Healthy Food Delivery : How One State Plans to Force Repeat Speeders to Slow Down

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

How One State Plans to Force Repeat Speeders to Slow Down

Speeding is one of those things that everyone knows is dangerous. Yet most of us are guilty of doing it at least once or twice (if not regularly). It’s not uncommon to get a ticket if you get caught, but most states don’t do much more than that unless you’re going exceptionally over the limit or have a documented history of doing so. In that case, the typical punishment is license suspension. However, several states have recently put forward their own legislation to update speeding penalties. While these laws have been vetoed in some states, Virginia has passed theirs.

Virginia’s HB2096: Intelligent Speed Assistance Program Explained

The Virginia governor recently signed HB2096: Intelligent Speed Assistance Program into law, which is slated to take effect July 1, 2026. According to the bill, there will now be an additional penalty that the state can use to deter drivers from reckless driving.

If someone is pulled over for going over 100 miles per hour, the typical penalty is getting their license suspended. But with this new law, that’s no longer a certainty. Instead, frequent speeders can opt to enroll in a program and install an intelligent speed assistance system. They may also be subject to this if you have too many demerits on your license.

How Do Speed Limiters Work?

Intelligent speed assistance systems, or speed limiters, artificially limit a vehicle’s speed. When you accelerate a regular car with no special limiter, there is a max speed it can go to. Despite speed limits in the US topping out at 85 mph, an average car’s top speed can range anywhere from 120 to 155 mph.

However, when you’ve got a speed limiter installed, this to speed can be artificially lowered. According to BMW UK, the speed limiter uses sensors to measure your vehicle’s speed and shares this information with your car’s engine control unit (ECU). If the sensors detect that you’ve hit the limit programmed into the device, it tells your ECU to “restrict airflow and fuel to the engine” to prevent your car from going any faster.

Can You Circumvent Speed Limiters?

While it is technically possible to tamper with and circumvent the speed limiters, the Virginia law makes such tampering a Class 1 misdemeanor. So, while it may be tempting to opt for this program in lieu of losing your license and then fiddle with the limiter after the fact, that’s a bad idea. You’ll quickly find yourself in more legal trouble than before.