in Virginia,” says Carrasquillo. “Hearing their stories and how they want to prevent these tragedies from happening to someone else is incredibly impactful.”

AAMVA Support

Recognizing the legislative trend and upcoming demand on motor vehicle agencies to implement new ISA programs, AAMVA quickly created a new ISA Working Group charged with developing tools and guidance to assist members through this process.

“We see the immediate need, and we want members to have a fully robust solution, with a framework for legislation, policy resources and direction on reciprocity state to state,” Ross says. “With ignition interlock enforcement, we’ve encountered a problem with reciprocity because there are 69 different policies and laws guiding it. One of our main goals with ISA is to have outlined reciprocity from the very beginning.”

The working group will include experts in law enforcement, motor vehicle operations and speed device technology. The working group has a multi-year plan to compile legislative recommendations for states to utilize and track trends. This group is actively recruiting.

Preparing for Change

Angela Coleman, the executive director of VASAP, and her team will be busy over the coming months as they prepare for implementation. Coleman said her checklist includes:

• Educating judges. “We’re embarking on what we call a ‘judicial roadshow,’ educating judges on the concept, the device and its fee structure. So then they can begin to think about how they would like to implement the program,” she says.
• Meeting with DMVs. “We’ll be meeting frequently over the coming months, refining the administrative process and detailing any system or coding modifications that may be needed for implementation,” Coleman says.
• Completing paperwork and drafting the program participation agreement.
• Interviewing device vendors.
• Preparing class material. Virginia’s program will require anyone who has an ISA device installed to attend a four-hour behavior modification class. “We are all about education, changing behavior and lowering the recidivism rate,” says Coleman.

As for vendors, sources agree that the program will have no problem with device supply because the same industry that has traditionally installed ignition interlock devices for DUIs is now involved in this ISA technology.

A Future of Safer Streets

Coleman says her team is proud that Virginia is a trailblazer in ISA implementation.

“It’s a lot of work and pressure, but we’re excited to offer support to other states when they roll this out—we’re not gatekeepers,” she says. “When they are ready, we’re happy to offer our regulations as a template.”

More than anything, Coleman is looking forward to future data showing the reduced number of injuries and fatalities caused due to less speeding. “Our end goal is to save lives, and ISA is another tool to help us do that,” says Coleman. “That mission is at the core of everything we do. If even one life is saved, then we’ve been successful.”