Georgia ON CUSP OF BecomING Second State to Authorize Speed-Limiting Tech to Stop Super Speeders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 4, 2025

CONTACT: press@familiesforsafestreets.org, Thomas DeVito, National Director, 201-835-6900‬

Georgia Becomes Second State to Authorize Speed-Limiting Tech to Stop Super Speeders

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Today, lawmakers in Georgia passed the Stop Super Speeders bill, HB308, legislation that will allow judges to require speed-limiting technology in the vehicles of drivers whose licenses have been suspended for egregious violations like street racing. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

 Pending the governor’s signature, this legislation will make Georgia the second U.S. state to authorize the use of this life-saving technology, also known as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA). When installed, ISA tech limits vehicle speeds – which for this bill would require the driver go no more than 20 percent over the posted speed limit.

 The growing movement and push to stop super speeders across the country has been powered by the voices of victims and survivors of traffic violence. Members of Families for Safe Streets, who have lost loved ones or been seriously injured in traffic crashes, are leading the charge to bring this life-saving technology to more communities. There are currently bills in a half dozen other states. 

The movement began in New York State, where FSS members were instrumental in introducing the first Stop Super Speeders bill in the U.S. Their efforts laid the groundwork for other local campaigns, including in Washington, D.C., where the local FSS chapter successfully advocated for the passage of the first Stop Super Speeders law in the country in 2024. Virginia became the first state in the country to mandate ISA to stop super speeders last month.

With Georgia’s vote today, it is clear that this is the beginning of a growing national trend. Many other advocacy groups nationwide have joined FSS, recognizing ISA as a commonsense, targeted tool to prevent the most dangerous forms of speeding, which is a factor in nearly a third of all deadly crashes nationally.

Governor Kemp Brian Kemp now has 40 days to sign the bill into law. 

"If this legislation had been in place the day I was struck, it could have saved me so much pain and suffering,” said Veronica Watts, an Atlanta member of Families for Safe Streets who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a repeat offender near her apartment building in the city last year. “I want to thank State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick for helping push this bill across the finish line so that reckless, repeat offenders can’t continue to wantonly kill and maim people in the state of Georgia.”

 “Our members are fighting for a future where nobody has to lose their loved ones to careless behavior by a small class of repeat, reckless drivers that are proven to disproportionately kill and people like my son,” said Amy Cohen, Founder and President of Families for Safe Streets, and mother of Sammy Cohen Eckstein who was killed in 2014. “This measure in Georgia is just the beginning of a nationwide movement that is long overdue. Currently, in many states, the only consequence to stop super speeders is to suspend a driver’s license, but 75% of people with a suspended license drive anyways. This commonsense measure allows people to get around but just makes sure they do so safely.”

“MADD applauds Senator Kirkpatrick for her leadership to promote a proven traffic safety measure that will save lives and prevent injuries, said Larry E. Coggins, Jr., Regional Executive Director, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Alabama, Florida, Georgia & Puerto Rico. “MADD thanks the General Assembly for approving this lifesaving proposal. MADD supports HB 308 as drunk driving and speeding is interconnected. According to NHTSA, 38 percent of all fatal speeding crashes involved drunk drivers.”

“Georgia’s life-saving passage of the intelligent speed assist bill will have ripple effects globally. The coalition of leaders behind this bill, including Families for Safe Streets, are proving that states can and must execute their agency to keep people safe, said Natalie Draisin, Director, North American Office and United Nations Representative, FIA Foundation. 

“More than 1,500 people lose their lives in traffic crashes in Georgia every year,” said Rebecca Serna, Executive Director of Propel ATL, an organization that advocates for bicyclists and pedestrians. “We do not have to accept that people dying is just the cost of getting around. HB308 represents an important step forward in making our streets and roads safer for everyone and we look forward to when it is signed into law.”

"We commend Georgia for recognizing that we need to do more to curb dangerous speeds that result in tens of thousands of preventable deaths each year nationwide," said Leah Shahum, Founder and Director of Vision Zero Network, a nonprofit supporting road safety in U.S. communities. "Using Intelligent Speed Assistance to address the deadly problem of super-speeding is a smart, effective way to use safety technology to save lives and prevent tragedies."

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