Washington Forcing Speeding Offenders To Install GPS Speed Limiters

Our nation’s complete loss of freedom is, for sure, progressing on or ahead of schedule. The latest example? Washington is now forcing repeat speed offenders to install GPS-based speed limiters, joining a growing national trend that curbs how fast drivers can go, according to Ecoportal.

Under the new law, anyone caught driving 20 mph over the limit on highways — or 10 mph over on smaller roads — must use the limiter if they want their license back.

The device works like the breath-test locks used for DUIs, but instead of measuring alcohol, it tracks speed through GPS and electronically caps the car’s top speed. Offenders must keep it installed for at least 120 days, or 150 if convicted of reckless driving. Drivers get only three temporary bypasses a month before the limiter locks them down completely. Refusing to comply means more penalties and longer suspensions.

Ecoportal writes that lawmakers pushed the measure after 2023 became the deadliest year on Washington’s roads in more than three decades, with speeding behind a third of all traffic deaths. The bill is named after four victims killed near Renton by a repeat offender who had already been in two crashes earlier that year.

Advocates say the technology will save lives, pointing out that Europe already requires limiters in all new cars. But critics see it as a dangerous precedent: the state taking control of how fast your car can move.

Once activated, the limiter doesn’t allow flexibility — emergencies, wide-open highways, or personal judgment no longer matter.

Other states are watching closely. Virginia and D.C. already use similar devices for repeat offenders, and Pennsylvania is considering its own. California’s governor vetoed a bill, warning against government overreach.

Still, with momentum growing, the “freedom of the road” could soon mean driving under electronic supervision — a future where speed is no longer a choice.